Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 1943.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
75 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
12 people listed on the 990; $1.1M paid to officers and key staff.
Arnold Cole’s $215K as Corporate CEO/Interim Pres. of Cbe is at the 92nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 1636 $1–10M religion nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Cole | $214,734 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Arnold R Cole | — | $161,034 | $144,192 | $128,096 | $206,543 | $214,484 |
| Yulia Case | $170,935 | $147,509 | $137,920 | $117,942 | — | — |
| Bryon Swanson | $158,733 | $138,041 | $129,196 | $129,079 | $115,140 | — |
| Sean Gewecke | $154,708 | $131,371 | $123,257 | $127,267 | $144,229 | $134,288 |
| Nicole Mierau | — | — | — | — | $96,951 | $138,421 |
| Jack Burke | $129,778 | $115,706 | $113,384 | $108,935 | $119,787 | $115,916 |
| Nat Crawford | — | $113,511 | $89,607 | $105,805 | $127,620 | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See Back to the Bible executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Helps people grow spiritually and serve Christ actively in church and the world.
Questions for Back to the Bible
Your first name shows with your question. Back to the Bible answers here, for everyone.
Mobile Technology OutreachgoTandem is a mobile, daily discipleship experience that provides personalized biblical content directly through Android or iOS mobile applications or email. Over the past five years, goTandem has impacted the lives of more than 450,000 users.
Bible Teaching Through MediaBack to the Bible's 25-minute radio program was ended during the fiscal year in favor of shorter segments geared toward the listening and viewing habits prevalent today. The focus of delivery has also shifted from terrestrial radio to the on-demand availability of digital devices.
International MinistriesBack to the Bible International communicates the Word of God in ways that are clear, culturally appropriate, and readily understood. Working in 15 languages, listeners and viewers have the opportunity to receive Bible teaching, discipleship, and Gospel outreach.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY21 | FY20 | FY19 | FY18 | FY17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $1.5M | $1.2M | $1.3M | $1.5M | $1.5M |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $48K | $67K | $280K | $35K | $80K |
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $422K | $225K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $2.6M | $3.5M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $3.1M | $2.1M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $7.2M | $6.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $4.9M | $4.6M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $2.3M | $1.5M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $31K | $31K | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $59K | $59K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $908K | $558K | $192K | $157K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $4K | $4K | ||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $949K | $723K | $117K | $109K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $209K | $151K | $31K | $26K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $122K | $86K | $20K | $16K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $6K | $6K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $69K | $69K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $55K | $55K | $192 | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $131K | $63K | $28K | $40K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $183K | $160K | $10K | $14K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $83K | $58K | $14K | $11K |
| TravelLn 17 | $47K | $28K | $4K | $15K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $7K | $6K | $579 | $504 |
| InterestLn 20 | $122K | $85K | $20K | $17K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $1.0M | $1.0M | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $39K | $27K | $6K | $5K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $713K | $621K | $23K | $69K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $259K | $28K | $178K | $53K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $5.0M | $3.8M | $723K | $533K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Apr 20, 2026 | $3.7M | $4.7M | −$963K | $3.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Feb 4, 2025 | $5.4M | $3.9M | $1.4M | $3.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Feb 20, 2024 | $4.1M | $4.0M | $198K | $2.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Mar 7, 2023 | $4.0M | $3.8M | $183K | $1.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 23, 2021 | $3.2M | $5.0M | −$1.8M | $1.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS May 11, 2021 | $4.9M | $5.2M | −$329K | $2.3M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,196,147 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 3 of 5 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,196,147 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $5,020,276 across 20 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $6,158,529 assets, 19 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,517,776 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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