International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern

International Christian Concern was founded in 1995 by Steven Snyder, the former U.S. head of Christianity Solidarity International, a Swiss group that aids the persecuted in Communist countries. When Snyder died in 2002, Jeff King, a banker who had served with Cru, became CEO. International Christian Concern describes itself as "a bridge between believers in free countries and believers in persecuted countries. This bridge carries encouragement, prayers, and aid in while news, requests, and love flow back over the bridge." (source)

Strengths

International Christian Concern spends little on fundraising ($40,031 in 2021), and its Washington D.C. location facilitates lobbying politicians in advocacy work.

Weaknesses

1.  75% of the donations don't leave USA.

Thirty-three of 36 pages (92%) and 41 of 44 images (93%) in International Christian Concern's 2021 Annual Report depict exotic people and countries and give the impression that most of the donations are being spent abroad to support the persecuted Christians for whom they were collected. But according to its own financial statements, 75% of the money it collected in 2021 stayed in USA. As seen below, its US staff salaries alone exceeded the amount that crossed the "bridge" above to reach the persecuted Christians:

2021 Total Revenues	$5,689,589	Of Rev.
US Salaries *	$1,504,423	26%
Other US Expenses **	$712,899	13%
Grants to US Entities ***	$643,753	11%
Grants to Foreign Entities ***	$1,449,528	25%
2021 Total Expenses	$4,310,603	76%
Unspent Cash Kept in USA	$1,378,986	24%

* salaries, benefits, pension and payroll taxes
** office, IT, accounting, fundraising, insurance, etc.
*** organizations, governments and individuals

Grants to Foreign Entities were 23% of revenues ($826,733 / $3,571,237) in 2020 (source) and 24% of revenues ($596,841 / $2,514,591) in 2019 (source).

2.  The CEO pays himself an exorbitant salary.

From the donations collected for persecuted Christians, Jeff King, the CEO of International Christian Concern paid himself in 2021 $229,333 (source), which exceeds the $174,000 salary earned by all U.S. Senators and Congressmen. The head of a Christian ministry that collects donations for the world's persecuted Christians and then takes more money for himself from those donations than is earned by U.S. Senators and Congressmen lacks credibility when he lobbies them for their help.

3.  International Christian Concern is ecumenical.

International Christian Concern states, "We are non-denominational and will assist all persecuted Christians who affirm the Apostles’ Creed and believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. This includes Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox believers."

Solutions

1.  Drastically increase the proportion of donations that reach the persecuted Christians abroad or disclose to donors that only 25% of their donations will reach them.

2.  Lower CEO's salary well below those of U.S. Senators and Congressmen.

3.  Distinguish idolatrous cults from the true body of Christ and focus on serving the latter per Galatians 6:10.