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Still, amid the largest Wall Street firms going under, merging or changing their operational make-up, individuals and churches are looking for safety. That makes banks and credit unions — which offer either federally backed or private deposit insurance — more attractive.

Those with accounts above the $100,000 federal limit would be wise to divide them up among several institutions, Towner said.

However, Holbrook points out that those who can't afford to move money around are more likely to pay more attention to the institution's health: "We've had several ministries move significant amounts of money toward us for that reason."

Walling thinks investors should pay even closer attention to a company's moral underpinnings. Aside from financial soundness, CCCU's chief executive said they should examine its Christian principles.

"[Is it] an organization that is funding loans and supporting ministries you know are blessing people?" Walling asked. "Or are you putting your money with a financial institution that is funding things you wouldn't be very proud of?"

* Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the types of loans offered by Christian Community Credit Union.

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See also our article from last year, "Surviving the Mortgage Crisis | Most Christian lenders remain strong during sub-prime debacle."

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September (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 52