STEM’s Legal Structure & History
STEM Ministries was incorporated as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry corporation in the State of Minnesota in December 1984. STEM Ministries officially changed its legal name to STEM Int’l in 2001.
- State of Minnesota Exempt Number: ES 30188
- U.S. Federal Employer Identification Number: 36-3367669
- Registered Address: 5637 Brooklyn Blvd Ste 104, Brooklyn Center MN 55429
- Delivery Address: 5637 Brooklyn Blvd #104, Minneapolis (Brooklyn Center), MN 55429
- Business Office Mailing Address: P.O. Box 29917, Minneapolis MN 55429-0917
Article of Incorporation & Bylaws
The following "purpose" paragraphs have been extracted from STEM's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws:
STEM Articles of Incorporation
ARTICLE II.
The purpose of this corporation shall be as follows:
- This Corporation is organized and shall be operated exclusively for religious, educational, and charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or a related section of a successor statute (hereinafter “Code”).
- This Corporation shall operate to glorify God by serving throughout the world in accordance with the Holy Bible and its Great Commission, including, but not limited to: mobilizing servant workers to go to developing and disaster-stricken nations on both short- and long-term bases, in order to provide wholistic, integrated care, instruction, and assistance to needy men, women, and children of other cultures and beliefs; and by publishing educational materials related to this purpose.
STEM Bylaws
ARTICLE III. (AFFILIATION)
This corporation intends to work in an integrated, non-competitive manner in conjunction with and in the service of local churches, fellowships, other ministries or other care/instruction/assistance organizations throughout the world in seeking to accomplish and fulfill its afore-stated purposes. As part of this mutual cooperation and service, this corporation purposes and intends to encourage, to educate via related publications, to assist, to organize and mobilize persons from churches, fellowships, schools and other groups throughout the “developed” world in going to other parts of the “underdeveloped” world as servant workers, to wholistically improve the lives of hurting and impoverished people of other cultures and beliefs. While this organization is autonomous and self-governing as a corporate structure, it serves spiritually as vital part of the church universal in accordance with the Holy Bible.
I.R.S. Form 990
STEM’s Annual Financial Report to the Federal Government
As a registered and duly-operating 501(c)(3) nonpprofit corporation, STEM Int’l is required to file specific information concerning our tax-exempt operations and revenue and expenses incurred every year. Go to GuideStar.org to view or download a PDF copy of the most recent STEM I.R.S. Form 990.
Organizational Structure
One Corporation, Three Programs
The STEM “parent” corporation is STEM Int’l. STEM Int’l has three primary program divisions:
- Short-Term Mission Outreaches (Trips) — organized and delivered through these two organizational divisions from 1985–2012: STEM Ministries and STEM Share; and in 2013 forward in partnership with Orphanos
- Short-Term Mission Training — organized and delivered through STEM STM Training
- Short-Term Mission Publications — organized and delivered STEM Press
History of STEM
Organized in 1984
After being involved in several years’ worth and dozens of early short-term mission outreaches through YWAM (Youth With A Mission), GCM (Global Christian Ministries), LCM (Lutheran Church of the Master), and other churches, Roger Peterson, Toni Freer, Mike Whitchurch, Janeen Whitchurch, and Dave Shepherd would gather regularly in 1984 to asses their current short-term efforts in Haiti, and to pray. One of the fast-growing issues they faced was doing short-term mission outreaches within in a structure of financial accountability and overall integrity.
Through
that womb of prayer, coupled with several years of short-term mission
experience in Haiti and elsewhere, and regular discussion and
assessment, God led this small group of 5 people to start a brand new
Christian mission organization that would specialize in short-term
missions, and do so with accountability and integrity. Toni Freer came
up with the acronym STEM for “Short-Term Evangelical Missions.” Roger
Peterson was the leader of this group, and located a Christian attorney
to help incorporate this radical new concept (it was radical back in
1984!). God also provided a
gifted artist who designed the original STEM logo used for nearly 20 years,
photographers, and others who helped provide some initial marketing and
promotional material at no cost.
Working & Ministering in 1985
Lutheran Church of the Master (Brooklyn Center, Minnesota) provided a complimentary Sunday School classroom for STEM’s first offices from 1985–1988. The first full-time staff in 1985 were Roger Peterson and Toni Freer, assisted by volunteer efforts from Mike Whitchurch, Dave Shepherd, Jean Brueninger, and several others too numerous to name.
STEM Team #1 (Crystal Evangelical Free Church Single Adults, New Hope MN) went to Haiti March 16, 1985, three months after STEM incorporated. STEM Team #2 (North Heights Lutheran Church, Roseville MN) also went to Haiti March 25, 1985. In that first year, 1985, STEM sent 8 mission teams to Haiti, one to Jamaica, and did three field familiarization trips (Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico).
TEAMS: 1985–2007
Between 1985 and 2007, God has sent 425 STEM Teams, or 7,210 people (our 2007 year = 50 Teams, or 832 people).
TEAMS: 2008–2012
[Being written … .]
TEAMS: 2013 and Forward
[Being written … .]
EXPANSION
STEM
began expanding somewhat “accidentally” in 1991, when STEM Founder
Roger Peterson co-authored and published a solid, empirical 40-page
research study on the post-field outcomes of 366 previous STEM
short-term missionaries. This study (still in print) has sold several
thousand copies, and reports statistically significant changes in
prayer, financial giving, commitment to world mission, mission-related
activities and education, and in feelings about returning to the
mission field. STEM Press now has several titles under ISBN
registration, more than 80 other short-term mission-related “helps” books
or tools, plus another 80 general mission-related books. In April 2004, STEM Press launched a
national mission magazine, Mission Maker Magazine.
TODAY:
STEM Int’l still consists of 3 program services, each focused on short-term mission:
- Outreaches (mission trips) (now done via partner organizations)
- Training
- Publications (currently, this our primary staff focus)
