We help churches grow.
Craft & Character is a new focus by CDF Capital for those who share the gospel. Led by Steve Carter, Craft & Character is about helping pastors ensure that their character leads the way, that they can show up and bring their full selves to the platform whenever they preach and lead.
No one can preach God’s Word well without first being personally transformed by it.
4 Ways to Engage with Craft & Character
If you're a church communicator, Craft & Character is for you! We want to partner with you as you are serving your congregation faithfully. Learn more below about ways Craft & Character might serve you well.
Craft & Character: The Podcast
Steve Carter sits down with church leaders to discuss the persistent need to pursue powerful communication with godly character in equal measure.
Cohorts
Journey with a small group of ministry leaders from across the country through The Ascent: a yearlong mentoring and coaching program focused on the craft of communication.
Live & On Demand
Gather with us online or in person for events and webinars to think critically about ministry with esteemed church leaders from across the country.
Resources
Never stop learning. Discover a wealth of tools you can use to continue your growth as a pastor, a leader, and a communicator.
Craft & Character: The Podcast
Streaming Everywhere You Listen
Cohorts: The Ascent
The Ascent was founded on the realization that there exists a gap between what is required and what is expected of ministry leaders.
The key to The Ascent is transparency. Great content is everywhere—books, blogs, keynotes and sermons. What leaders need is transparent conversation. As a member of The Ascent, you’ll grow both personally and professionally by engaging behind the scenes with world-class mentors, journeying with top-notch mentors, and meeting with a professional ministry coach who knows you and can speak into your ministry with accuracy and insight.
Live & On Demand
Now On-Demand
Our first live online event called “The Craft & Character Backroom Conversation,” where Dharius Daniels, Carey Nieuwhof, Steve Carter, Hosanna Wong, and Sean Morgan explore of the reality of communicating the gospel in the new landscape of church is now streaming on demand.
You don’t want to miss out on this amazing learning environment!
Books by our Speakers
Derwin L. Gray
THE GOOD LIFE
What is true happiness, and how can we find it?
Pastor and author Dr. Derwin L. Gray believes there is a path to true happiness. It is a life lived with Jesus by embracing the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12. As you walk through these words, Jesus invites you into a new life-giving rhythm that cultivates a flourishing, happy, transformative life.
Discover the good life you were meant for.
Hosanna Wong
SUPERADDED
NO MORE SETTLING. Jesus came to give us a life of more. A life that is over the top. A life that is exceedingly above and beyond. A life that is superadded with more joy, more peace, & more freedom. How do we access this abundant life?
Through super short chapters and super practical applications, Hosanna shares scriptures and stories about a super-adding God and the life He has for us—the life Jesus came to give us. Discover everyday habits to encounter more of God’s peace, joy, and contentment.
I HAVE A NEW NAME
Hosanna's debut full-length book, I Have A New Name, is a powerfully raw and inspiring book on forgetting the old names, and answering to a new confidence, a new purpose, and a new name.
14 chapters on claiming victory over identity. Paired with 14 studies, including Questions & Action, this book can be used for both personal and small group use.
Dharius Daniels
RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Considering Jesus’s relational model for choosing the twelve disciples, Relational Intelligence will walk you through how to assess your relationships, define them, discern them, align them, and finally activate your relationships to unlock your greatest potential.
Relational Intelligence is your action plan for getting smart about your purpose partners. Relationships were God’s idea, writes Daniels, and when we understand and apply what God has to say about them we end up avoiding unnecessary relational turmoil, advancing in all areas of our life, and accomplishing our God-given purpose.
Carey Nieuwhof
DIDN'T SEE IT COMING
Founding Pastor of one of North America's most influential churches, Carey Nieuwhof wants to help you avoid and overcome life's seven hardest and most crippling challenges: cynicism, compromise, disconnectedness, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and emptiness. These are challenges that few of us expect but that we all experience at some point. If you have yet to confront these obstacles, Carey provides clear tools and guidelines for anticipation and avoidance. On the other hand, if you already feel stuck in a painful experience or are wrestling with one of these challenges, he provides the steps you need to find a way out and a way forward into a more powerful and vibrant future.
On Demand Resources
"An Opportunity to Reach Beyond the Walls of a Building" with Steve Carter, Carey Niewhoff, Dharius Daniels, & Sean Morgan
"Essentials for Preaching Online" with Sean Morgan & Steve Carter
Resources
CDF Capital has been helping churches grow for over 65 years. In order for churches to grow, church leaders need to grow. We are committed to supporting your development by connecting you with the resources and relationships you need to serve your church well.
Lean on our breadth of knowledge and network of leaders who are teaching on topics relevant to your ministry.
How Do I Invest In My Gift of Preaching?
Years ago I started preaching regularly at a church in the Midwest. At the end of the service, lines would…
Read Article >
Becoming Essential and Adapting to the New Normal
In times of uncertainty, churches are presented with an opportunity to respond either of two ways: they can flourish and…
Read Article >
Keep the Remain Thing the Main Thing
When crisis strikes, one of the first reactions for many leaders and Christ followers is to get busy or escape…
Read Article >
Connection & Hope: What the Church was Built on
Connection. Hope. Two things everyone longs for. That doesn’t change in this time of COVID-19 social distancing. In fact, it…
Read Article >
10 Essentials for Preaching Online
John Maxwell once told me, “Everybody communicates but few connect.” Right now as churches are moving their weekend services to…
Read Article >
Every Crisis Has An Opportunity
Coronavirus: Thoughts & Recommendations For Pastors and Church Leaders In the midst of a global pandemic declared by the World…
Read Article >Read Stories of Transformation
Arundel Christian Church Partners with their Community to Serve Those In Need
Arundel Christian Church in Glen Burnie, Maryland, believes that humankind was made for more. This means they leverage the gifts,…
Read Article >
Renewing Faith Amongst Communities During COVID-19
Crisis has a way of causing us to reflect deeply on the things in life that we hold dear to…
Read Article >
Stepping Up to Feed the Hungry and Clothe the Poor, Manchester Christian Church During COVID-19
Jesus summarized the second aspect of the Great Commandment of God, saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” For Executive Pastor…
Read Article >
