InFaith FKA: American Missionary Fellowship

The information in this column was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/8/2021. To update the information in this column, please email: info@ministrywatch.com

Summary

InFaith was founded in 1817 by Rev. William White and focuses on places overlooked or underserved by other evangelistic ministries. While InFaith originated with a goal of starting Sunday schools for poor children, it has grown well beyond that area of ministry to include youth and adult camping, after school bible clubs, vacation bible schools, church planting, interim pastors, intercultural and urban discipleship, young adult ministry, chaplaincies, nursing home and assisted living discipleship, prison discipleship, and other local and specialized ministries. The InFaith family faithfully continues to convey the unchanging truth of God's Word to a changing culture. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Contact information

Mailing address:
145 John Robert Thomas Drive
Exton, PA 19341

Website: www.infaith.org

Phone: (610) 527-4439

Email: info@infaith.org

Organization details

EIN: 231381400

CEO/President: Dr. Ridge Burns

Chairman: Craig Montgomery

Board size: 11

Founder: Rev. William White

Year founded: 1817

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 02/28

Member of ECFA: Yes

Member of ECFA since: 1980

Purpose

InFaith was founded in 1817 by Rev. William White and focuses primarily on places overlooked or underserved by other evangelistic ministries. While InFaith originated with a goal of starting Sunday schools for poor children, it has grown well beyond that area of ministry to include youth and adult camping, after school Bible clubs, vacation Bible schools, church planting, interim pastors, intercultural and urban discipleship, young adult ministry, chaplaincies, nursing home and assisted living discipleship, prison discipleship and other local and specialized ministries. The InFaith family faithfully continues to convey the unchanging truth of God's Word to a changing culture. This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Mission statement

InFaith enables called and committed followers of Christ to serve with purpose and passion within our nation's borders.

Ministry Essentials Passion for God We love God and desire to have others come into a personal relationship with the Savior. We value each person as an individual who has a need to recognize their lostness and need for a Savior. We believe the Scriptures are the primary way God speaks to us.

Focused We are about connecting people with relevant ministry in the United Staes. We believe that people transformed by Jesus will be a redemptive community, causing winds of revival within our nation's borders.

Spiritual Relationships We want to be people who come alongside individuals and help them understand what it means to be a Christ-follower. We affirm each person's giftedness and will help them use those gifts in Kingdom service.

Catalyst for Community We are a people who value the church. We seek to bring people together for worship, community, teaching, learning and ministry.

Ears that Hear As we talk to God in prayer, we listen carefully for His voice as revealed in Scripture and through the work of the Spirit. We are a people who are committed to asking God to reveal His will to us through careful and consistent corporate and private prayer.

Peacemakers While holding tightly to our statement of faith, we seek to focus on that which brings unity and common purpose. We refrain from controversy and divisive issues that cause strife, choosing to center on Jesus and His redemptive work.

Relevance As culture changes, we will adjust our methods to be relevant to whomever God brings our way. We are cognizant of our rich history, which we see as a foundation for the future. Like our founders, we are pioneers. We seek relevance through evaluation of our methods as we teach the unchanging Word of God to an ever-changing culture.

Clean Hearts We are a broken people. When we make mistakes, we respond graciously, asking and giving forgiveness. We come to the cross as equals, people who have a sinful nature and have experienced the miracle of grace from our Savior.

Commitment to Each Other We are a group of Christ-followers who intentionally live out what it means to be the family of God, submitting to each other, willingly accountable, and genuinely caring for those who are called to our common work.

Statement of faith

InFaith is built upon the Word of God and our personal faith in Jesus Christ. We hold tightly to the great foundational truths of the historic Christian faith held in common by like-minded evangelical Christians with whom we share both fellowship and the mission mandate: We believe that there is one God, Creator, and Sustainer of the universe, existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that the Bible is the verbally inspired Word of God, is inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is uniquely infallible, our only authority for faith and practice.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His substitutionary sacrifice upon the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His victory over sin and His enemy Satan, in His present exaltation at His Father's right hand, and in His personal return, at any time, in power and great glory.

We believe in the fall and lostness of man, whose total depravity requires that he be regenerated by the Holy Spirit for his salvation.

We believe that salvation consists of the forgiveness of sins, the imputation of Christ's righteousness, and the gift of eternal life, received by grace through faith alone, entirely apart from works.

