Lifestone Ministries 
The information on this page was last updated 5/21/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
LifeStone Ministries continues the legacy of the Gospel Worker Society, founded in 1895, and publications of the Herald Publishing Press, founded in 1902, by providing discipleship resources that are biblically sound and thoughtfully designed to help individuals, small groups, and churches grow closer to Christ.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Lifestone Ministries
2019 Medina Rd
Medina, OH 44256
Website: lifestoneministries.org
Phone: 216-749-2100
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 921070799
CEO/President: Craig Wrobleski
Chairman: Craig Wrobleski
Board size: 7
Founder:
Ruling year: 2024
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
To glorify God by building Christian leaders' conviction and confidence, helping them transform lives into the image of Christ through biblical resources and real-life application training
Mission statement
Empowering Christian disciples to make disciples
Statement of faith
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, are inerrant in the original writings, are the Word of God, and the final authority in faith and conduct.
We believe in one God, the Creator of man and all things, eternally existing in three Persons in a threefold relationship, that of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is God incarnate, the God-Man.
We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God; that Adam's sin is imputed to the whole race of mankind; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners before God in thought, word, and deed.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe on Him are freely justified before God and stand before Him accepted in the character and merit of Jesus Christ.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, in His ascension into heaven, and that in His present glorified body He is the Head of the church, the Lord of the individual believer, the High Priest over the house of God, and the Advocate in the family of God.
We believe in the personal, imminent, pretribulational, and premillennial second coming of Christ; first to receive His own to Himself, and later to set up His earthly kingdom and to reign over redeemed Israel and all nations; that is, to bring peace and blessing to the whole world.
We believe that all who by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour are born again of the Holy Spirit and Word of God, receive the Holy Spirit and a new nature, and also are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.
We believe that God is the spiritual Father of only those who trust His Son, Jesus Christ, as Saviour, and that only those saved through faith in Christ are spiritual brothers.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the unsaved.
Donor confidence score
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Transparency grade
D
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Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Christian Growth
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 1342 of 1435 | 68 of 72 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 651 of 1435 | 31 of 72 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 1369 of 1435 | 68 of 72 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 1421 of 1436 | 72 of 72 |
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 6% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 75% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 25% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 80% | 57% | 74% | 67% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 97% | 76% | 80% | 80% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 80% | 44% | 59% | 54% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 3% | 24% | 20% | 20% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 3% | 11% | 10% | 11% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 13% | 43% | 26% | 33% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 1.09 | 0.32 | 0.38 | 0.41 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.37 | 11.35 | 1.25 | 1.18 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.89 | 3.61 | 0.48 | 0.48 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 10.83 | 7.65 | 55.87 | 28.12 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.13 | 0.02 | 0.04 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.77 | 2.89 | 24.76 | 24.04 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 9% | 8% | 2% | 3% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 4% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 74% | 290% | 256% | 237% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Cash | $1,359,923 | $5,157,030 | $4,938,134 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $634,294 | $1,279,089 | $1,809,108 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $8,826,335 | $7,632,839 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $1,994,217 | $15,262,454 | $14,380,081 |
| Long-term investments | $7,952,171 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $9,584,467 | $1,978,290 | $2,077,448 |
| Other long-term assets | $3,103,311 | $1,785,573 | $460,208 |
| Total long-term assets | $20,639,949 | $3,763,863 | $2,537,656 |
| Total assets | $22,634,166 | $19,026,317 | $16,917,737 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | ($910) | $16,069 | $151,053 |
| Other current liabilities | $261,620 | $257,086 | $360,396 |
| Total current liabilities | $260,710 | $273,155 | $511,449 |
| Debt | $858,645 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $648,031 | $135,654 | $1,120 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $1,506,676 | $135,654 | $1,120 |
| Total liabilities | $1,767,386 | $408,809 | $512,569 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Without donor restrictions | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| With donor restrictions | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $20,866,780 | $18,617,508 | $16,405,168 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Total contributions | $34,770 | $41,960 | $483 |
| Program service revenue | $8,840,646 | $8,606,049 | $8,409,629 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $445,466 | $423,362 | $258,173 |
| Other revenue | $119,622 | $3,763 | $0 |
| Total other revenue | $9,405,734 | $9,033,174 | $8,667,802 |
| Total revenue | $9,440,504 | $9,075,134 | $8,668,285 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Program services | $4,122,983 | $5,353,953 | $4,653,312 |
| Management and general | $3,068,249 | $1,910,060 | $2,270,596 |
| Fundraising | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total expenses | $7,191,232 | $7,264,013 | $6,923,908 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $2,249,272 | $1,811,121 | $1,744,377 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $2,249,272 | $1,811,121 | $1,744,377 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Craig Wrobleski | President CEO | $303,677 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 5/21/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society is an organization that publishes nondenominational, fundamental Christian literature. The first seed of this endeavor was planted in 1895 under the direction of the Reverend William Brunner Musselman, a Mennonite preacher from Pennsylvania, who then was presiding elder of his Conference.
