Zion Evangelical Ministries of Africa
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 366117732
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2015–2025
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2008
- Location
- Zion, IL, USA
- Phone
- 8478727363
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Christianity
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $810,714
- Expenses
- $811,220
- Assets
- $682,522
- Liabilities
- $2,897
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- GREG SEGHERS (MISSION DIRECTOR): $61,288 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Working with the amaZioni, we are together becoming mature disciples of Jesus Christ, serving Him as He grows His kingdom in Southern Africa. ZEMA starts and runs Bible schools, provides training for children’s and youth ministry, publishes and distributes Christian literature, runs Christian camps, produces radio ministries, etc. The heart of our mission is to know God and make Him known among the African Independent Churches. We invite you to learn about the stories of how God is using the Bible in Southern African by reading our Field Stories. You can join us and make an impact by supporting a ZEMA missionary or join our General Fund to support ministries across Southern Africa.
What it reported doing in 2025
International missions agency that raises funds to support mission work to the amazioni people of southern africa. Donations are received in the USA and sent to south africa, mozambique, eswathini, zimbabwe and malawi. We have 17 families that are associated with us in southern africa. There are currently 86 locations where bible training is taught to more than 2,500 church leaders each month. Church leaders are taught to study and preach.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 42% for direct work, and 58% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 89
- Transparency & Controls: 77
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.9%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 89.1%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: $71.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- 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; 78th 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; 64th 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: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -0.1%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.84; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.3% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: Mission, programs, and operating context captured from the official website.
- Where the money goes: 89.9% of revenue deployed · 89.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $723K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $61K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.