Grace to You / John MacArthur 
The information in this column was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/28/2021. To update the information in this column, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
Summary
Grace to You ("GTY") is the Bible-teaching media ministry of John MacArthur. We use mass media to expose John's teaching to as wide an audience as possible "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13, NASB).
Contact information
Mailing address:
Grace to You
PO Box 4000
Panorama City, CA 91412
Website: www.gty.org
Phone: (661) 295-5871
Email: letters@gty.org
Organization details
EIN: 953846510
CEO/President: Mr. John F. MacArthur, Jr.
Chairman: Mr. John F. MacArthur, Jr.
Board size: 12
Founder: Mr. John F. MacArthur, Jr.
Year founded: 1992
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1988
Purpose
One of our principal tasks is to protect believers from being "tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming" (v. 14). We accept the God-given responsibility of "speaking the truth in love" (v. 15) and strive for the growth of the church and glory of the Lord, rather than the praise and honor of men.
Our role is not to supplant the local church's ministry, but to support it by providing additional resources for those hungering for the truth of God's Word. Media ministries can never substitute for involvement in a biblical church, group Bible study, or interaction with a teacher. Yet we sense the need for more in-depth resources, evidenced by the many Christians and Christian leaders worldwide who depend on our ministry to supplement their own study.
Our desire is that God be glorified through Grace to You's resources. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of this ministry, and we desire to perform our work as unto Him, to reflect Him to all those we encounter, and to operate not in our own strength but through His power (Philippians 4:13).
Mission statement
As believers committed to God and walking in obedience to Him, we affirm the purpose of Grace to You, which is to teach biblical truth with clarity, taking advantage of various means of mass communications to expand the sphere of John MacArthur's teaching ministry.
Statement of faith
Preface to the doctrinal statement of Grace to You:
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Recognizing that the Bible is the very Word of the Living God to man, and understanding the priority of knowing and obeying its truths, Grace to You is committed to teaching Scripture with diligence and authority. Thus, the central ministry of Grace to You is the continuous imparting of biblical truth to the people of God that they may become equipped to do the work of the ministry. This statement presents our convictions regarding the theological truths of the Bible, built on years of study and teaching. They are the primary doctrines of the Christian faith, and they reflect the heart of the teaching of Grace to You.
Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Educational Media
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 252 of 844 | 15 of 52 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 139 of 844 | 11 of 52 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 337 of 844 | 23 of 52 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 509 of 844 | 26 of 52 |
Click here to read Grace to You / John MacArthur's response to our ratings
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 8% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 7% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 93% | 89% | 88% | 90% | 85% | 87% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 7% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 7% | 11% | 12% | 10% | 15% | 13% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 82% | 83% | 83% | 84% | 85% | 85% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 101% | 89% | 95% | 82% | 92% | 96% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 82% | 74% | 79% | 69% | 78% | 81% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | -1% | 11% | 5% | 18% | 8% | 4% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | -2% | 12% | 5% | 20% | 11% | 5% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 11% | 14% | 14% | 14% | 13% | 13% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.96 | 0.86 | 0.96 | 0.87 | 1.12 | 1.17 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.48 | 1.24 | 1.30 | 1.40 | 1.50 | 1.55 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.02 | 1.07 | 1.24 | 1.22 | 1.67 | 1.82 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 6.05 | 14.47 | 16.17 | 15.92 | 10.32 | 9.80 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.15 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 4.59 | 10.43 | 9.07 | 9.19 | 6.49 | 5.93 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 11% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 7% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 69% | 109% | 100% | 109% | 84% | 80% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Cash | $7,633,590 | $6,804,442 | $7,738,451 | $9,803,923 | $8,201,235 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $1,362,846 | $1,040,674 | $1,097,781 | $1,113,914 | $1,001,303 |
