Is your church prepared to apply for a loan?

Your faith community has been blessed with many, many gifts bestowed upon it. As good stewards of those blessings, you know that the world isn't the same as it used to be. Growth is expensive and requires you to have good financial partners who will help guide you through the challenges (and increased costs) of that growth.

Let’s discuss some important points you will need to consider as you prepare to request a loan from a financial institution. Union Bank’s church financing area lends all over the United States, having worked with many different denominations and in cities with varying economic circumstances. There is always a common thread among church loans that are successfully approved: preparation.

We want to be very candid about what a financial institution is truly evaluating. There should really be no secrets between the bank and the church as you go through this process together. As the borrower, you need to fully understand what your bank is weighing in their decision.

Documentation

Making a commitment to borrow funds requires that you gather some documentation for review by your board and your lender. You’ll need to have your church’s articles and by-laws available to include with your loan request. Because board members and signers often change for a church, it’s a good idea to provide documentation showing who exactly can make the decision to borrow and that the church board has approved the church’s decision to make a borrowing request. Having this documentation up-front will show your lender that you’re organized and prepared — and that the process to put loan documents together will be smooth.

Church family history

Be ready to tell your story. A powerful component to your request is being able to show the financial institution your church’s vision for the future. Provide a history of your church and include information about the church leadership and pastor. In your summary of the church, discuss your future growth plans in detail. Explain why you feel you will grow, what audience you are targeting in your growth efforts, the tools you are using to reach them, and what success or trends you have so far. In essence, you want your lender to want to join your church. Share your passion!

Campaign for pledges

As a church, you need to be comfortable and committed to a growth project in every way. A successful fundraising campaign can be solid proof of this commitment. Provide detailed information about the commitments you have as well as the funds you’ve received. I suggest a detailed report of each pledge, how much has been received so far, and what is left to collect. Additionally, showing your anticipated timeline for receiving the funds is helpful for your lender to see how much you will likely need over the course of the project. Any financial institution that is truly committed to church financing will understand the power of a great campaign and not discount or dismiss it.

Financials

Presenting finances that have an accountant’s credibility behind them will give you a tremendous boost in the eyes of your lender. No matter what bank or financial institution you work with, they are going to want to see your church’s financial history. Many times, the way a church handles their financials today is the same as it was when the church began 10 or 15 or sometimes even 40 years ago. When you started your church and there were only a few members, your accounting system was simple and easy to explain to the membership and the board. When you ask a bank to decipher your “system,” it can limit the number of financial institutions willing to consider your request. Our recommendation is to have an accountant do a full review of your finances before you make your request for financing. Any church with an annual giving budget of more than $350,000 per year should consider getting a professional involved on an annual basis. If nothing else, an accountant can compile your financials into a format that will be more easily presented in a loan request.

Know your numbers

There are a few key ratios most financial institutions will evaluate as they look at your request. Here are a couple of benchmarks that will help you do an initial evaluation of a loan request.

• Is the loan request less than four times the annual contributions?
• Does the annual loan payment stay below $500 per giving unit? (A giving unit is an individual or family in your church who gives on a regular basis.)
• Does the average annual amount giving by each giving unit exceed $1,200? (Exceeding in this case is good.)
• Is the annual debt payment less than 30% of total gross revenue of the church?

These numbers can give you a good idea of where you’ll stand at first glance with a financial institution. If you are far outside of any of these ratios, it’s a good idea to analyze why that may be and do one of two things:

1. Adjust your project to be more in line with what a lender will find acceptable.
2. Prepare a strong argument about how the risk of being outside of a given ratio can be mitigated. Knowing where your weaker points are before you put your request out for review not only helps you understand what challenges you have but may also bring to light some areas that should be re-evaluated.

Interview

Remember that just as you must be a good fit for a given financial institution, it should also be a good fit for you! Ask the important questions of your financial institution:

• Do they understand churches and their needs?
• Are they willing to truly listen to you?
• Does the individual you’re working with seem interested in only the transaction, or do they want to be a part of your financial team?

Knowing these answers can help guide you to the right financial institution for your church. A good church lender knows that not every project is ready for approval from the moment you meet. Many projects take time and effort to get the church and the project to the point that it makes sense for them. The right lender is willing to take that time to walk side by side with you as you are guided by God toward what is best for your church.

We wish everyone who is beginning this journey our very best. If we can be a resource for you, don’t hesitate to reach out — we’re always glad to simply discuss and brainstorm.

We wish everyone who is beginning this journey our very best. If we can be a resource for you, don’t hesitate to reach out (my contact info is below) — we’re always glad to simply discuss and brainstorm.