7 Church Construction Financing Tips You Need to Learn Now
Overview
Church construction is always an exciting event, isn’t it?
It fills the entire neighborhood and congregation with unexplained bliss.
However, while the congregation rejoices in ecstasy, some uneasiness lurks beneath the happiness: concerns about church construction financing.
Moreover, the transition from preparing for communion to filing for a church loan is quite nerving.
The anticipation of something going wrong does not help the holy cause either.
We understand that.
This is why we bring to you 7 church construction financing tips, which is our form of tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8).
7 Church Construction Financing Tips at A Glance
Before we delve deep, let’s first take a brief look at the 7 main tips for church construction financing:
- Understand all financing options available
- Calculate revenues, expenses, and loans required
- Be prepared for unexpected changes in the construction plan
- Consider all expenses, revenues, and calculate the required amount
- Bring all parties on the same page and seek professional consultation
- Make estimates of material requirements
- Understand the terms and conditions of the financing option well
Tip 1: Different Kinds of Church Construction
You must already be aware of the different stages of church construction.
What you might be unaware of are the loans available for different stages and types of church construction.
Knowledge is the greatest asset, especially when dealing with matters related to money.
Once you are aware of all the church loan options available, you would be more than just ready to take advantage of a loan when you need it the most.
After all, strategic loan buying is the first good choice for every smart loan buyer.
Our following list will surely inspire you to know what options are available for your catholic church loans.
- You can choose to take a loan for a piece of land that you plan to have a church upon
- Perhaps, you already own a piece of land. In such a scenario, you would be better off getting a church loan for construction
- Assuming the church is already built, it would need expansion to accommodate a growing congregation and make room for more
- Last but the least. You can get church construction financing loans for church construction that had begun but not been completed
Tip 2: Let Numbers Speak for Themselves
Information asymmetries exist, and they can jeopardize your church construction plans by making any financing option more expensive than the market rates.
Information asymmetry is a situation where one party has more knowledge than the other and is in a position to influence the outcomes in his favor.
As a result, the church taking a loan is vulnerable to becoming a victim of high interest-based financing options on difficult terms that keep getting difficult with time.
We have just the right solution (or should we say tip?) for you.
While you are likely to be at an informational disadvantage, you can reduce the disparity by becoming aware of your exact needs.
- When you apply a financing option for a church loan, determine a rough estimate of the gross general tithes and offerings your church receives in a 12-month period
- Multiply the value that you arrive at by three and then by five. The former value will give you a low-end amount. The latter value will give a high-end amount. This is the range of the loan you will likely qualify to borrow.
Remind them of your requirements and loan budget if your loan provider attempts to upsell or cross-sell you any deal.
Tip 3: Conservatism Principle
Our tips are going to help you become a pro at acquiring lucrative financing instruments for your church’s construction.
Let’s explore a tool that is used by accountants and financial experts and how it can help churches receive loans on good terms and rates.
The Conservatism Principle allows them to be ready for unexpected expenses and cash inflows.
It is a practice that encourages reasonable pessimism.
It means one must be quick to record expenses and only record revenue when they have been received.
As you are doing the calculations for Tip#2, calculate only the tithes and offerings from last year, and not any extraordinary income that is not recurring and refrain from over-estimating the cash inflows.
On the other hand, be mindful of every large and small expense the church incurred during the same year.
All of these methods will help you secure an affordable loan that you can pay off sooner.
Tip 4: Prudent Spending & Cost Cutting
It is easy to say practice prudence before acquiring a loan. In practice, however, it is difficult.
As soon as the financing option releases liquid cash, the church, like any other institute or place of worship, falls into a spending trap where they spend on things that might be useful but not necessary and even costly.
For instance, a dedicated educational space or an open area without any purpose might seem like a nice idea, yet they are mostly never needed. Thus, at the time of construction, such spending should be kept to a minimum.
Additionally, it is important to remember that you can always get something built later as well.
Whenever church construction is financed by a loan or on credit, the cost of construction increases.
The easiest way to keep the costs down is to be aware of all the small construction details that can be done on a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) basis and with the help of the church’s members.
Tip 5: Organize A Feast
Organizing a feast might seem like an extravagant idea, but it’s not.
Also, let us assure you we do not mean to tell you to throw a lavish meal.
We suggest getting the community leaders from the congregation, an architectural firm, and a loan provider on the same table – it will have several benefits.
Firstly, the process will be transparent. As everyone participates in the loan discussion, everything will be out in the open.
This also ensures the information disparity between the church, the borrower, and the loan lender is minimized because other parties can give their input too and negotiate on behalf of the church.
Moreover, an architect can help visualize how and where the loan would be used and what amount of loan will be sufficient to finish the church construction.
Furthermore, a construction contractor can also help out with church loan cost estimations.
Tip 6: Choosing the Right Material
Many alternatives to expensive construction materials offer tremendous savings when we talk about church loans.
Vinyl flooring is less noisy, more durable, and more cost-effective than wooden flooring.
This helps to keep the amount of church construction financing to a minimum.
Taking the same philosophy ahead, you can choose to have white paint, reflective surfaces, and more windows to allow more light to enter and illuminate the church.
You must be wondering what does buying economical material have to do with church construction and financing?
Banks and financial institutes only offer financing plans when their borrowers have a good spending and revenue generation history.
As you apply for any financing option, ask for a sweet deal backed by a plan and purpose with reasonable spending estimates.
This increases the likelihood of receiving whatever financing option you have chosen.
Tip 7: By-Laws and Clauses
Every financing option that includes some kind of borrowing has to have an agreement that makes the financing option and its terms official and legally binding.
The agreement has to have three things: an offer, an acceptance, and consideration. However, there are often other clauses that borrowers stay unaware of.
These include refinancing clauses that allow you to renegotiate the terms of your loan after some time.
For example, initially, the financing options are not as expensive.
However, as you continue to make interest payments, you end up paying more in interest than before.
Whenever you opt for a financing option for your church’s construction, make it a point to have a refinancing clause.
It can allow you to renegotiate your acquired financing option and finalize the terms you would be more comfortable with.
Bonus Tip: Look for Special Consideration
Banks, for institutional reasons, do not consider the special status of any organization or place of worship at the time of giving a loan.
They treat a church as a place that can generate revenue in the form of tithes and offerings.
Therefore, banks deal with all places of worship like they would with a corporate entity.
While this could be a probable limitation when choosing a loan, you can look for other financing options.
For instance, a church can work with a company that specializes in church financing and thus a partner that has their best interests at heart.
These church financing options offer the most affordable repayment rates and flexible timelines.
Takeaway
Building or reconstructing a church is a unique and blessed opportunity that demands equal responsibility.
Our tried and tested tips will help you acquire church construction financing quickly, easily, and at the best rates, serving your purpose without putting the church under the burden of debt.
Isn’t that just what you want?