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Financial Ministries

 Investment Accounts 

Investing Church Money: Custodial Accounts

The Hawai’i Conference Foundation can assist churches with their long term investment needs. Hawai’i Conference United Church of Christ Churches, Associations and Affiliated Organizations are eligible to use the investment services of the Hawai’i Conference Foundation. By opening a Custodial Account your church funds may be invested along with the endowments of the Hawai’i Conference.

 

Investment Performance

The Hawai’i Conference Foundation measures its investment performance against established market indices. Investment results are reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Established in 1909, United Church Funds (UCF) offers a family of 13 professionally managed, well-diversified and socially responsible investment funds to over 1,000 churches, conferences, associations and other ministries of the United Church of Christ.

 

At present, UCF manages over $750 million in assets — from small church reserve accounts to some of the denomination’s historic endowments.

 

Investors in UCF’s funds benefit from a range of advantages, including:

  • Thirteen funds offering broad diversification to minimize risk

  • Lower fees for active management by top managers using a range of styles

  • A socially responsible portfolio and active shareholder engagement

  • Continuous evaluation of manager performance to strengthen returns

  • A not-for-profit structure that reduces costs

 

Download materials from UCF endowment workshops in Hawai‘i:

 Resources 

Handling Money in Local Churches
The Hawai'i Conference has adapted a resource from the Central Atlantic Conference, UCC, on "Handling Money in Local Churches: Best Practices of a Procedural Review," and shares it for local church use. View/download a copy HERE.

Creating a Gift Acceptance Policy
An essential but often overlooked section of endowment governance. Matthew Wagner, United Church Funds Vice President of Institutional Relationships, has laid out practices and strategies in creating a Gift Acceptance Policy, an essential but often overlooked section of endowment governance. . Click here to read and download the article.

Guide for Investment Policy
Matthew Wagner, Vice President, Institutional Relationships at United Church Funds
Every church and non-profit organization has its own unique mission and financial objectives. Here's a helpful guide that describes the building blocks for customized, workable, and effective investment policy.

The Insurance Board is a nonprofit corporation established by the participating Conferences of the United Church of Christ. It administers a property and liability insurance program serving churches and related entities within three denominations: United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Prestyberian Church (USA). The coverages are unsurpassed in the marketplace and the IB is considered a model non-for-profit entity.

 

The IB writes property and liability coverage in all 50 states utilizing an Independent Property and Casualty Distribution System that is unique and in tune with its mission: to support and protect churches and church ministries by offering superior property and casualty risk and insurance management services.

 

More than 3,600 churches participate in the program representing greater than $10.5 billion dollars in property value. The IB is ready to assist you in any way. 

Individuals, churches, or organizations affiliated with the United Church of Christ may invest with the Cornerstone Fund (CF).

 

Investments with the Cornerstone Fund pay competitive rates of return, and in turn, the collected funds are used to provide real estate-secured loans to local churches for capital improvements and expansion.

 

Whether you’re looking for an investment for personal or organizational funds — or helping your church develop its improvement plans — consider the Cornerstone Fund.

 

 Loans to Churches 

Church Building & Loan Fund (CB&LF) and Cornerstone Fund, two financial ministries of the United Church of Christ, offer excellent financing opportunities for churches.

 

Dedicated to assisting new and renewing congregations, CB&LF provides loans for the purchase, construction, or renovation of church buildings and facilities. It also assists with financing land site purchases and environmental upgrades, and offers capital campaign services to help churches repay their debt.

 

CB&LF works with churches established less than thirty years ago or those that have recently joined the UCC. It also assists congregations of any age that are seeking to be a renewing congregation and have entered into a formal renewal process with CB&LF.

 

For established churches seeking to maintain or expand existing facilities, Cornerstone Fund makes low-cost loans for a variety of projects, including capital improvements, accessibility, repairs, elevators, steeples, and educational wings.

 

Working much like a bank, Cornerstone is able to provide loans to churches by offering interest-bearing investments to churches and individuals. Any person or organization affiliated with the UCC may invest with Cornerstone, earning attractive returns on college savings, Individual Retirement Accounts, endowments, cemetery funds, and more. Investing with Cornerstone allows churches to meet financial goals while supporting the wider mission of the church.

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