Eternal Perspective Ministries / Randy Alcorn

The information on this page was last updated 12/28/2023. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]

Summary

Eternal Perspective Ministries is a Christ-centered organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.

Contact information

Mailing address:
Eternal Perspective Ministries
39065 Pioneer Blvd
Ste. 100
Sandy, OR 97055

Website: www.epm.org

Phone: (503) 668-5200

Email: [email protected]

Organization details

EIN: 943125475

CEO/President: Randy Alcorn

Chairman: Randy Alcorn

Board size: 6

Founder: Randy Alcorn

Ruling year: 1995

Tax deductible: Yes

Fiscal year end: 12/31

Member of ECFA: No

Member of ECFA since:

Purpose

Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM) is a Bible-believing Christ-centered nonprofit organization with two goals:

1.) to teach the principles of God's Word, emphasizing an eternal viewpoint;

2.) to reach the needy in Christ's name, calling attention to the needs of the:

Mission statement

Teaching, counseling, and facilitating personal growth of a relationship with Jesus Christ. This includes working with individuals, groups, churches etc. making available resources to meet needs. Also to help other organizations with funding efforts in meeting needs of all areas including foreign countries.

Statement of faith

We believe the Bible to be God's Word: The sixty-six books of the Bible are God's written revelation to man, God-breathed and verbally inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), absolutely without error in the original documents. The contents of every book are nothing less than the Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:7-14; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Holy Spirit so guided the human authors that, through their individual personalities and different styles of writing, they composed and recorded God's Word to man without error (2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16).

The Word of God is an objective and propositional revelation, as opposed to a subjective or intangible one (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 2:13). We hold to the historical-grammatical interpretation of Scripture, believing that while there are countless subjective human interpretations there is a specific authorial intention (both human author and divine), which is the true meaning of the text. It is our responsibility to discern that intention, based on the chosen words and their context. (In keeping with this, we believe in a literal six day creation, based on the clear statement of Genesis 1:31 and Exodus 31:17.)

Not only is the Bible infallible, it is the exclusive rule of faith and practice (Matthew 5:18; 24:35; John 10:35; 16:12-13; 17:17; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20-21). This means that nothing else is or can be authoritative for our belief and practice--this includes any person or organization, and the ever-changing beliefs of psychology, education, science, religion, and the current body of political correctness.

Because we believe the Bible, this is what we believe about the following:

1. GOD - We believe there is only one true God, who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1; John 10:30; John 4:24; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

2. MAN - We believe that man is created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell, became alienated from God, inherited a sinful nature, and is unable by his own strength to remedy his lost condition (Gen. 1:27; Rom. 3:22-23; Eph. 2:12).

3. CHRIST - We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Christ came in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He accomplished our redemption through his death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. Our redemption is made sure to us by his literal physical resurrection from the dead (John 1:1-2, 14; Luke 1:35; Rom. 3:24-25; 4:25; I Pet. 1:3-5). We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven, exalted at the right hand of God, where as the High Priest for his people, he fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor and Advocate (Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1-2).

4. HOLY SPIRIT - We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person of the same nature as God the Father and the Son. He was active in the creation, he convicts men of sin, he restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. We believe the Holy Spirit is the divine Teacher who guides believers into all truth. All who are saved can and should be filled with the Spirit. (John 6:63; II Cor. 3:6; Rom. 8:11; I Pet. 3:18; Eph. 5:18).

5. SALVATION - We believe salvation is the gift of God, given to man by grace (not earned by man's efforts) and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7). Believers can know they are saved and kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ (John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:31-39; I John 5:13). It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation, but the Word clearly teaches the incompatibility of professing faith while living in sin (1 John 3:9), and forbids any spiritual presumption that minimizes the importance of the holy works God has called us to do (Eph. 2:8-10).

6. THE CHURCH - We believe that the Church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this age, irrespective of their affiliation with Christian organizations (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27; I Cor. 12:12-24). The local church is at the very heart of God's kingdom program. Parachurch organizations such as EPM should only exist to serve Christ-centered local churches, not in any way to detract from them.

7. SATAN - We believe in the existence of Satan, a fallen angel, who is the open and declared enemy of God and man (Job 1:6-7; Matt. 4:2-11; Isa.14:12-17). Satan is not God's equal opposite, but that of Michael the Archangel--the devil is only a creature, and can do nothing without God's sovereign permission (Job 1:9-12).

8. THE RETURN OF CHRIST - We believe in the premillenial second coming of the Lord Jesus, to raise the dead in Christ and receive believers who are alive at His coming (I Cor. 15:51-57; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Matt 24:15-25; 46:11; II Thess. 1:7-10; Rev. 20:6).

