Hermano Pablo Ministries 
The information in this column was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/14/2022. To update the information in this column, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
Summary
Hermano Pablo Ministries ("HPM") is a radio and TV broadcast ministry reaching the Spanish speaking world for Christ. By using a story with an application, A Message to the Conscience reaches millions of people in more than 30 countries. It is transmitted through commercial media, public media, social media and Christian media. Its audience is made up of both followers and not-yet-followers of Christ.
The International Center for Education in Latin America (a secular organization) referred to A Message to the Conscience as the second-most-effective media program in all of Latin America.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Hermano Pablo Ministries
2080 Placentia Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Website: www.message2conscience.com
Phone: (949) 645-0676
Email: ahp@message2conscience.com
Organization details
EIN: 952816361
CEO/President: Mr. Charles Ray Stewart
Chairman: Mr. Charles Ray Stewart
Board size: 17
Founder: Hermano Pablo (Paul) & Linda Finkenbinder
Ruling year: 1973
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
The target audience of A MESSAGE TO THE CONSCIENCE is the person who does not have a personal relationship with Christ. The goal is to promote moral and spiritual values and introduce the audience to Jesus Christ as the answer to all their problems.
Mission statement
"Our mission is to be God's voice to the conscience of every Hispanic in the world."
Statement of faith
Donor confidence score
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Radio/ TV Stations
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 349 of 1022 | 12 of 32 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 518 of 1024 | 18 of 32 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 522 of 1024 | 15 of 32 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 253 of 1022 | 10 of 32 |
Click here to read Hermano Pablo Ministries' response to our ratings
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 6% | 6% | 4% | 6% | 3% | 3% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 5% | 3% | 5% | 3% | 3% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 90% | 84% | 90% | 84% | 87% | 86% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 3% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 10% | 16% | 10% | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 80% | 80% | 80% | 81% | 82% | 82% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 92% | 104% | 64% | 114% | 85% | 100% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 73% | 83% | 51% | 93% | 70% | 82% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 8% | -4% | 36% | -14% | 15% | 0% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 9% | -4% | 46% | -21% | 19% | -1% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 15% | 15% | 14% | 15% | 15% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.54 | 0.90 | 0.82 | 1.64 | 1.13 | 1.56 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.90 | 1.90 | 1.99 | 3.12 | 2.31 | 3.61 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.25 | 1.71 | 1.63 | 5.12 | 2.61 | 5.63 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 13.68 | 290.55 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 8.99 | 6.98 | 7.37 | 2.34 | 4.60 | 2.13 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 158% | 110% | 122% | 61% | 89% | 64% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Cash | $35,234 | $218,386 | $74,902 | $121,747 | $62,785 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Short-term investments | $194,592 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $229,826 | $218,386 | $74,902 | $121,747 | $62,785 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $206,165 | $215,343 | $158,690 | $159,785 | $164,117 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term assets | $206,165 | $215,343 | $158,690 | $159,785 | $164,117 |
| Total assets | $435,991 | $433,729 | $233,592 | $281,532 | $226,902 |
| Liabilities | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $791 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $791 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $791 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Without donor restrictions | $431,825 | $430,354 | $230,591 | $206,532 | $226,902 |
| With donor restrictions | $3,375 | $3,375 | $3,001 | $75,000 | $0 |
| Net assets | $435,200 | $433,729 | $233,592 | $281,532 | $226,902 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Total contributions | $319,064 | $500,526 | $282,952 | $322,577 | $304,271 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $4,025 | $1,136 | $1,405 | $491 | $323 |
| Other revenue | $55,654 | $53,838 | $51,138 | $48,869 | $47,703 |
| Total other revenue | $59,679 | $54,974 | $52,543 | $49,360 | $48,026 |
| Total revenue | $378,743 | $555,500 | $335,495 | $371,937 | $352,297 |
| Expenses | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Program services | $315,214 | $284,288 | $311,747 | $260,192 | $289,952 |
| Management and general | $59,104 | $53,305 | $53,767 | $47,595 | $53,041 |
| Fundraising | $19,700 | $17,770 | $17,921 | $9,520 | $10,608 |
| Total expenses | $394,018 | $355,363 | $383,435 | $317,307 | $353,601 |
| Change in net assets | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
| Surplus (deficit) | ($15,275) | $200,137 | ($47,940) | $54,630 | ($1,304) |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | ($15,275) | $200,137 | ($47,940) | $54,630 | ($1,304) |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Linda Stewart | OPERATIONS MANAGER | $67,358 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2020
Response from ministry
We welcome questions. Call us at 949-645-0676 or email linda@conciencia.net to inquire about any aspect of the ministry that is not mentioned here.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/14/2022. To update the information below, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
History
Paul Finkenbinder, known as Hermano Pablo, was born in 1921 in Puerto Rico of missionary parents. He grew up speaking both Spanish and English, and the strong missionary atmosphere of his early home fashioned the course of his life and became the foundation for one of the most extensive Christian media outreaches in all of Latin America.
From his first trips by pack mule to remote villages in El Salvador, to crusades of tens of thousands, the passion of presenting the Gospel of Christ has been Hermano Pablo's hallmark.
