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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

As a preacher, are you just transferring information or speaking from a transformed place?
We're pleased to announce one of the most pivotal partnerships CDF Capital is a part of: Craft & Character with Steve Carter. Steve is a nationally renowned pastor and communicator and will be leading our efforts to serve local church leaders with their public speaking craft and their personal character development. No one can preach God’s Word well without first being personally transformed by it.

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.

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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

GoodLife

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

But there's more! Keep checking back—we will continue to create new resources, events, and conversations you won't want to miss.

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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?

May 14, 2020

Years ago I started preaching regularly at a church in the Midwest. At the end of the service, lines would…

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Becoming Essential and Adapting to the New Normal

April 8, 2020

In times of uncertainty, churches are presented with an opportunity to respond either of two ways: they can flourish and…

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Keep the Remain Thing the Main Thing

March 26, 2020

When crisis strikes, one of the first reactions for many leaders and Christ followers is to get busy or escape…

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Connection & Hope: What the Church was Built on

March 20, 2020

Connection. Hope. Two things everyone longs for. That doesn’t change in this time of COVID-19 social distancing. In fact, it…

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10 Essentials for Preaching Online

March 19, 2020

John Maxwell once told me, “Everybody communicates but few connect.” Right now as churches are moving their weekend services to…

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Every Crisis Has An Opportunity

March 12, 2020

Coronavirus: Thoughts & Recommendations For Pastors and Church Leaders In the midst of a global pandemic declared by the World…

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Read Stories of Transformation

Navigating Ministry Transition

June 21, 2018

“I’m always trying to grow,” said Nate Grella. After ministering in various roles at a church in Ohio for 7…

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Adopting a 90-Year-Old Church

June 30, 2017

In 2016, Beaverton Christian Church came to terms with a harsh reality: the 90-year-old church had experienced a decade of…

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Church In a Bowling Alley?

June 30, 2017

“You can’t do church in a bowling alley.” That’s what the local banks said when Life Bridge Church approached them…

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