Determining good value takes many factors into account

“When choosing a financial pathway, we love it when churches compare our nonprofit ministry-centered approach to our for-profit friends. This is where we believe CIF’s value rises to the top.”

What is good value? That is a question many people ask when they consider a product or service, from a restaurant to real estate or other purchases.

There are many factors that influence the answer to this question, such as how hungry you were before you ate that meal out, or the amount and quality of available properties.

Interest rate is but one factor

For church loans, the centerpiece in the minds of many is the interest rate. That is important, but did you know there are more than 10 other cost and service factors to consider?

Will the mortgage balloon in five years and require refinancing? Will a yearly external audit be required with a price tag of $15,000 or more? What does the fine print say? What is our church on the hook for if we make this deal with a for-profit financial institution?

When a church works with CIF, we can say that ministry wins, every time. Why? Because ministry is the first priority – the most important factor.

For example, if your church applies significant funds to accelerate the pay-down of loan principal, and requests CIF to re-amortize the loan, if approved, we would make that change for your church without charge.

Banks charge a fee. This is part of The CIF Difference where we offer flexible lending solutions that align with your ministry. There are other examples.

There through the difficulties, with a listening ear

We all hope that nothing goes wrong at our church, but things happen. Churches can experience division, people in leadership depart and hardships can develop quickly. There are smaller bumps in the road too.

Whether serious or minor, CIF doesn’t brush these things aside. We are here to sit down and talk about it, sharing options with churches, both temporary and long term.

We also have expenses, but our financial bottom line is not priority one – God’s Kingdom is! We provide faith-based financial solutions that serve Kingdom expansion.

Committed to the ministry cause

Think of it this way – if you’ve ever had an insurance policy where you picked the cheapest company you could find, how did things go when you actually had a claim? Did they call you back, answer your emails, walk you through what to do and give you advice? Or, did they send you a claim denial without any real explanation?

How many people have said, “I wish I would have spent the extra $20 a month for a better insurance policy? I might be getting some help right now.”

CIF’s service is holistic in nature, comprehensive and helpful. When something goes wrong, we don’t say, “Sorry, that’s not our problem.” On the contrary, we not only speak your church’s language in good times, we speak it in hardship, too.

We understand each church’s desire to reach the lost for Christ, following the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. We care about the congregations we serve. Our track record spans 66 years, and our customers love to share their experiences.

More and more churches are also making impactful investments with CIF, which helps make our church loan ministry happen, putting our mission in action.

We are a resource, and resourceful

In the midst of the many summer activities, please know that we are here for churches and we are available. It is a good time to reach out before the fall rush begins.

So what is good value? We talk about comparing apples to apples, or giving consideration to two things that are similar. When choosing a financial pathway, we love it when churches compare our nonprofit ministry-centered approach to our for-profit friends.

This is where we believe CIF’s value rises to the top. We enjoy answering questions, and helping churches along the way. It’s not always about the destination; the journey matters as much if not more. This is who we are, and what we do.

Together, we can make a greater difference for His Kingdom.