A SharedMission
ABEC is the organization that helps finance church extension all across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico.
We are the entity through which American Baptists — churches, clergy, lay leaders and congregants — form a pool of funds through their investments in ABEC Notes. From a portion of those funds, churches and church-related entities borrow with ABEC Loans in order to build and renovate their facilities; the balance supports our operations and liquidity.
Our investors know that their money is only benefiting institutions that share their Christian values. For our borrowers, we are a dedicated organization that focuses on the needs of churches — with building planning services broader and deeper than those offered by many financial institutions.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
Founded in 1959 to form a pool of invested funds to help build churches. Our first loan went to Parkside Baptist Church in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1961.
We plan before we lend. ABEC has become a leader in providing services, including building planning counsel, designed to ensure good stewardship of funds that churches borrow.
The money stays in the family. One congregation’s savings becomes another’s sanctuary, classroom, daycare, soup kitchen, or elevator.
Our history is a building record.
Churches financed through ABEC have purchased properties, moved from rented spaces into permanent homes, renovated sanctuaries, repaired leaky roofs, and installed elevators to make their buildings fully accessible. They’ve built classrooms, daycare centers, soup kitchens, schools, camps — even a complete village with recreational facilities and a life-care community.
By our 55th anniversary in 2014, ABEC had made loans totaling over $100 million to more than 1,600 churches.
Our core values
- Service
- Integrity
- Teamwork
- Quality
- Leadership
- Financial accountability
- Growth