On January 5, 1895, in Annandale, New Jersey, the Reverend Mr. Musselman and seven women from his church began a home missionary ministry that is now known as the Gospel Worker Society. The purpose of this ministry was twofold: to reach people who were not reached by the churches in their communities and to encourage people to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour from sin.
The purpose of this ministry was accomplished through missionary meetings, daily colportage work (distributing religious tracts and literature), tent meetings, and saloon work. Missions were set up in gospel-neglected towns, and their number increased as the ministry grew.
In 1896 two branches of the Home Missionary Society were established, one for men and one for women. In 1897 the name of the Women's Home Missionary Society was changed to the Gospel Worker Society. "Gospel Workers" was the name by which the women missionaries had come to be known.
In 1898, assured that the Lord wanted him to devote all his time to the missionary work, the Reverend Mr. Musselman prevailed on his church to release him from his position as presiding elder. They allowed him to do this, and in 1898 the Gospel Worker Society became a nondenominational organization under the Reverend Mr. Musselman's leadership. In its early years, the Gospel Worker Society distributed denominational literature, but it had no literature of its own. Steps to correct that were made in 1902, when the first issue of the G.W.S. Herald was printed. This was the nondenominational magazine of the Gospel Worker Society, and it was intended to be a model paper for mission work. Its purpose was to bring sound Christian literature into the home.
The first editions of the G.W.S. Herald were printed by an outside company, but in a short time the Gospel Worker Society purchased its own press and took over the printing of the G.W.S. Herald. The first issues were printed in a remodeled livery stable in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the Gospel Worker Society then had its headquarters. This newly established printing place was called the Herald Publishing House.
The Herald Publishing House grew quickly. In addition to printing the G.W.S. Herald, the organization began to publish Sunday school literature, which was called the "Christian Life Series."
In 1907 the Herald Publishing House and the Gospel Worker Society moved from Pennsylvania to new headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. The organization needed to be more centrally located and also needed much more room. For a few years, the fifteen-building complex on the corner of West Seventh Street and Jefferson Avenue was sufficient. In 1922, after much expansion and several name changes, what had begun as the Herald Publishing House came to be known as Union Gospel Press.
The Reverend Mr. Musselman conducted chapel services for the missionaries of the Gospel Worker Society. His words of encouragement, explanation of the Scriptures, and practical illustrations were helpful to the Gospel Workers. They were zealous in their faithfulness to the mission and to the publishing ministry. He often reminded them to remain loyal to the Lord and to His work. The Reverend Mr. Musselman often stated that it was not popular to be isolated from the practices of the world system. He said that Jesus spoke of laying down His life and being forsaken by all, and He encouraged His disciples to be sacrificial, to deny themselves, and to follow Him.
The Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press continued under the leadership of the Reverend Mr. Musselman until his death in 1938. His youngest daughter, Miss Mary E. Musselman, was elected president, and the corporation continued under her leadership during most of the years following until her death in 1971.
As the number of publications increased, Union Gospel Press was remodeled and enlarged. Eventually it was decided that an up-to-date, one-story plant would expedite production. This plan was put into action, and in 1950 Union Gospel Press and the Gospel Worker Society moved to the corner of Brookpark Road and Broadview Road.
In 1971, after the homegoing of Miss Mary E. Musselman, Miss Julia P. Stabley was elected president of the corporation and remained in office until she retired in 1990. The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society and Union Gospel Press then came under the leadership of Mrs. Beryl C. Bidlen, who was elected president in 1990. After twenty years at the helm, Mrs. Bidlen retired in August of 2010. At that time Miss Grace M. Todd, who had been a Gospel Worker for fifty-seven years, was elected president. Miss Todd retired in August of 2015 and Mr. David E. Rowland became the president. In 2020, the management of Union Gospel Press decided to begin looking for another location after all the Gospel Worker ladies had passed away. Their hard work and amazing legacy will always be honored. In March 2021, Union Gospel Press moved to a beautiful building located on Commerce Parkway in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. In early 2022, we welcomed our new president, Craig Wrobleski, who joins us as we look to strengthen and deepen our outreach for the cause of Christ.
The work begun by the Reverend Mr. Musselman continues to grow under the ownership and steadfast direction of The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society.