Should your church choose Christian Financial Resources?

Christian Financial Resources, known as CFR, is an extension fund incorporated in Florida on July 3, 1980. The institution serves independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in the Restoration Movement (Stone-Campbell tradition), which puts it in direct alignment with Solomon Foundation and CDF Capital. Forty-five years in, CFR holds about $850 million in total assets, has more than 7,800 active investors, and has funded more than 1,100 ministry loans totaling north of $1.5 billion cumulatively. That is the third real lender option for a Restoration Movement church, alongside CDF (founded 1953) and Solomon (founded 2010).

The capital model follows the standard extension fund pattern. CFR raises capital from individual investors and ministries through fixed-yield investment products, including a Giving Fund at 4.60 percent APY, Ready Access Certificates around 3.50 to 3.60 percent APY, and Time Certificates ranging 15 months to 7 years at 3.70 to 4.00 percent APY. That capital flows back out as construction, purchase, and refinance loans to ministries inside the Restoration Movement. The closed loop produces patient capital. Investment products are not FDIC insured.

What makes CFR distinct from its two main Restoration Movement peers is the breadth of stewardship services attached to the lending operation. CFR offers capital campaign support, legacy and estate planning through a partnership with the Free Will platform, and a combined lender plus investment fund relationship. For Restoration Movement churches that want to consolidate borrowing, deposits, and stewardship under one roof, CFR is one of the few funds in the niche structured to deliver all three. The amortization range on church loans is 15 to 20 years, on the shorter end for the niche.

The trade-offs are scale and transparency. CFR is meaningfully smaller than the largest extension funds (AGFinancial, LCEF, and similar). Underwriting specifics including maximum LTV, minimum DSCR, time to close, minimum and maximum loan size, and rate ranges are by inquiry. We could not locate a current BBB profile or ECFA member record for CFR, which means one less third-party governance signal compared to peers like Solomon Foundation, which is ECFA accredited. The denominational focus on independent Christian Churches in the Restoration Movement also means non-Restoration churches will not see structural advantages here.

Our recommendation, in one sentence: shortlist CFR alongside Solomon Foundation and CDF Capital if your church is part of the Restoration Movement and you want stewardship services bundled with the lending relationship. Run the ChurchLend readiness assessment first so you walk into the inquiry already understanding the seven factors any extension fund will weigh.