Ministry Spotlight: Adventures in Missions

Organization doesn’t release public 990s, operates under IRS “church” status

This week, Adventures in Missions’ overall Transparency Grade fell from a C to a D because the organization does not file a Form 990.

According to its Guidestar profile, the nonprofit “is not required to file an annual return with the IRS because it is a church.”

It has joined a growing number of Christian ministries seeking out this IRS designation.

Executive Director Seth Barnes told MinistryWatch the organization’s choice to change its IRS status was “not to escape accountability, but more about not having to go through the process with the government and seek accountability through other mechanisms.”

This includes being in good standing with the ECFA and cutting overhead costs.

“We’ve cut expenses from 15% overhead to 7% overhead. Cutting your overhead in half is good accountability to donors,” Barnes said.

When an organization does not make its 990s public, accountability groups like ProPublica and MinistryWatch are not notified of yearly financial changes within the organization. Additionally, donors are unable to access important financial information about the ministry including: top employee salaries, yearly revenue and the amount of money an organization spends on its core programming.

Adventures in Missions does provide audited financial statements on its website, and Barnes said the organization’s 990s are available to donors upon request.

According to the ministry’s 2023 Annual Report, its revenue was $10.4 million and its total expenses were $10 million.

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Limited financial information from Adventures in Missions’ ECFA profile shows a drop in revenue from 2021 to 2023—falling from $13.8 million to $10.4 million.

“Everything stopped during COVID,” Barnes said. “Our revenue stopped. We had to fight and cut a lot.”

Additionally, he said, they had to shift how they recruited young people to its programs and mission trips.

“Our primary means for recruiting young people was through the organic traffic that came from their blogs as they went through our ministry. But then Gen Z largely stopped posting blogs. So, it was a double whammy—Covid plus that dynamic. We had to figure out other ways to reach young people. We’ve seen things bouncing back this last year as we’ve innovated ways to stay relevant to a new generation.”

The organization’s website describes itself as an “interdenominational missions organization that focuses on discipleship” through a number of programs, including short and long term missions trips, parent ministry, and The World Race. The World Race is an 11-month missions program for people ages 21-30. Participants travel to multiple countries around the world during their time in the program and serve with local ministry partners.

MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 38 (out of a possible 100) “Withhold Giving”

MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 0 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars)

MinistryWatch Transparency Grade:  D

Revenue in Most Recent Year Available (2023 ECFA Profile): $10,448,774

Five-Year Revenue Trend: Decreasing (by about 44%)

Percent of Revenue Adventures in Missions Spends on Fundraising: Information unavailable

Percent Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: Information unavailable

CEO/President: Seth Barnes

President’s Salary and Other Compensation: Information unavailable

A complete MinistryWatch profile for Adventures in Missions can be found here.

Find recent MinistryWatch articles mentioning Adventures in Missions here.