CSF Serves Investors & Churches
What if you could invest your money and support churches at the same time? The Fellowship of Evangelical Churches (FEC) provides that opportunity for people through its non-profit affiliate, the Christian Service Foundation (CSF). Dave Teat, President of CSF, operates the investment service that allows investors to receive a fair market return on their money while providing church loans at the same time.
This is how CSF works for investors. Investors place their money with CSF, either on-demand or for one, two or three years, and receive a return of 0.75% for on-demand or as much as 2% for a three-year investment. Currently, over 400 hundred people in FEC have invested $15.3 million with CSF, including over $600 thousand from youth. The most common reasons that people invest with CSF are for college and retirement. Investors love knowing that they receive a good rate of return for their money while helping FEC churches.
This is how CSF works for new church plants. Since banks are reticent to lend money to churches, especially new ones, CSF provides an important support role to new churches. CSF provides a loan to church plants for a “church in a box” that includes everything from a trailer, audio/visual equipment, and chairs. As the church grows, CSF provides loans to purchase a facility. On their blog, CSF describes their partnership with Wave Community Church, a recent church plant in Deshler, Ohio. Wave borrowed from CSF for the “church in a box” items that they needed in their rented facility early on. Later, when the church needed to move from their rented facility, they borrowed funds from CSF to purchase and renovate a permanent site.
Besides loans for new churches, CSF provides loans to established churches that need renovations such as a new roof or a building addition. Other services include college and camp scholarships, estate planning information, and volunteer opportunities.
For people wanting to invest, the process is easy. Contact CSF either by phone at 260-423-3649 or email at info@ChristianServiceFoundation.org. They’ll send you the appropriate application to fill out and answer your questions. Visit their website, www.christianservicefoundation.org, and start putting your money to work for yourself and the FEC
