Stark College & Seminary

Legal name: Christian Education Activities Corp

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237367217
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Corpus Christi, TX, United States
Phone
361-991-9403 | 956-340-4859
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Secondary, High School
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,046,045
Expenses
$3,411,174
Assets
$6,392,825
Liabilities
$377,287

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

21 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANTHONY CELELLI (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • CHRIS STAPPER (VICE PRESIDENT/CFO)
  • ADELA VILLAREAL (VICE PRESIDENT STUDENT EXPERIENCE)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANTHONY CELELLI (PRESIDENT/CEO): $166,372 total reported compensation
  • CHRIS STAPPER (VICE PRESIDENT/CFO): $118,330 total reported compensation
  • JENA DUNN (PROVOST/CAO): $102,155 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Stark College & Seminary exists to equip educationally under-served followers of Christ for service in the church and community. Support our Mission Stark College and Seminary exists to equip educationally under-served followers of Christ for service to the church and the community. There are many ways to support this mission and be part of the work God is doing through ministers and followers of Christ in South Texas. Click a Project below to make a contribution. General donations can be made to “Support Our Mission”. Stark College and Seminary exists to equip educationally under-served followers of Christ for service to the church and the community. General donations can be made to “Support Our...

What it reported doing in 2024

Stark college and seminary (scs) is an accredited baptist college that exists to equip educationally under-served followers of christ for service in the church and community. We define the educationally underserved as those students who typically have not had the will or the way to pursue theological education due to their age, gender, ethnicity, finances, and bureaucratic hurdles that marginalize these particular students. The college developed programs intended to prepare ministry leaders to effectively witness, plant churches, disciple, and assist in church growth. (continued on schedule o)many students enrolled at scs are either presently serving in ministry or preparing to serve in ministry. Among graduates of stark college and seminary, 64% of those with a certificate in ministry, 100% of those with a diploma in ministry, 80% of those with a bachelor of arts in ministry, and 88% of those with a master of arts in ministry are employed in a ministry setting. Scs offers five programs to accomplish its mission and enhance the work our students are already doing in their ministry settings: the certificate in ministry, the diploma in ministry, the bachelor in ministry, the master of arts in ministry, and the master of divinity. The certificate provides entry-level preparation for ministry services. The diploma is a two-year program that builds on the certificate courses to continue the formation of the ministry student. The bachelor degree addresses the formation of the christ followers through biblical, theological, and professional studies. The master of arts and master of divinity degrees equip students for full-time ministry.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 48% for direct work, and 52% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.1%; rating input score 93
  • Program expense ratio: 81.1%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -12%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.87; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.8%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 93.1% of revenue deployed · 81.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $166K · 21 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.