| Short-term investments | $9,673,254 | $7,551,847 | $5,152,663 | $0 | $0 |
| Other current assets | $2,084,781 | $1,994,255 | $1,328,997 | $726,674 | $835,944 |
| Total current assets | $20,754,471 | $17,391,218 | $15,317,892 | $11,644,511 | $10,038,482 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $5,022,837 | $5,202,261 | $5,291,073 | $5,053,567 | $4,844,483 |
| Other long-term assets | $0 | $0 | $834,242 | $745,013 | $654,779 |
| Total long-term assets | $5,022,837 | $5,202,261 | $6,125,315 | $5,798,580 | $5,499,262 |
| Total assets | $25,777,308 | $22,593,479 | $21,443,207 | $17,443,091 | $15,537,744 |
| Liabilities | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $1,197,102 | $1,055,366 | $961,936 | $1,127,910 | $1,024,475 |
| Other current liabilities | $237,647 | $19,870 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,434,749 | $1,075,236 | $961,936 | $1,127,910 | $1,024,475 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $1,434,749 | $1,075,236 | $961,936 | $1,127,910 | $1,024,475 |
| Net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Unrestricted | $23,625,223 | $21,518,243 | $20,283,939 | $16,231,068 | $13,967,158 |
| Temporarily restricted | $717,336 | $0 | $197,332 | $84,113 | $546,111 |
| Permanently restricted | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assets | $24,342,559 | $21,518,243 | $20,481,271 | $16,315,181 | $14,513,269 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Total contributions | $22,372,413 | $19,913,740 | $20,608,082 | $18,040,936 | $16,530,644 |
| Program service revenue | $1,719,878 | $1,949,837 | $1,722,838 | $2,818,761 | $2,086,409 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other revenue | $964,568 | $751,020 | $587,727 | $402,022 | $403,830 |
| Total other revenue | $2,684,446 | $2,700,857 | $2,310,565 | $3,220,783 | $2,490,239 |
| Total revenue | $25,056,859 | $22,614,597 | $22,918,647 | $21,261,719 | $19,020,883 |
| Expenses | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Program services | $18,543,550 | $17,876,380 | $15,762,638 | $16,494,775 | $15,497,493 |
| Management and general | $3,127,318 | $3,013,661 | $2,538,869 | $2,559,918 | $2,340,389 |
| Fundraising | $561,675 | $687,584 | $451,050 | $405,114 | $407,970 |
| Total expenses | $22,232,543 | $21,577,625 | $18,752,557 | $19,459,807 | $18,245,852 |
| Change in net assets | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $2,824,316 | $1,036,972 | $4,166,090 | $1,801,912 | $775,031 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $2,824,316 | $1,036,972 | $4,166,090 | $1,801,912 | $775,031 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| John F Macarthur Jr | President/Chairman | $246,686 |
| Phillip Johnson | Exec Dir/Secretary | $238,927 |
| Travis Allen | Former Managing Director | $215,833 |
| Jay Flowers | Managing Director | $206,733 |
| Rufus Harvey | Controller & CFO | $193,300 |
| Bill Fickett | Dir of Cust Serv & Tech | $181,321 |
| Paul Ackerman | Manager of Development | $177,585 |
| Miguel Contreras | Director of GAV | $167,876 |
| Wayne de Villiers | HR Manager Assistant Controller | $126,004 |
| Steve Ostini | Editorial Manager | $123,918 |
| Christopher Parkening | Director | $589 |
| Dave Parsons | Director | $554 |
| Tom Pennington | Director | $515 |
| Bob McIntyre | Director | $502 |
| Joe Aleppo | Vice Chairman | $502 |
| Kent Stainback | Director | $502 |
| Mark Macarthur | Director | $502 |
| Matthew Macarthur | Treasurer | $502 |
| Robert Provost | Director | $502 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2015
Response from ministry
Grace to You wants you to honestly and wisely manage the resources God entrusts to you. Likewise, our commitment as an organization is one of absolute financial integrity. We faithfully steward whatever the Lord gives us, knowing that we are accountable to Him. That is our pledge. That is our expectation.
With that in mind, you may be surprised that Grace to You has not received the highest possible star rating from Ministry Watch. From our perspective, that lower rating does not tell the complete story. Rather, it is an indicator of the limitations-understandable limitations-of data collection and data interpretation. The fact is, metrics that would seem to indicate poor financial stewardship can, upon closer inspection, actually indicate prudent financial planning.
By way of example, our board of directors has deemed it wise for Grace to You to increase our cash reserves. The simple reason: having additional cash puts us in a better position to continue our work during economic recessions, which are always likely. We consider increasing those reserves to be a reasonable safeguard, even a vital stewardship strategy-though it does result in a lower rating from Ministry Watch.
Again, Grace to You takes seriously our God-given responsibility to be a wise, honorable steward of the resources entrusted to us by our faithful supporters. Grace to You is member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a group of religious and educational organizations committed to fiscal integrity. Every year, an independent auditing firm audits GTY and prepares a financial statement, the most recent copy of which is available at gty.org.