9. THE ETERNAL STATE - We believe the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation pass immediately into His presence at death, and there remain in conscious fellowship until the resurrection at his coming, when soul and body reunited shall be associated with Him forever in Glory. The souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment of the great white throne at the close of the millennium when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:42; II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15). We believe in a literal and physical heaven and hell.

10. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BELIEVERS - We believe Christians should live not in light of the moment, but in light of eternity, realizing that things are often not what they appear and that the true treasures are those which will last for eternity (2 Cor. 4:18; Matt. 6:19-25). We should all seek to walk in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon our Lord and Savior, who commands separation from sinful practices (Romans 12:1-2; 14: 2 Cor. 6:14; 7:1). It is the obligation of every believer to witness by deed and by word to the truths of Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all the world (Acts 1:8). It the responsibility of all believers to remember the work of the Lord in prayer and to support it with their assets of time, gifting and money (I Cor. 16:2). Believers in Christ should be the first to reach out to the poor and needy, and to defend the defenseless in the name of and for the sake of our Lord (Psalm 82:2-4; Proverbs 31:8-9; Matt. 245:31-46).

Donor confidence score

Transparency grade

D

To understand our transparency grade, click here.

Financial efficiency ratings

Sector: Christian Growth

Category	Rating	Overall rank	Sector rank
Overall efficiency rating		133 of 1106	8 of 60
Fund acquisition rating		95 of 1107	5 of 60
Resource allocation rating		439 of 1107	15 of 60
Asset utilization rating		318 of 1106	21 of 60

Click here to read Eternal Perspective Ministries / Randy Alcorn's response to our ratings

Financial ratios

Financials

Compensation

Compensation data as of: 12/31/2022

Response from ministry

One of the criteria for Ministry Watch's transparency grade is being a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Membership in the ECFA requires certain procedures that those examining our books tell us would create significant and unnecessary annual expenses for a ministry our size, so we have never applied. Since we are small and our financial statements are forthright and detailed and examined by an accountant, we believe we maintain financial accountability as effectively as most ECFA organizations.

EPM also doesn't have an annual independent audit, so we don't have audited financial statements which is Ministry Watch's second criteria. A CPA has complete access to EPM's financial records when they complete our annual Form 990 for the IRS.

A statement of EPM's income and expenditures, including staff salaries and benefits, and other distributions of funds, is available to anyone on request. Other than donors' individual giving records, which are confidential, the remainder of EPM's finances is open to anyone interested. If you have any further questions or would like to review a statement, you are welcome to contact us at www.epm.org/contact-us.

The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 12/28/2023. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]

History

For a history of Eternal Perspective Ministries, see https://www.epm.org/blog/2010/Aug/23/how-did-eternal-perspective-ministries-begin-part-

Program accomplishments

Eternal Perspective Ministries belongs to Jesus Christ. EPM staff are privileged to be His servants (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). EPM will exist only as long as God wants it to. If it becomes evident that His purpose for EPM is finished, we will close our doors. The sun does not rise or set on this ministry. It is simply a tool at God's disposal (2 Timothy 2:21), for Him to use how and as long as He chooses. EPM has no desire to build a financial kingdom.

We seek to keep overhead as low as possible. As much as possible, EPM offers its services free of charge.

EPM offers no cost and low cost ministry materials. Pastors and churches are invited to avail themselves of EPM's teaching and reaching ministries. We give away a great deal of literature to churches and individuals, and provide our magazine, Eternal Perspectives, at no charge. Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). Consequently, we charge nothing for people to reproduce our materials, and we have no fees for consultation or speaking. (We do accept speaking honoraria when voluntarily given.) We also offer substantial discounts on books. EPM also has the privilege of donating thousands of Randy's books to various Christian organizations for evangelism and discipleship purposes.

All contributions to our special funds are used exclusively for designated purposes. Those wishing to give funds to Christian work, but who are unable to personally investigate which ministries are most worthy and strategic, can give to one of EPM's special funds knowing 100% of all contributions will go to carefully chosen ministries. Our general fund receives no percentage of these donations.

Royalties from Randy Alcorn's books go directly to the ministry and 100% are given away for ministry purposes: 90% to other worthy Christian organizations and 10% to EPM to help offset the costs related to the writing/researching/editing of the books, as well as to help facilitate the giving away of our books to people all over the world. For instance, in 2020, the royalty income to EPM was $199,874 and the designated giving to EPM for specific ministries was $261,513.

Since the inception of Eternal Perspective Ministries in 1990, EPM has given over eight million dollars in book royalties to ministries around the world.

