Christian Investors Financial

What Christian Investors Financial does

Christian Investors Financial (CIF) is a religious nonprofit corporation founded in 1959 and headquartered in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, that provides faith-based financial services to churches and individuals nationwide. CIF is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA), accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), and operates under a unified mission of Kingdom expansion rather than profit maximization. The organization is led by President and CEO Scott Achterling, who has nearly 19 years of tenure at the company.

CIF's product platform spans three integrated lines. Investment Certificates (Demand Certificates with variable rates and flexible access plus Term Certificates with fixed rates and maturities from 90 days to 7 years) are sold to individuals, churches, and organizations and serve as the primary funding mechanism for the lending program. The lending portfolio offers Construction Loans, Real Estate Term Loans (up to 30-year maturities), Refinance Loans, and Operating Lines of Credit for church property-related projects ranging from under $100,000 to more than $10 million. Consulting services include Capital Campaigns, Financial and Project Management, and Strategic Planning engagements, designed to integrate with lending activity. The technology stack comprises a secure online services web portal and native iOS/Android mobile applications, plus a Sources and Uses spreadsheet tool that supports construction project transparency.

CIF's business model is funded primarily through the spread between interest paid on Investment Certificates (rates up to 4.20% on the 6-year term as of April 2026) and interest earned on church loans, supplemented by professional-services fees from consulting engagements. Customer acquisition is relationship-driven, relying on direct specialist consultations (phone and website inquiries), denominational referrals through EFCA and ECO networks, content marketing via the CIF blog and email newsletter, and word-of-mouth within the evangelical church community. CIF serves a tightly defined vertical market of evangelical and like-minded churches and related ministries, having helped thousands of churches with capital campaigns, financial planning, and property financing over six decades of operation.

Name

Christian Investors Financial

Legal name

Christian Investors Financial

Website

https://christianinvestors.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Christian Investors Financial is a religious nonprofit, founded in 1959 and affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, that provides faith-based church loans, investment certificates, and consulting services to evangelical churches and individuals nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Nonprofit Lending and Investments

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Finance and Insurance (52), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162), Finance Services (6199), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG), Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG)

Keywords

• Faith-based lending
• Church financing
• Investment certificates
• Religious nonprofit banking
• Capital campaign consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Certificate Sales: CIF sells Investment Certificates to individuals, churches, and organizations. These certificates earn interest and the proceeds fund the church lending program. This is the primary funding mechanism for their loan portfolio.
2. Church Lending Interest: CIF provides loans to churches for property-related projects including construction loans, real estate term loans, and refinance loans. Interest income from these loans represents a core revenue stream.
3. Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements including capital campaigns, financial and project management, and strategic planning for churches and related ministries. Services can function independently or integrate with the lending program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Christian Investors Financial is a religious nonprofit financial institution that raises capital through Investment Certificates (Demand and Term Certificates) sold to individuals and churches, and lends those proceeds as property-related loans (Construction Loans, Real Estate Term Loans, Refinance Loans, and Operating Lines of Credit) to churches and related ministries. The company also provides fee-based consulting engagements in Capital Campaigns, Financial and Project Management, and Strategic Planning. All services are faith-aligned, EFCA-affiliated, and served nationwide from its Mendota Heights, Minnesota headquarters.

Product overview

Christian Investors Financial (CIF) offers a unified portfolio of faith-based financial services centered on church lending and investment products. The core offerings consist of Investment Certificates (Demand and Term Certificates for investors) and Church Loans (Construction Loans, Real Estate Term Loans, Refinance Loans, and Operating Line of Credit Loans for borrowers). These are supported by Consulting services including Capital Campaigns, Financial and Project Management, and Strategic Planning. All offerings are delivered through Online Services (web portal and mobile app) to serve the mission of Kingdom expansion through churches and related ministries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Certificates Faith-based investment instruments offered to individuals, churches, and like-minded organizations. Includes Demand Certificates (variable rates, flexible access) and Term Certificates (fixed rates, maturities from 90 days to 7 years). Proceeds fund CIF's church lending program.
• Church Loans (Construction, Real Estate Term, Refinance, Operating Line of Credit) Property-related financing for churches and related ministries, including construction loans with interest-only payments during build-out, real estate term loans up to 30 years, refinance loans to escape balloon payment cycles, and revolving operating lines of credit for existing CIF customers. Loan amounts range from under $100,000 to more than $10 million.
• Consulting Services (Capital Campaigns, Financial and Project Management, Strategic Planning) Fee-for-service consulting for churches and related ministries covering capital campaign design and execution, financial and project management oversight, and strategic planning, leadership, and vision alignment. Services can be engaged independently or integrated with the CIF lending program.
• Online Services Portal and Mobile App Secure web portal and iOS/Android mobile application for existing CIF customers to view account balances, transaction activity, statements, documents, make profile changes, and initiate eligible fund transfers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maturity up to 30 years on real estate loans
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIF is an affiliated religious nonprofit corporation of EFCA, serving EFCA and like-minded churches with faith-based financial solutions. This denominational affiliation is foundational to CIF's identity and provides referral channels for new customers.
• Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIF maintains ECFA accreditation, demonstrating financial accountability and ethical standards. ECFA accreditation serves as a trust signal for investors and borrowers evaluating faith-based financial partnerships.
• ECO, A Covenant Order of Evangelical PresbyterianscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorECO denomination recommends CIF as a preferred lender to member churches, with ECO's executive branch leadership referring churches to CIF for financing needs. CIF is described as a recommended lender among ECO churches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Fund for Sacred Places: Program supporting capital projects at historic religious properties through grants and loans. Comparable adjacent player in faith-based real estate financing though grant-funded rather than deposit-funded.
• Cornerstone Capital Bank: Values-aligned commercial bank serving faith-based, nonprofit, and mission-driven organizations with lending and treasury services. A broader incumbent entering the church/ministry segment where CIF operates.

Regional players

• United Methodist Church Foundation: Denominational investing and lending arm for United Methodist churches, offering similar investment certificate and church loan products to CIF within a specific Wesleyan tradition.
• Baptist Foundation of Texas: Denominational foundation providing investment and loan services to Texas Baptist churches. Highly analogous business model to CIF but limited to a single state and Baptist denomination.
• Free Will Baptist Foundation: Faith-based financial services organization serving Free Will Baptist churches and members with investment and lending products. Comparable in mission and structure but smaller scale and denomination-specific.
• LCMS Foundation (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod): Denominational foundation offering investment products and loans to LCMS congregations and members. Comparable ministry-aligned finance model, but specific to the Lutheran tradition rather than evangelical.

Others

• Partners for Sacred Places: Nonprofit advisory and advocacy organization supporting the reuse and stewardship of historic religious properties. Adjacent to CIF's church-real-estate focus but non-lending.

Direct peers

• Church Development Fund: Faith-based lender that funds church construction, expansion, and property acquisition through investments from individuals and churches. Operates a virtually identical investment-certificate-funded church lending model to CIF.
• Christian Community Credit Union: Faith-based credit union offering church and ministry lending, investment products, and banking services; directly comparable to CIF in mission, customer base, and product mix (loans + deposits/investments to faith-based borrowers and savers).
• Evangelical Christian Credit Union: Faith-based credit union providing loans to churches, ministries, and Christian nonprofits, plus deposit and investment products. Closest direct competitor to CIF in the evangelical church lending and investment niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christian-investors-financial
• Instagraminstagram.com/christianinvestorsfinancial
• Xx.com/CIFtweet
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChristianInvestors

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 Christian Investors Financial