The National Standard for Church Financing
Church loans, made clear.
Compare every kind of church loan, every lender type, every state. Run the numbers your lender will run, before the meeting. So your Board walks in informed and walks out funded.
Takes about 5 minutes · 100% confidential · No credit pull
Try the readiness score
Free · 5 minQualifying
Sample church, illustrative. The Qualifying tier covers scores of 70-100.
Every Kind of Church Loan
What loan do you need?
We cover every church financing situation, from a first building purchase to a multi-site bond program.
Church Construction Loans
Ground-up sanctuary, addition, or expansion. Funded in stages against milestones.
Church Real Estate Loans
Buy an existing building, a conversion property, or land for a future project.
Church Refinancing
Lower your rate, free cash flow, or handle a maturing balloon. Two refi paths.
Church Renovation Loans
HVAC, accessibility, sanctuary remodel. Smaller scope, faster close.
Church Capital Campaigns
Pair member pledges with a loan. Boost your readiness score by up to 5 points.
Bridge & Specialty
Bridge to permanent, sale-leaseback, or specialty bond financing for complex deals.
The 7 Factors That Decide Your Loan
The numbers, defined.
Church lenders weigh these seven factors, and our free readiness assessment scores all seven on a 100-point scale. Once you know each one, the rest of the conversation (calculators, rates, lender selection) makes sense.
LTV · 25 pts
Collateral / LTV
Loan amount divided by appraised property value.
Gives the lender an asset cushion.
DSCR · 25 pts
Debt Service Coverage
Net operating income divided by all annual debt payments, existing and new.
Proves you can afford the payment with margin.
Stability · 20 pts
Organizational Stability
Years the church has operated and years the senior pastor has led.
Lenders avoid early-stage volatility and leadership gaps.
Reserves · 10 pts
Cash Reserves
Months of operating expenses held in cash and investments.
Cushions short-term shocks.
Attendance · 10 pts
Congregation Size
Average weekly attendance.
More households share the repayment.
Giving · 5 pts
Giving Trend
Multi-year trajectory of giving.
Giving is the lender's repayment source.
Campaign · 5 pts
Capital Campaign
An active capital campaign with documented pledges.
Collected cash shrinks the loan.
Free 100-point readiness score. No credit pull.
Lender Types & Current Rate Estimates
Who lends to churches, and at what rate
Four categories of lender compete for church loans. Each has different rate ranges, requirements, and risk appetite. Estimates based on the current 5.28% 10-Year Treasury yield plus typical spreads.
Denomination Extension Funds
LOWEST RATESMission-driven, members of the denomination. Best rates available.
Examples: AGFinancial, LCEF, Solomon Foundation
Today's range
6.53% to 8.28%
Faith-Based Credit Unions
NO AFFILIATIONNCUA-insured, open to all church types. Competitive and digital-forward.
Examples: AdelFi, America's Christian CU
Today's range
7.03% to 8.78%
Specialty Church Brokers
RELATIONSHIPHigher rates but possible relationship pricing for existing clients.
Examples: Regional and national banks
Today's range
7.53% to 9.78%
Traditional Banks
MAX FLEXIBILITYShop your deal across multiple lenders. Strong on complex situations.
Examples: Griffin Church Loans, Church Capital Resources
Today's range
8.03% to 10.78%
Rate estimates updated each business day from Federal Reserve data. Your actual rate depends on your readiness score. See all rate ranges →
Run the Numbers
The numbers, before the meeting.
Free calculators that compute the same metrics your lender will. Each ties back to one of the 7 factors above.
Payment math
Loan Payment
Try a payment scenario at any rate or term.
Open calculator
#1 · LTV
Loan-to-value
Check loan-to-value before the appraisal arrives.
Open calculator
#2 · DSCR
Debt service coverage
Confirm net operating income covers debt service.
Open calculator
#4 · Reserves · #6 · Giving
Affordability
Maximum loan your church can responsibly support.
Open calculator
Refinance math
Refinance Savings
Break-even on a refinance with closing costs included.
Open calculator
All 7 at once
Or get your full readiness score
5 minutes scores you across all 7 factors at once. No account.
National Coverage
Church loans in every state.
ChurchLend reviews church lenders that serve all 50 states. State laws on religious property, zoning, and lending vary, our guides cover the specifics where you are.
Hover a state to preview its lender count, then click to open its state-specific guide.
50 states · vetted lenders nationally · Hover or click for details
Lenders & Programs
Compare reviewed lenders. Understand church loans.
Lender Directory
Church-friendly lenders, in one place.
A vetted directory of denominational, credit union, and specialty lenders. Compare side by side on rate, requirements, and speed.
Open the directory
Church Loans
Church loans, explained.
Lender types, current rates, the 7 qualification factors, and the full path from inquiry to funded loan — in plain language.
Explore church loans
Library
Plain-English church financing education.
COMPLETE GUIDE
Church loans, explained.
The end-to-end pillar guide: lender types, products, rates, qualification factors, and the application-to-funded process.
Read · 23 min
QUALIFICATION
The 7 factors lenders evaluate
Every church loan decision comes down to the same seven factors. Here is what each one means and how to strengthen yours before applying.
Read · 18 min
STRATEGY
How to choose the right church lender
Denomination extension funds vs. credit unions vs. specialty brokers vs. banks. The trade-offs and how to pick.
Read · 14 min
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Everything pastors, Boards, and finance committees ask first.
Lenders cap debt service at 30% of unrestricted annual revenue, and most also want net operating income to cover the payment 1.20× to 1.25×. This estimate plans at the 1.25× end, and for most churches the coverage test is the tighter one. A church giving $600K per year can typically support about $1.7M at 7% over 25 years. Run your own numbers with the affordability calculator, or take the readiness assessment for a personalized estimate.
Depends on lender type and your readiness score. Denomination extension funds: roughly 6.53% to 8.28%. Faith-based credit unions: roughly 7.03% to 8.78%. Specialty brokers: roughly 7.53% to 9.78%. Traditional banks: roughly 8.03% to 10.78%. Your score determines where in each range you land. See live ranges on our rates page.
No. Most lenders work with churches scoring 65 or higher on the 100-point readiness scale. Below 65, you may need to strengthen one factor (often reserves or DSCR) before applying. Scoring below 50 typically means waiting 12 to 18 months and improving fundamentals first.
About 3 to 6 months from first conversation to closing. Once a complete application is in, most loans close in 60 to 120 days, depending on product. Rate-and-term refinances tend to be fastest (60 to 90 days from a complete application). Construction loans take the longest (90 to 180 days from a complete application to loan closing). Clean financials and a complete document package can shave 2 to 3 weeks off.
Yes. The assessment is free, with no credit pull and no account to create. We ask for your email so we can send you your results, and a ChurchLend advisor will follow up, usually within 24 hours, to walk through them and your next steps. There is no cost and no obligation. ChurchLend has no partnerships with any lender today, and no lender pays for its ranking. If that ever changes, it will be disclosed, and editorial scoring will stay independent of it.
Free · 5 minutes · No account
Get the same number your lender will compute, before they do.
Score your church on all 7 factors lenders evaluate. See where you stand and where you can strengthen before you talk to a lender.
Free · No credit pull · No account · An advisor follows up with your results