Three Pillars of Faith-Driven Investing

“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” - Matthew 25:21

What is faith-driven investing? Is that even possible? Can I make money and have a spiritual impact? These were a few of the questions I had when I first heard this term.

After interviewing dozens and dozens of investors, building a community of over 40 Christian real estate operators, diving deep into the word of God, and launching my own faith-driven fund, I've come up with three pillars that distinguish faith-driven investing from all other categories.

Pillar One: Success looks like multiplication.

We see in Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, that success looks like multiplication. It was the servant who went and buried his talents in the sand that was called wicked and lazy. The two servants who provided a 100% return back to the master received the highest praise. Very simply, your investment should make more money. I personally believe what keeps many faithful Christians from exploring alternative faith-driven investments is the assumption that one must sacrifice returns for impact. This is simply not true. If money flows to value, and Christians are seeking to provide the most value to the world, then the opposite should be true. If value has a monetary award, then a true faith-driven investment opportunity should be profitable for the investor.

As a Christian, we are called to multiply the talents and treasures we have been given. We need not fear tomorrow because Christ is our king and ruler over all. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us and has sealed that promise through his crucifixion and resurrection.

This act of love compels the believer to go out into the world and work with greater ambition, create with increasing levels of innovation, and take greater risks for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. In faith, we have already received the greatest treasure that can never be taken away from us, Jesus Christ himself.

Pillar two: It seeks the interest of others

At the heart of God is his people. Jesus gives a warning to the pharisees who think that simply tithing a tenth of their earnings was honoring to God. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Faith driven-investing has a clear agenda for how it serves, protects, uplifts, and transforms people and communities.

The example I use for faith-driven investing is purchasing multifamily apartment complexes. Each asset we purchase is also a community of hundreds of families. We have the opportunity to provide a greater level of safety, create programs that provide access to education and jobs, and work alongside churches and nonprofits to host events and bible studies that lead to spiritual transformation.

Pillar three: It honors and advances the King’s agenda.

We see in Matthew 25 that after the three servants were finished trading, what they had been given plus their earnings are returned to the master. Why? Because it all belongs to him. It is God’s kingdom we are growing, not our own. Much like in the parable of the talents, we also are called to come before the master. The purpose is to show that we have not only multiplied what has been given to us but that it is also advancing his Kingdom. To multiply and not give back is hoarding. To give back without multiplying is labeled lazy. It’s the intersection of both multiplying and giving back which is the third pillar of faith-driven investing.

About the author

Ellis Hammond spent the first six years of his career as a missionary, building Christian communities on college campuses across San Diego. He was an evangelist for his cause, raising nearly two hundred thousand dollars and launching faithful Christians into the world of business and ministry.

Ellis began investing in real estate in 2017 with the goal of creating more passive income to support his family.

He quickly found himself investing in bigger deals and syndicating large multi-family apartment complexes. He is now the founder of EllisHammond.com. He manages a private network of investors seeking passive investment opportunities in multifamily syndications across the United States.

Ellis is passionate about the intersection of faith and capital and hosts a weekly podcast show, Kingdom REI, in order to educate and inspire other investors and entrepreneurs to see capital as a means for greater Kingdom influence.

To learn how you can invest alongside Ellis and this community of faith-driven investors, head to EllisHammond.com.