Church Investors Fund

What Church Investors Fund does

Church Investors Fund (legal entity Church Extension Investors Fund, Inc.) is a private, non-profit-oriented financial organization founded in 1973 and headquartered in Sacramento, California. Operating under the North American Baptist Conference (NAB) umbrella, it runs a closed-loop financial ecosystem in which NAB-affiliated individuals, organizations, and their descendants purchase investment certificates (USA) and bonds (Canada), and the proceeds are lent to NAB-affiliated churches, schools, camps, and senior care facilities for construction, renovation, refinancing, lines of credit, and straight purchase transactions. The product portfolio spans four US certificate types (Foundation, Term, Building Fund, Ministry Fund), four parallel Canadian bond products, five loan categories, plus planned giving instruments (Revocable Charitable Gift, Charitable Remainder Trust), professional bookkeeping services, an educational Church Resource Center, webinars, and the Widows Well community program.

Name

Church Investors Fund

Legal name

Church Extension Investors Fund, Inc.

Website

https://churchinvestorsfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Church Investors Fund is a non-profit financial organization that lends to North American Baptist Conference churches and funds those loans by selling investment certificates and bonds to NAB-affiliated investors across the USA and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Lending and Investment

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Cap / Sponsor Finance Direct Lending (FSANADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Development (C&D) Lending — Commercial/Multifamily (FSALADAH), Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Church lending
• Investment certificates
• Religious organization financing
• Church construction loans
• Ministry investment funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Elk Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Church Loans: Church Investors Fund provides loans to churches for construction, renovation, purchase, and other facility needs. Revenue is generated through interest charged on these loans. The loans are unsecured obligations of the churches.
2. Investment Certificate/Bond Sales: Church Investors Fund issues certificates (USA) and bonds (Canada) to investors. These are interest-bearing securities where investors deposit funds to support church building projects. Interest paid to investors is a cost, and the spread represents revenue. Certificates are offered and sold through their own officers and employees with no commissions or underwriting expense.
3. Bookkeeping Services: Church Investors Fund offers bookkeeping services to churches as an additional revenue stream and customer retention mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Church Investors Fund provides construction, renovation, refinance, line-of-credit, and purchase loans to churches affiliated with the North American Baptist Conference (NAB). It funds those loans by issuing interest-bearing investment certificates (USA) and bonds (Canada) to NAB-affiliated individual investors. The company also offers bookkeeping services and planned-giving instruments to the same church community.

Product overview

Church Investors Fund offers a comprehensive suite of faith-based financial products and services for churches and investors. The portfolio includes investment certificates and bonds (USA and Canada versions) providing competitive returns while funding church building projects, alongside loan products (construction, renovation, purchase, refinance, and lines of credit) enabling churches to acquire and develop facilities. The company also provides planned giving instruments, bookkeeping services, webinars, and a Church Resource Center covering accounting, HR, legal, and ministry guidance. The product architecture centers on channeling investor capital through certificates and bonds into church loans, creating a ministry-focused financial ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundation Certificates (USA) Liquid interest-bearing investment certificates available to NAB-affiliated US investors, providing flexible access to funds while supporting church building projects.
• Term Certificates (USA) Fixed-term interest-bearing investment certificates for US investors seeking stable returns over defined maturities while funding church ministry.
• Building Fund Certificates (USA) Interest-bearing certificates designated for church construction and facility expansion projects in the USA, available to NAB-affiliated investors.
• Ministry Fund Certificates (USA) Interest-bearing certificates supporting general church ministry operations and programs in the USA, available to NAB-affiliated investors and organizations.
• Revocable Charitable Gift (USA) Flexible planned-giving arrangement allowing NAB-affiliated donors to support church ministries while retaining revision rights and receiving tax benefits.
• Charitable Remainder Trust Trust structure providing income to donors during their lifetime with the remainder passing to church ministries, offered to NAB-affiliated donors.
• Foundation Bonds (Canada) Liquid interest-bearing bond investments for NAB-affiliated Canadian investors supporting church building and ministry projects.
• Term Bonds (Canada) Fixed-term interest-bearing bonds for NAB-affiliated Canadian investors funding church construction with defined maturity dates.
• Building Fund Bonds (Canada) Interest-bearing bonds designated for church construction and facility expansion in Canada, available to NAB-affiliated Canadian investors.
• Ministry Fund Bonds (Canada) Interest-bearing bonds supporting general church ministry operations and programs in Canada, available to NAB-affiliated Canadian investors.
• Construction Loans Loans to NAB-affiliated churches for new building construction projects, with terms negotiated directly and tailored to church cash-flow cycles.
• Lines of Credit Flexible revolving credit arrangements for NAB-affiliated churches to manage cash flow and ongoing expenses.
• Refinance Loans Loan products allowing NAB-affiliated churches to restructure existing debt for better terms, including term-out mortgages.
• Renovation Loans Financing for NAB-affiliated church facility improvements, repairs, modernization, and expansion projects.
• Straight Purchase Loans Direct financing for NAB-affiliated churches acquiring property or existing buildings for ministry use.
• Bookkeeping Services Professional bookkeeping and accounting services for churches to manage financial records.

