Ministry Spotlight: Gideons International
Does not file 990, sees significant growth in net assets
The overall financial efficiency rating for Gideons International, based out of Nashville, Tennessee, recently fell from 4 Stars to 3 Stars. The organization also no longer files a Form 990 or makes it available to the public.
Photo by Ron Long / Unsplash / Creative Commons
According to its Guidestar profile, Gideons “is not required to file an annual return with the IRS because it is a church.”
Yet the FAQ section of the organization’s website notes it is neither a denomination or a church, but rather “an association that works with evangelical or Protestant churches.”
Gideons International also says they “do not overlap, duplicate, or conflict with the mission of churches and other ministries. Instead, we act as an extended missionary arm of the church.”
Gideons International distinguishes its work as an “association of Christian business and professional men and their wives dedicated to telling people about Jesus.”
They do this by sharing personal testimonies and service and, perhaps most notably, by providing Bibles in key locations like hotels, hospitals, medical offices, and prisons.
The organization does release audited financial information, but its IRS church status keeps MinistryWatch and other donor advocacy groups from seeing its full financial picture.
Still, as a member of the ECFA, Gideons International’s member profile does provide limited financial information, showing that from 2021 to 2023 the organization’s revenue and expenses continued to grow.
In 2023, Gideons’ revenue was $127.7 million and its expenses were $108.7 million. The organization has also more than doubled its net assets since 2019, growing from $70.9 million to $184.4 million.
Gideons International did not respond to repeated requests for information.
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MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 68 (out of a possible 100) “Give With Confidence”
MinistryWatch Financial Efficiency Rating: 3 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars)
MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: C
Revenue in Most Recent Year Available (from ECFA profile): $127,748,144
Five-Year Revenue Trend: Increasing (by about 5.8%)
Percent of Revenue The Gideons International Spends on Fundraising: 3% (based on 2021 data)
Percent Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 6%
Executive Director: Dan Heighway; President: Kevin Beal
President’s Salary and Other Compensation: Unavailable because they do not release 990s
A complete MinistryWatch profile for Gideons International can be found here.
Find recent MinistryWatch articles mentioning Gideons International here.
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