Our Planning Process

Getting Started

The decision to borrow money is a momentous decision. It should never be taken lightly or without serious consideration of alternatives. Indebtedness can create limitations for the borrower, including less freedom to spend on ministry needs. Still, after careful consideration, a prudent amount of debt funding invested in the right manner can actually create dynamic ministry opportunities.

Our goal is never just to make a loan because we can. We want your ministry to flourish. So, when we consider extending credit to your ministry, we ask ourselves: “Will this loan help make the ministry more effective?” Answering that question means we must take the time together to understand your ministry and the impact a new loan might have on your ministry’s ability to achieve its vision.

In the end, we seek to develop long term partnerships with truly effective ministries. Every aspect of our due diligence process aims for that goal. The due diligence process surrounding a ministry loan requires some work, but it results in solutions of exceptional quality and value.

Step 1: Complete the Safe Debt Worksheet

Before starting down the road to borrowing money, your ministry leadership needs to consider how much debt is safe to take on. Ministry Partners’ experience tells us that certain financial ratios indicate a healthy level of debt. In the end, these ratios are designed to help you make a realistic assessment of your borrowing capability. By staying within these guidelines, you can be more certain of your ministry’s ability to move forward with your mission and not be burdened by excessive debt service requirements.

Step 2: Complete the Loan Application

If you are applying for a loan, please download the following documents.

Step 3: Credit Union Membership

Ministry Partners is a credit union service organization owned by 11 California credit unions. We require that your ministry belong to a credit union before we can extend a loan commitment. Below we have provided links to a few credit unions that share our values. You may also select a credit union in your community

If you have any further questions, you may contact our lending team or call us at 800-753-6742 or 714-784-7166.