Children's Ministry Resources International

Legal name: Childrens Ministry Resources International

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
680673591
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-T 2020
Location
Bellevue, WA, USA
Phone
4252832112
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance
Affiliation
Religious (unspecified)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$439,585
Expenses
$305,009
Assets
$628,758
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES S WELLES (PRESIDENT)
  • SHARON E WELLES (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • BENJAMIN M DALE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • BENJAMIN M DALE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $68,209 total reported compensation
  • JAMES S WELLES (PRESIDENT): $24,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We provide Team 3 scripture retention resources Our mission is to assist parents and children’s teachers/leaders in the process of discipleship by providing biblical resources that emphasize character development through Scripture retention. Children’s Ministry Resources International, CMRI, was established for the purpose of making Bible verse memory and retention resources available for children in need around the world. Beginning in 2008, we have watched the Lord open exciting opportunities to share the Team 3 scripture retention resources through donations to our non-profit organization.

What it reported doing in 2025

Teacher trainings & projects: helping children most effectively memorize requires trained volunteers to continue the skills taught in the teacher trainings; this year, 2025, cmri held two main trainings in india and cameroon. In cameroon, the strategic project was helping construct a facility which houses 2 arcc volunteers on their farm; over 750 children are helped by the work of these 2 volunteers. This service program combines the teacher training -- fund 2 (covers expenses to host effective memory trainings) and the project -- fund 3 (funds raised for specific strategic projects).

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 62% for direct work, and 38% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 69.3%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 98.8%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.5%; rating input score 98; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 57.1%; rating input score 57; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 30.6%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.06; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30.2%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.3% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.2% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 69.3% of revenue deployed · 98.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $301K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $68K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 57/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.