Church of God lending guide

Church of God Church Loans

Church of God names several distinct denominations, and the two largest, Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) and Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), are very different traditions. The first step is knowing which one you belong to, because it shapes your options.

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8,000+

Church of God congregations (combined)

$150K to $3M

Typical loan size

All-Christian

Lenders, regardless of branch

The lenders that fit

Lenders that serve Church of God churches

Not a directory dump. These are the only lenders whose underwriting, terms, and denominational understanding actually fit a Church of God congregation, ranked by relevance.

Open to any Church of God congregationChristian credit union

AdelFi

AdelFi, formerly the Evangelical Christian Credit Union, is the largest faith-based credit union in the United States and lends to Christian churches regardless of denomination, with no denominational requirement. That makes it a strong default for a Church of God congregation, whether Cleveland (Tennessee) Pentecostal or Anderson (Indiana) Holiness. Deposits are NCUA-insured, and it pairs lending with a full ministry-banking suite.

Open to Church of God churches of any branch
NCUA-insured deposits plus a full ministry-banking suite
Largest faith-based credit union in the country

Loan range

$100K to $10M+

Rate range

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Lender type

Christian credit union

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Thrivent Church Financing

Faith-based lender

Thrivent Church Financing is a century-old faith-based lender that serves more than 1,000 Christian churches of any denomination, which makes it a useful benchmark for a Church of God congregation on a larger building program. It offers 3 to 30 year terms and prefers to match the loan term to the amortization period, so the balance reaches zero at maturity with no balloon payment and no need to re-qualify.

Serves Christian churches of any branch
3 to 30 year terms with no balloon payment

Loan range

$100K to $50M+

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Griffin Church Loans

Broker

Griffin Church Loans is a broker rather than a direct lender, with more than $1 billion and over 1,000 closed church loans behind it. For a large Church of God building program or a complex purchase where several capital sources need to be compared, a broker widens the field. You trade a broker fee for breadth of options and help navigating a more complicated transaction.

Compares multiple capital sources in one process
Best for large or multi-source transactions

Loan range

Varies by lender

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Overview

Understanding Church of God church financing

The name Church of God is shared by several distinct denominations, which is the first thing to sort out. The two largest are the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), one of the oldest and largest Pentecostal denominations, and the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), a Holiness movement body in the Wesleyan tradition. There are also the Church of God in Christ (a major historically Black Pentecostal denomination) and several smaller groups. Combined, the Cleveland and Anderson bodies account for thousands of US congregations.

The single most important fact about Church of God lending is that there is no single denominational fund that serves all of them, and the two main bodies are theologically and structurally different. Both the Cleveland and Anderson traditions generally leave property ownership and borrowing decisions with the local congregation, so the practical path for most Church of God churches is the open Christian-lending market: a faith-based credit union, a denomination-agnostic church lender, or a broker.

How Church of God polity shapes lending

Governance affects your borrowing options

The lending landscape

Because Church of God spans several denominations, there is no one extension fund that covers them all. The Church of God (Cleveland) operates benefits and financial-services entities for its ministers and maintains district and state relationships, and some regions have their own loan or revolving arrangements, but most local congregations finance building projects through the broad Christian-lending market rather than a single national church fund. The Church of God (Anderson) similarly leaves financing largely to the local congregation. The result is that a faith-based credit union like AdelFi, a denomination-agnostic lender, or a broker are the usual options for either tradition.

Governance & polity

Governance differs between the two main bodies. The Church of God (Cleveland) is more connectional, with a hierarchy of state and international offices and appointed leadership, while the Church of God (Anderson) is more congregational and associational, emphasizing local autonomy. In both, the local congregation generally owns its own property and makes its own borrowing decision through its board or membership, without a denomination-wide trust clause of the Methodist or Episcopal kind. For lenders this means clean, locally owned collateral and a borrowing decision that runs through the local church board, though a connectional body may be informed in the Cleveland tradition.

Typical loan profile · Church of God church

Average loan size

$150K to $3M

Common purpose

Construction, expansion, or renovation

Average term

10 to 25 years

Typical LTV cap

70% to 80%

The honest assessment

Strengths and challenges for Church of God churches

Financial strengths

Local property ownership in both traditions means clean collateral and relatively straightforward underwriting.
Strong giving and tithing cultures, particularly in the Pentecostal Cleveland tradition, support predictable repayment.
Freedom to shop the open Christian-lending market rather than being locked into one denominational fund.
Growth-oriented congregations, especially on the Pentecostal side, that lenders view favorably.

Common challenges

No single denominational loan fund means churches must navigate the broader lending market on their own.
The shared name causes confusion, so lenders and borrowers must be clear about which Church of God body is involved.
Smaller and rural Church of God congregations may have aging facilities and tight budgets that are harder to underwrite.
Heavy reliance on a single pastor, common in growth-oriented congregations, creates key-person risk lenders weigh.

Actionable guidance

Church of God church lending tips

Be clear about which Church of God you are

Cleveland (Tennessee) Pentecostal and Anderson (Indiana) Holiness are different denominations. State it up front so lenders, and this guide, point you to the right options and understand your governance.

Start with the open Christian market

With no single denominational fund, begin with a faith-based credit union like AdelFi, then compare a pan-Protestant lender like Thrivent or a broker.

Confirm your property ownership

Both traditions generally leave title with the local congregation, which simplifies a loan. Confirm you hold clear title in your own name before you apply.

Document a stable giving runway

Lenders underwrite proven, sustainable giving rather than projected growth. Three years of clean, trending-up giving data strengthens your file, especially for a fast-growing congregation.

Get a second quote for bigger projects

On a large building program, a quote from a broker like Griffin Church Loans alongside a credit union gives you a benchmark and can save real money.

Common questions

Church of God church lending FAQ

It covers the two largest: the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), a Pentecostal denomination, and the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), a Holiness body in the Wesleyan tradition. The Church of God in Christ and smaller groups share the name but differ. The lending options here apply broadly to all of them, since none has a single dominant national church-loan fund.

Not a single dominant one that serves all branches the way AGFinancial serves the Assemblies of God or LCEF serves Missouri Synod Lutherans. The Cleveland body operates benefits and financial-services entities and some regional arrangements, but most Church of God congregations finance buildings through the open Christian-lending market.

In both the Cleveland and Anderson traditions, the local congregation generally owns its own property, without a denomination-wide trust clause of the Methodist or Episcopal kind. That keeps collateral clean and underwriting straightforward, and it means you can pledge your building directly to a lender.

Favorably on energy and giving, but they underwrite proven, sustainable giving rather than projected growth, and they watch how much depends on a single pastor. Three years of stable, trending-up giving and a clear leadership-succession plan strengthen your application.

Most church lenders cap loan-to-value around 70 to 80 percent, so plan to bring 20 to 30 percent as equity from a capital campaign or reserves. A strong giving trend relative to the loan size matters as much as the raw ratio.

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Sample readiness score

74/ 100

Solid candidate

Above the lending threshold

Collateral (LTV)84

Debt-service coverage72

Cash reserves69

Giving trend66

Governance readiness61