Ministry Spotlight: Life Outreach International

Ministry withholds Form 990 as a recognized church while facing a growing $7M deficit.

LIFE Outreach, officially the Life Outreach International Association of Churches, is in MinistryWatch’s “Withhold Giving” category for failing to file a Form 990.

James Robison, host of the long-running “Life Today” show, died in May 2026. (Image courtesy JamesRobison.org)

In response to a MinistryWatch inquiry, a LIFE Outreach spokesperson said the ministry “is recognized by the IRS as a church. Churches are not required to file Form 990; therefore, LIFE does not have a public Form 990. Nevertheless, we take financial stewardship seriously, and our financial statements are audited annually by an independent accounting firm.”

MinistryWatch has reported on the growing trend of ministries requesting this change, including recent spotlights on World Gospel Mission and Messenger International. It is MinistryWatch’s position that filing a Form 990 with the IRS is a matter of transparency and stewardship.

LIFE operates as “a Christian, faith-based organization committed to expressing God’s love in both word and deed.” The ministry aims to answer “Jesus’ challenge to spread the Good News of His salvation to all people and every nation” through media ministry and evangelistic efforts.

LIFE has numerous ministry outreaches, including the LIFE TODAY television ministry, LIFE Centers, feeding programs, water well drilling, disaster relief and other mission projects.

In May, LIFE Outreach founder James Robison died at the age of 82. The board of directors and ministry family made a statement on LIFE Today social media outlets, affirming “we will faithfully carry on the mission James cared about so deeply — bringing food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and mostly, the hope of Christ to a hurting world.”

LIFE Outreach is a member of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability and subscribes to the Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship. The ECFA Member Profile for LIFE supplies limited financial information. According to that data, the ministry suffered a $7 million deficit in 2024, compared with a deficit of less than $3 million in 2023. The ministry was not in a deficit in 2022.

LIFE Outreach publishes an audited financial statement each year alongside an annual report. However, Form 990s contain information that audited financial statements do not, including the salaries of key employees, the names of board members and large contractors, and the amount of money an organization spends on its core mission. LIFE’s most recent public audit is from 2024.

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MinistryWatch Donor Confidence Score: 49 (out of a possible 100) “Withhold Giving”

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

MinistryWatch Transparency Grade: C

ECFA Member? Yes

Revenue in Most Recent Year Available: Financials for this ministry have not been collected.

Five-Year Revenue Trend: Unable to calculate.

Percent of Revenue Spent on Fundraising: Financial ratios for this ministry have not been calculated.

Percent of Revenue Peer Group Spends on Fundraising: 6%

CEO/President: James Robison

President’s Salary and Other Compensation: Compensation data for this ministry has not been collected.

A complete MinistryWatch profile for Life Outreach can be found here.