God has opened many avenues of mass evangelism: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and crusades, to reach a continent in crisis. Daily, the challenge multiplies with the increasing influence of terrorism, rapidly growing population, and a very unstable future.
Looking Back
Paul Finkenbinder felt called by God to be a minister of the Gospel in 1938. He was only seventeen years old. When he was twenty, God gave him a wife, Linda, who was his faithful companion ever since. Their ministry began in 1942 in a Spanish mission in New Mexico, and on Thanksgiving eve, 1943, Paul, Linda, and their son, Paul Jr., began serving as missionaries in El Salvador.
For the first thirteen years in El Salvador Hermano Pablo taught in Bible Schools, ministered in churches, directed youth outreaches and made himself available in many different areas of need all over the country.
Then in 1955 God gave Hermano Pablo the vision for mass evangelism through radio. He utilized every possible tool--radio, television, the printed page, crusades, and special events--to present the Gospel of Christ to the entire Latin American continent.
In 1960 Hermano Pablo pioneered the use of "Christian drama" to present parables and Bible stories on television. The response was overwhelming. This led to the production of six Bible drama films that are still in use today throughout Latin America.
In 1964 Hermano Pablo and his family returned to the United States and established their headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. After four years in a makeshift recording studio in their garage, God provided a building for their studios and offices. Today the Spanish language radio and television programs and the newspaper and magazine columns are shipped to more than 30 countries of the world.
Hermano Pablo was honored by the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) with the prestigious award for the "Hispanic Program of the Year." Other awards include: "Best Film of the Year" in 1971 given by the National Evangelical Film Foundation (NEFF), and the "Best Spanish Broadcast" 1980 Angel Award given by Religion in Media (RIM). Hermano Pablo is listed in the first edition of Who's Who in Religion. He was also the recipient of numerous certificates and honors. In 1993 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity Degree from Vanguard University.
These are, without a doubt, tremendous days of harvest in Latin America. The need to reach the masses with the message of Jesus Christ is stronger now than it was in 1942 when Hermano Pablo first heard God's call to evangelism. Great opportunities and challenges for Hermano Pablo Ministries lie ahead.
Over the last number of years God has raised up a Latin American evangelical counterpart (COICOM) to the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) of the United States. From its inception the hispanic leaders of COICOM recognized the tremendous worth of having an advisor on their Consulting Board of the caliber of Hermano Pablo. These men grew up listening to him on the radio, proud that he was representing them with such a high standard of excellence in broadcasting. It was evident to them that Hermano Pablo was a storehouse of wisdom and experience that could enrich the lives of key leaders in Christian media and was thus in the unique position to mentor hundreds of Hispanics who have caught the same vision and want to help carry the torch. So they named him and his wife Linda "COICOM Ministers and Ambassadors to Iberoamerica," and they continued to serve in that capacity until Hermano Pablo's death.
In 1996, the Board of Hermano Pablo Ministries named Charles Ray Stewart as the new president of the ministry, to which Hermano Pablo said, "God, in his mercy, sent us Charles along with Linda, his wife, to take our place. They oversee the ministry now."
Even though Paul passed away in January of 2012, his voice continues to be heard on "A Message to the Conscience" broadcasts as always. Charles continues to record, as he has since 1995, evangelistic programs with a cultural emphasis aimed at Hispanics. In addition, beginning in 2008, the audience has been given the opportunity to "to take a weight off their consciences" by submitting their stories on the evangelistic website www.conciencia.net. Charles' wife, Linda, who earned a Master's Degree in Counseling, chooses one story each week and writes practical advice along with a spiritual application based on Biblical principles. Her counsel is posted on the site the following week, so that the audience receives timely feedback, and then Charles records the stories and applications in a subsequent Message to the Conscience television and radio program. So the six programs broadcast each week include Hermano Pablo's reco rdings, Charles' recordings, and special Cases of the Week, also recorded by Charles.
Hermano Pablo Ministries advances as God raises up ministry partners whose prayer and financial support meet the many obligations associated with such a vast outreach. Hermano Pablo Ministries is moving ahead as thousands are touched daily by its dynamic messages.
To find out what A Message to the Conscience is like, read one of our devotionals. These are brief messages which have been adapted for a Christian audience. Originally they targeted non-Christians.
Program accomplishments
Un Mensaje a la Conciencia [A Message to the Conscience] radio and television program has been the primary vehicle for bringing God's message of love to millions of Spanish-speaking people each day. This professional production is seen, heard or read throughout 30 countries of the Spanish-speaking world over 4,000 times per day.
Needs
Hermano Pablo Ministries is supported entirely by the tax-deductible contributions of those who choose to partner with us in this great evangelistic effort. These donations underwrite the office and staff as well as the production, duplication, and shipping costs of the programs. All air time is donated by the radio or television stations, or by local believers who sponsor the programs. Newspapers and magazines donate space as well.
Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. We trust that your guide for giving will be the Holy Spirit. We do not want to receive funds that God would have you send somewhere else or funds that belong to your local church. We will gladly provide you with answers to the questions that you have a right and an obligation to ask.