Ministry Spotlight: Messenger International

Discipleship ministry owned by Bevere family withholds Form 990 since 2018 after gaining IRS church status.

Messenger International, a digital discipleship ministry, is in MinistryWatch’s “Withhold Giving” category for failing to file a Form 990 since 2018.

In a 2022 spotlight, MinistryWatch reported that Messenger International had filed for church status with the IRS in 2018, exempting it from filing a Form 990.

MinistryWatch has reported on an expanding coalition of ministries requesting this change, including a recent spotlight on World Gospel Mission. It is MinistryWatch’s position that filing a Form 990 with the IRS is a matter of transparency and stewardship.

Messenger International aims to develop uncompromising followers of Christ, offering discipleship resources in more than 100 languages across multiple media platforms. The ministry’s discipleship strategy is built on what it calls the “4 Rs: Reach, Raise, Release, and Repeat.

In late July, Messenger Cup — Messenger International’s annual fundraising and networking event — held its 16th annual gathering at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The event typically draws nearly 250 leaders from the worlds of business, church, and the arts for four days of activities.

Messenger International is the parent organization of the Messenger Cup, Sons & Daughters, and the ministries of both Addison and Arden Bevere. It also oversees several subsidiaries, including Teach Global LLC, Messenger Air LLC, DBE LLC, and FLAG LLC. John Bevere also owns John Bevere Ministries in Australia.

While these subsidiaries comply with IRS requirements, they make it harder for donors to hold ministries financially accountable and can complicate donor relationships. MinistryWatch reported in 2023 that Messenger International is not alone among ministries that have changed their IRS status and begun forming for-profit subsidiaries.

John and Lisa Bevere, along with other family members, are paid executives at Messenger International and earn additional revenue through their LLCs from royalties, curriculum sales, and book sales. They also receive honorariums and housing allowances, and Messenger International pays for personal services on their behalf.

Messenger posts audited financial statements to its website, but those reports do not include salaries, housing allowances, or retirement benefits — information the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability does not require ministries to make public. Messenger’s most recent public audit is from 2024.

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MinistryWatch made multiple attempts to contact Messenger International for comment on this story but did not receive a response.

MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 34 (out of a possible 100) “Withhold Giving”

MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: This ministry has not been rated.

MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: D

ECFA Member? Yes

All financial data is collected from the ministry’s Form 990s filed in 2013-2017 and is not a reflection of the ministry’s current financial status.

Revenue in Most Recent Year Available: $7,054,114

Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by about 48%)

Percent of Revenue Spent on Fundraising: 5%

Percent of Revenue Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 4%

CEO/President: John P Bevere Jr

President’s Salary and Other Compensation: $184,650

A complete MinistryWatch profile for Messenger International can be found here.