Lifeline Christian Mission

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
310999791
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Westerville, OH, USA
Phone
6147940108
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,438,160
Expenses
$8,039,932
Assets
$3,436,561
Liabilities
$4,391,125

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BEN SIMMS (PRESIDENT - CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • BEN SIMMS (PRESIDENT - CEO): $125,000 total reported compensation
  • GEORGE R DEVOE (CO-FOUNDER - DIRECTOR): $65,788 total reported compensation
  • GRETCHEN DEVOE (CO-FOUNDER DIRECTOR): $65,788 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

How a Mission Architect Can Help You Multiplying Leadership The first commission (be fruitful and multiply) and the great commission (go and make disciples) challenge us to change the world. Most leaders pour themselves out for others day after day, but still wonder if they’re making a difference. A Mission Architect can guide you to lead with confidence, clarity and purpose, multiplying your impact and influence. Lifeline has experienced, specialized Mission Architects that will walk with you – breaking through the confusion – so that you can live with confidence, clarity and purpose. Contact a mission architect How a Mission Architect Can Help You.

What it reported doing in 2024

Form 990 part vi section b line 12c: the organization requires all officers and board members to annually complete and sign a conflict of interest questionnaire. The board chairman is responsible for reviewing the signed statements and the board chairmans signed statement is reviewed by the board ensuring that interested persons are in compliance with the conflict of interest policy. Should any potential conflicts of interest be disclosed the board member or officer would be asked to refrain from participation in any deliberation or decision with regard to matters affected by the relationship.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
  • 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 72
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.4%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 76.3%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $15.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Limited
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Limited
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -8.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.43; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.28; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.3%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.2% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
  • Where the money goes: 82.4% of revenue deployed · 76.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 12 filed program accomplishments · $6.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $125K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 42 of 46 current checks pass · 4 findings to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Functional expense sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part IX ConferencesMeetings column sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part IX Travel column sum did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.