We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life, and by whom the Church, the Body of Christ, is gifted and equipped to serve and glorify God.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all mankind: those who have trusted in Christ, the ultimate Judge, will receive everlasting life and blessedness in heaven; those who have not will receive everlasting punishment and separation from the presence of God.

We believe that Christ has commanded His Church to preach the gospel to all people and that this mandate should be a primary concern of all Christians.

Transparency grade

A

To understand our transparency grade, click here.

Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Evangelism

CategoryRatingOverall rankSector rank
Overall efficiency rating664 of 91334 of 47
Fund acquisition rating493 of 91530 of 47
Resource allocation rating569 of 91530 of 47
Asset utilization rating640 of 91331 of 47

Financial ratios

Funding ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts =
Fundraising expense /
Total contributions
6%6%7%7%7%6%
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total revenue
5%6%6%6%6%5%
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance =
Total contributions /
Total revenue
96%92%92%93%92%92%
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio =
Fundraising expense /
Total expenses
5%6%6%6%6%5%
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance =
Total other revenue /
Total revenue
4%8%8%7%8%8%
 
Operating ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio =
Program services /
Total expenses
82%81%83%82%80%81%
Spending ratio Spending ratio =
Total expenses /
Total revenue
94%103%117%112%107%110%
Program output ratio Program output ratio =
Program services /
Total revenue
78%84%97%91%86%88%
Savings ratio Savings ratio =
Surplus (deficit) /
Total revenue
6%-3%-17%-12%-7%-10%
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate =
Surplus (deficit) /
Net assets
8%-154%-42%-21%-14%-14%
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio =
Management and general expense /
Total expenses
11%13%12%13%14%14%
 
Investing ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total assets
1.160.640.720.680.640.65
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment =
Total assets /
Total current assets
1.511.231.241.211.221.22
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover =
Total expenses /
Total current assets
2.140.790.890.820.780.79
 
Liquidity ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Current ratio Current ratio =
Total current assets /
Total current liabilities
6.410.941.261.441.361.37
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio =
Total current liabilities /
Total current assets
0.151.070.790.690.740.73
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level =
(Total current assets -
Total current liabilities) /
(Total expenses / 12)
4.31-1.022.774.484.054.05
 
Solvency ratiosSector median20202019201820172016
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio =
Total liabilities /
Total assets
16%99%75%67%70%60%
Debt ratio Debt ratio =
Debt /
Total assets
0%0%0%0%0%0%
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio =
Net assets /
Total expenses
65%2%36%49%47%61%

Financials

Balance sheet
 
Assets20202019201820172016
Cash$372,703$280,613$561,013$198,849$293,874
Receivables, inventories, prepaids$53,080$73,000$324,315$265,439$290,284
Short-term investments$9,570,852$9,883,215$10,395,509$10,609,134$10,116,161
Other current assets$0$0$0$0$0
Total current assets$9,996,635$10,236,828$11,280,837$11,073,422$10,700,319
Long-term investments$0$0$0$0$0
Fixed assets$1,074,377$1,170,492$1,235,831$1,287,231$1,262,969
Other long-term assets$1,220,222$1,275,547$1,147,929$1,115,245$1,040,263
Total long-term assets$2,294,599$2,446,039$2,383,760$2,402,476$2,303,232
Total assets$12,291,234$12,682,867$13,664,597$13,475,898$13,003,551
 
Liabilities20202019201820172016
Payables and accrued expenses$10,483,751$7,921,617$7,568,779$7,888,213$7,523,610
Other current liabilities$180,490$214,895$242,050$276,052$311,490
Total current liabilities$10,664,241$8,136,512$7,810,829$8,164,265$7,835,100
Debt$0$0$0$0$0
Due to (from) affiliates$0$0$0$0$0
Other long-term liabilities$1,487,453$1,312,603$1,294,887$1,238,516$0
Total long-term liabilities$1,487,453$1,312,603$1,294,887$1,238,516$0
Total liabilities$12,151,694$9,449,115$9,105,716$9,402,781$7,835,100
 
Net assets20202019201820172016
Without donor restrictions($4,882,088)($1,817,599)($2,206,568)($2,836,427)($1,562,473)
With donor restrictions$5,021,628$5,051,351$6,765,449$6,909,544$6,730,924
Net assets$139,540$3,233,752$4,558,881$4,073,117$5,168,451
 