The Grace to You management team also meets regularly to plan and oversee ministry business. The board of directors meets semiannually to provide general guidance, and directives as required, for the management team. Wise, stable leadership has been God's gift to Grace to You, helping ensure its faithful stewardship of biblical truth. Guided by that strong leadership and enabled by its generous supporters, Grace to You effectively converts financial resources into spiritual resources for the benefit of millions of people worldwide.
John MacArthur has always been eager to tell about what God is doing in and through Grace to You. He regularly updates listeners and viewers via radio and television broadcasts, and his monthly letters always include current ministry news. By God's grace, the news continues to be good, as we see Him doing "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/28/2021. To update the information below, please email: info@ministrywatch.com
History
On July 20, 1969, the world held its breath and watched as Michael Collins, Edwin Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong brought a 230,000-mile trip through space to a dramatic climax. In a blizzard of blowing white dust, they had come to rest on the surface of the moon.
The impact of Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong's "giant leap" has been felt by every generation since. NASA brought science into the living room, demonstrating that with teamwork and God-given ingenuity, what seemed improbable or impossible was actually within reach.
That's why it seems appropriate that 1969-a year of important launches, improbable missions, and unpredictable outcomes-was the year Grace to You began.
The launch of Grace to You came with little fanfare. Just a few months before Apollo 11 landed, John MacArthur arrived at a small church on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Spawning a media ministry that would stretch to every corner of the globe was out of the question-the young pastor's priority was simply to teach God's Word.
But one man in the congregation immediately saw an opportunity and acted. Realizing some members were too ill to attend services, that church member began recording John's lessons. That first tape contained a message titled "How to Play Church" and was the first resource produced by what would become Grace to You.
In the early years, the fledgling ministry captured John's lessons on large reel-to-reel recorders and all the labor was carried out by part-time volunteers. By 1973, cassettes were circulating throughout the church and beyond. To meet the demand, one of the volunteers, Rick Draa, was hired full time.
In 1977, seemingly by accident, a few Grace to You tapes found their way on the air in Baltimore, Maryland, and "Grace to You" radio was born. Christian radio was blossoming into a powerful, personal conduit for feeding people's hunger for God's Word and we were riding the crest of the wave. For some, our half-hour of teaching was a supplement to their strong local church. For others, it was a lifeline.
Radio not only allowed us daily access to millions of people, but it fueled demand for other resources. As John began writing, Grace to You became the launch pad for developing, editing, and distributing his books and study guides.
As our audio and print resources broadened, so did our need for space and staff. Thanks to a loyal family of customers and supporters, Grace to You became an independent, self-funded, nonprofit company in the early 1980s and subsequently bought its own building. Our staff would soon encompass an amazing variety of fields, including recording engineers, technicians, writers, editors, graphic artists, secretaries, accounting personnel, and our customer service team. We also continued to rely on a volunteer staff, as we do today.
The rest is history. God eventually allowed our resources to go beyond U.S. borders-we began planting offices throughout the English-speaking world. Today you'll find us in Canada, India, and Europe.
Not only have we been able to cross geographical borders, but we've traversed several technological frontiers. Gone are reel-to-reel tapes and razor-blade editing-since the late 1990s our broadcast has been recorded, edited, and delivered to radio stations using computer technology. This website and our Bible and Sermon apps offer an endless supply of articles, videos, and study materials. We offer all of John's messages in MP3 format, as well as "Grace to You" via podcast.
Our current level of ministry would have seemed impossible in 1969. In human terms, it was. What we've seen happen in over forty years of ministry is no monument to John MacArthur, our staff, or our ingenuity, but to God's faithfulness to bless His Word. It is God who has brought about what we could not. By His power, we're ready to tackle the many impossibilities that await us in the future. After all, if we can send a man to the moon . . .
Program accomplishments
That God is blessing our work is clear. Some significant evidence:
- Listeners, viewers, and website users tell us every day how Grace to You is helping them better understand the Bible.
- People on our mailing list request thousands of free Bible-teaching CDs or books every month.
- Internet users download nearly two million sermon MP3s per month from our website.
- Men and women who have benefited from our ministry to them are supporting us financially, connecting people near and far with Bible teaching they might not get any other way.