All money donated to special funds and directed toward identified ministries is disbursed within thirty days of receipt. Typically, large contributions are sent immediately to the appropriate organization. Because it is not cost effective to send $15 one day and $25 a few days later, smaller gifts are accumulated and sent in one bulk sum at the end of the month. Special note: In order to comply with federal regulations, the ultimate decision of designations to specific organizations must be left to the ministry of EPM. However, we will do our best to honor the designated request when we send out contributions.

All purchases are paid in full within thirty days. There have been two exceptions to this that we were made aware of and immediately corrected. We believe God is not pleased and does not bless us when we hold on to other people's money.

EPM operates without debt (Romans 13:8). Like any ministry, we must project ahead based on past giving levels, making financial decisions for which the bills will not come due for some time. We make reasonable projections, but on a few occasions general fund giving has dropped and we've come up short. In those cases, EPM staff have voluntarily waited to receive their salaries. No vendors or special fund recipients have ever failed to receive funds.

EPM seeks to avoid unnecessary expenses and waste. Our Eternal Perspectives magazine is an example of this. To cut down on mailing expenses we now give the option of viewing the magazine online. For those we mail, we use nonprofit bulk mail rather than first class, which more than cuts in half our mailing expenses.

EPM does not beg for funds.

We will not send out lengthy fundraising letters with desperate pleas underlined in red. Our practice has been to periodically inform magazine recipients, blog readers, and those on our email list of special opportunities to invest in eternity by giving to our Special Funds. This has not and cannot result in our own financial profit, since we do not keep these funds or any portion thereof, but pass 100% on to worthy Christian organizations. We do not regularly publicize our general fund needs, preferring to pray and wait for the Lord's provision. This, however, is a matter of preference, not conscience-we don't believe it is wrong to do so (2 Corinthians 1:8). When we do choose to make general fund needs known, it's in a forthright and non-manipulative manner, without pressure to give.

We try not to make a major purchase without first praying that God will provide it at no cost or reduced cost, and waiting a period of time for God to provide or for an alternative to arise. If God has chosen not to provide it at that time, we will reevaluate whether it's truly a need. In any case, we will make the purchase only if funds are available. (Over the years the Lord has graciously provided office equipment and furniture that would have cost thousands of dollars if we had purchased them when we first felt the need.)

We have used volunteers, when possible, to supplement work done by our paid staff.

Each quarter, we issue tax-deductible receipts for all funds and materials donated, and seek to reduce the cost of mailings by offering emailed statements.

We will not sell or rent our mailing list to anyone.

We believe that 100% of all we are and have belongs to the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

EPM does not replace church ministries, but complements, strengthens, and facilitates them. Contributions to EPM are needed and appreciated, but we ask that they be above and beyond one's regular, substantial giving to a Bible-believing, Christ-centered local church.

A minimum of 10% is specially consecrated to Him and should be given regularly (1 Corinthians 16:2) to God's kingdom work (Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:10). This minimum is to be supplemented with freewill offerings for special ministry purposes (Numbers 15:3; Ezra 1:4; 2 Corinthians 8-9).

Scripture does not specifically state how much of the required and freewill giving should go to the local church and how much should go to other ministries cooperating with the churches in furthering God's kingdom (e.g., Focus on the Family, Prison Fellowship, CRU, mission boards, famine relief organizations, etc.). However, both scriptural example and common sense make clear that the believer's first and primary giving obligation is to his own church family. For this reason, EPM board members themselves give first and foremost to their local churches, and ask that our supporters do the same.

Though the great majority of our support comes from individual donors, because EPM is actively involved in serving churches, we welcome being included in church budgets.

We appreciate each financial gift we receive, realizing it often represents sacrifice and a heartfelt desire to invest in God's work.

We take all contributions seriously, and are committed to carefully and honorably carrying out our role as stewards.

A statement of EPM's income and expenditures, including staff salaries and benefits, and other distributions of funds, is available to anyone on request.

Other than donors' individual giving records, which are confidential, the remainder of EPM's finances is open to anyone interested. EPM keeps careful and detailed financial records.

Major policy decisions are made by the staff and board in consultation with others. Membership in the ECFA requires certain procedures that those examining our books tell us would create significant and unnecessary annual expenses for a ministry our size, so we have never applied. Since we are small and our financial statements are forthright and detailed and examined by an accountant, we believe we maintain financial accountability as effectively as most ECFA organizations.

The financial philosophy and priorities of EPM are more fully reflected in the book Money, Possessions and Eternity.

This book (Tyndale House Publishers, 1989, 2002) is authored by EPM director Randy Alcorn. Anyone with specific financial questions is invited to contact us at www.epm.org/contact-us.

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