Revenues and expenses
 
Revenue20202019201820172016
Total contributions$7,055,477$7,149,530$7,712,444$7,455,644$7,091,533
Program service revenue$0$0$0$0$0
Membership dues$0$0$0$0$0
Investment income$590,383$577,824$578,747$599,748$610,343
Other revenue$29,472$25,111$21,956$14,282$45,517
Total other revenue$619,855$602,935$600,703$614,030$655,860
Total revenue$7,675,332$7,752,465$8,313,147$8,069,674$7,747,393
 
Expenses20202019201820172016
Program services$6,411,467$7,512,010$7,579,811$6,945,670$6,843,966
Management and general$1,029,582$1,090,674$1,197,450$1,185,135$1,222,461
Fundraising$449,771$501,517$511,493$498,631$417,594
Total expenses$7,890,820$9,104,201$9,288,754$8,629,436$8,484,021
 
Change in net assets20202019201820172016
Surplus (deficit)($215,488)($1,351,736)($975,607)($559,762)($736,628)
Other changes in net assets($2,878,724)$26,607$1,461,371($535,572)$1,411,917
Total change in net assets($3,094,212)($1,325,129)$485,764($1,095,334)$675,289

Compensation

NameTitleCompensation
Ridgeway BurnsChief Executive Officer$172,792
Daniel SheldonChief Financial Officer$119,524

Compensation data as of: 2/29/2020

Response from ministry

No response has been provided by this ministry.

The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 3/8/2021. To update the information below, please email: info@ministrywatch.com

History

InFaith traces its roots back to William White, a Philadelphia bishop, who was influenced by the Sunday School Movement in Great Britain. Seeing the benefits of educating poor children by holding Bible and literacy classes on Sundays, when the children had a day off from work, he organized a nonsectarian Christian group called the "First Day Society of Philadelphia" in 1790. The First Day Society eventually became part of the Sunday and Adult School Union, formed in 1817. That organization soon published its first Sunday school primer, Little Henry and His Bearer, a wholesome book used to teach children reading skills and good morals. For more than 150 years, the publishing arm of the Union produced books, hymnals, tracts, and tickets to reward Scripture memorization. It became known for its "Ten-Dollar Libraries," an affordable set of 100 books, which served as teaching material for Sunday schools and often as a community's only public lending library.

Union Sunday schools were staffed entirely by volunteers until 1821, when the organization hired its first paid missionary, William C. Blair. He rode on horseback from Pennsylvania to North Carolina in one year's time, founding sixty-one Sunday schools, reviving twenty more, and establishing six tract societies and four adult schools along the way.

Following a name change to "American Sunday School Union" (ASSU) in 1824, the mission soon embarked on the ambitious Mississippi Valley Enterprise, during which leaders resolved to "...within two years, establish a Sunday school in every destitute place where it is practicable, throughout the valley of the Mississippi." With the support of prominent Americans, including Francis Scott Key and Daniel Webster, the ASSU raised enough money and attracted enough missionaries to start Sunday schools in 5,000 communities, nearly half the number of communities in the U.S. at the time. More than 50,000 people professed faith in Jesus Christ as a direct result of these Sunday schools.

ASSU missionaries continued to establish Sunday schools throughout the 19th century and into the 20th century. In the 1920's, Union missionaries developed Daily Vacation Bible Schools and Bible conferences (later called camps) as a way to teach the Bible to even more children and young adults. Vacation Bible Schools and Christian camping are still a vital part of InFaith's ministry, with approximately 245 InFaith camps and 175 Vacation Bible schools/day camps operating each summer.

Recognizing that the mission was no longer focused entirely on Sunday schools, the Board of Managers (now the Board of Trustees) changed the organization's name to American Missionary Fellowship (AMF) in 1974. An additional name change, with the purpose of attracting more people to join our work, took place in 2011. Contemporary InFaith field staff members work in a variety of ministries in rural and urban areas, focusing particularly on places overlooked or underserved by other evangelical ministries. While InFaith has grown well beyond its original goal of starting Sunday schools for poor children, the mission faithfully continues to convey the unchanging truth of God's Word to a changing culture.

Program accomplishments

Needs

InFaith seeks qualified, mature Christians to be a part of their team - men and women who are committed to Christ, have a love for people, and are willing to serve.

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