Founded in 1853, the United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund (CB&LF) is the oldest national church building society in the United States. We offer loans, consulting and capacity building services to assist churches in the missional transformation of their communities through redeveloping church-owned real estate.

No. In addition to the UCC congregations we serve across the United States, CB&LF is missionally compelled to provide its products and services to any Christian Church in the United States of America. If a church is part of a denomination that has a ministry like CB&LF, we refer those churches to that ministry.

Yes, CB&LF’s Capital Campaign Services is one of the most effective church fundraising services in the United States. We provide capital campaign services to churches of all kinds. Churches use the funds for down payments, to launch new initiatives or sometimes to pay off loan balances.

CB&LF loans have no prepayment penalties, and always are offered at interest rates that are lower than banks or other commercial real estate lenders. The interest rate for your CB&LF loan is calculated at the time of your loan application. The interest rate is set after your loan application has been approved by the CB&LF Board of Directors. Since interest rates change periodically, it is best to ask about the interest rate on your loan when you are ready to submit a loan application.

Usually 20-30% of the total project budget or purchase price. Your church/church organization’s financial statements will help us determine the exact down payment necessary for your CB&LF financing.

Yes, CB&LF offers construction loans. Many construction borrowers convert their construction loan to a permanent loan once the construction is complete.

CB&LF offers loans as low as $10,000 and as high as $5 million. We may partner with other church lenders for church real estate projects requiring loan financing over $5 million.

Yes, CB&LF offers pre-development financing for church property owners that are in the pre-development phase of Partners in Vision (PIV), our program for church owners with transformational redevelopment projects that transform underinvested communities. Eligible PIV participants may receive both pre-development grants and low-interest pre-development loans.

No, CB&LF does not. However, we work with other reputable church or faith-based lenders that offer bridge loans or working capital loans.

If your church is operating as a church and you have sufficient revenue to manage a monthly loan payment, you may qualify for a church loan to purchase, redevelop or build on a church property. If you’re not ready, we can help you get there. Let’s talk about it and figure out next steps.

Yes, and there is no fee or penalty for paying off your loan early. While nearly all CB&LF borrowers have 20 or 30-year mortgages, most churches pay off their loans in about nine (9) years.

CB&LF believes your church can raise as much money as it wants! The capacity to give is informed by one’s faith and commitment to the church’s mission.

The active portion of the capital campaign is anywhere from 3-5 years, and the giving period (payment on commitments received during the active campaign) can also be anywhere from 3-5 years.

The campaign process starts with an Organizational Meeting of campaign leadership that can be conducted in person at the church. All other meetings and trainings are conducted virtually via Zoom.

We recommend that churches conduct a financial feasibility study as it can reveal important information about the congregation, not just the financial capacity to support the capital campaign. The financial feasibility study is a “temperature check” that asks questions regarding church membership, participation and leadership, as well as questions around the projects for which funds are to be raised.

CB&LF has successfully carried out capital campaigns with congregations of all sizes – those with an average weekly attendance of 20 to 100 and more. We provide the resources and structure to help you be successful regardless of the size of the congregation.

The visioning process will answer basic questions such as:

• What is your congregation’s purpose and what is your “why”?

• What resources do you currently have in order to fully live out your mission in your particular context?

The process will also:

• Help your congregation understand its needs while discerning and determining how to meet them.

• Develop a list of mission priorities around which members have energy and passion.

• Enable the development of a strategic plan for the congregation.

CB&LF encourages full congregation participation in the visioning process to seek input from as many members as possible in the development of the mission priorities and future direction of the church. Full congregation participation facilitates ownership of the resulting strategic plan and successful implementation.

The visioning process can be accomplished through a three-day (weekend) in-person event or a series of four zoom sessions where one of these sessions can be in-person.

CB&LF uses a series of current resources, including but not limited to reports from the MissionInsite community analysis program, Community Needs Assessments and other online databases.

CB&LF’s program provides the tools for church members to discern their church’s “why” and develop a plan for living into it. The success of the visioning process depends on the congregation’s commitment to follow through with specific plans and actions to make the vision a reality.