Quantifiable outcome

• Church Investors Fund has never missed a payment in 50+ years of operation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North American Baptist Conference (NAB Conference)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NAB Conference is the parent organization of Church Investors Fund. CIF provides financing exclusively to NAB Conference affiliated organizations (churches, schools, camps, nursing homes) and investments are available only to NAB members or their descendants. This is the foundational relationship upon which CIF's entire mission is built.
• NAB Northwest (NABNW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional association with 30 churches across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. NABNW partners with CIF for church financing and the regional minister actively recommends CIF to member churches. CIF financing has enabled churches in the region to purchase buildings, complete high-cost repairs, and realize remodeling/expansion savings.
• Saskatchewan AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional NAB association with 13 churches. CIF provided financial backing for Good Spirit Bible Camp's new dining hall facility. The regional minister (Mike Anderson) acknowledges partnership with CIF for projects requiring financial support.
• Good Spirit Bible CampcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAB-affiliated camp ministry in Saskatchewan. CIF provided financing for construction of new dining hall facility. The camp's financial and volunteer network spans the family of churches.
• Eastern AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAB regional association with 34 churches, including seven Hispanic churches. Works with CIF for church financing needs across the region.
• Nor-Cal AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern California regional NAB association. Acquired ownership of Sierra Pines Camp in 2009. Partners with CIF for church and camp financing.
• Disciples Seminary / Kairos UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school of Kairos University through which NABNW develops current and future leaders. NABNW is committed to teaching NAB mission, values, and doctrine through this seminary partnership.
• Great Plains Association (GPA) of NAB ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional NAB association (mentioned in relation to River Community Church in South Dakota). GPA helped River Community Church purchase their initial building and partnered with CIF on subsequent projects including Timothy Pastoral Apprenticeship housing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AG Financial (Assemblies of God Financial Solutions): Provides loans, investments, and financial services to Assemblies of God churches and members. Closest parallel to CIF in terms of faith-based, denominationally-exclusive lending-and-investment model, just for AG rather than NAB.
• Baptist Foundation of Texas: Provides investment services, planned giving, and loans to Baptist churches and ministries in Texas. Operates a denominationally-scoped lending-and-investment model that closely mirrors CIF's structure, just for Texas Baptists.

Broad incumbents

• GuideStone Financial Resources: Southern Baptist Convention-affiliated financial entity offering retirement, insurance, and investment funds to pastors, church staff, and SBC churches. Larger and broader in scope than CIF, but anchored in the same faith-based-denominational financial-services niche.
• Everence Financial: Mennonite/Anabaptist-affiliated financial services company offering banking, insurance, investments, and lending to individuals, congregations, and ministries. Comparable mission-aligned model with broader product set and larger asset base than CIF.
• Thrivent Financial: Large Lutheran-affiliated fraternal benefit society offering investments, insurance, and lending with a faith-based mission. Operates at vastly greater scale but shares CIF's religion-aligned financial-services orientation.

Others

• Brotherhood Mutual Insurance: Provides insurance and risk-management services to Christian churches and ministries. Adjacent (rather than lending/competing) but serves the same faith-based organizational buyer with mission-aligned financial products.
• Church Mutual Insurance Company: Specialty insurer of religious organizations and camps. Compares to CIF as a long-standing, faith-focused financial services provider serving the same organizational buyer base, though in insurance rather than lending.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Church-Extension-Investors-Fund-CEIF/144267965620962
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/church-extension-investors-funds-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Church Investors Fund