Wesleyan Impact Partners Expands Lending Team to Meet the Growing Needs of Churches and Nonprofit Ministries

AUSTIN, Texas – Wesleyan Impact Partners is expanding its investment in growing the church with the addition of Chris Miller as vice president of lending and Douglas Cotner as senior loan officer. Building on Wesleyan Impact Partners' 55 years as a trusted financial and learning and innovation partner helping to build a Spirit-led movement of thriving congregations and flourishing communities, Miller and Cotner will continue to increase Wesleyan Impact Partners' role as an essential partner supporting the vitality and impact of churches and nonprofit ministries across the United States. 

Miller will oversee all lending functions for Wesleyan Impact Partners and the Texas Methodist Foundation, with combined assets under management of over $750 million. He will work directly with churches, church agencies, and nonprofit ministries to deepen relationships and build new ones.

An Austin native, Miller has nearly 20 years of banking and commercial lending experience supporting the growth of owner-operated businesses and commercial real-estate development. He most recently served as Market Area Executive at Simmons Bank. Prior to Simmons, he served as Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at Southside Bank. With Simmons Bank's 100-year history and roots as a community bank, Miller deeply understands the vital role of financial partnerships in growing flourishing communities.

"Throughout my career in banking and finance, I have been committed to working with organizations that are the backbone of their communities,” Miller said. “I am honored to bring that experience to Wesleyan Impact Partners and the Texas Methodist Foundation, to help churches and nonprofits grow and expand their mission and impact."

Cotner will help clients continue to grow their churches and ministries. He brings over 38 years of experience as a commercial real estate lender, serving most recently as vice president for Texas Capital Bank in Austin and San Antonio, Texas. Cotner has experience with a wide range of real estate loans, including land development, office, retail, multifamily, and industrial. He will manage the execution of all phases of the loan cycle, including business development, underwriting, approving, closing, and loan servicing.

"I'm so excited to support Wesleyan Impact Partners and the Texas Methodist Foundation's important work in supporting the church, its leaders, and local communities,” Cotner said. “The loans we provide create significant opportunities to strengthen congregations and grow thriving communities across the United States."

"This is an exciting time of new beginnings and possibilities for the church and for us in adding Chris and Doug to our team,” said Rev. Lisa Greenwood, Wesleyan Impact Partners and the Texas Methodist Foundation President & CEO. “They both bring tremendous gifts and a breadth of experience that will help us stay responsive to the changing needs of the church and true to our core vision of empowering what's possible when the church stands to its full height and witness."

About Wesleyan Impact Partners

Wesleyan Impact Partners is a national nonprofit fueled by impact investors, borrowers, and donors who invest in ministries and innovative leaders courageously doing God's work in the world – partnering in a Spirit-led movement to bring about human flourishing grounded in love, generosity, and belonging. Throughout its 55-plus-year history, Wesleyan Impact Partners has made thousands of loans totaling over half a billion dollars, empowering churches across the United States to pursue their God-sized dreams while also lifting up the work of courageous spiritual entrepreneurs across the Wesleyan Ecosystem through the nationally recognized Locke Innovative Leader Award and its nationally recognized thought leadership in Igniting Imagination®. Our work is made possible through partnerships across the country with impact-focused investors, donors, and Methodist foundations. Based in Austin, Texas, the organization is led by President & CEO Rev. Lisa Greenwood, who is also President & CEO of the Texas Methodist Foundation. To learn more, visit wesleyanimpactpartners.org. 

About Texas Methodist Foundation

Texas Methodist Foundation is a nonprofit lender and charitable services partner dedicated to empowering the church to achieve its God-appointed mission and finding bold solutions for bringing about the loving world God imagines through cultures of purpose, generosity, and courage. Founded in 1938, Texas Methodist Foundation is one of the largest Methodist foundations in the country, helping churches and nonprofit ministries grow through investments, loans, grants, learning and innovation, gift planning, and endowment services. Texas Methodist Foundation serves organizations throughout Texas and New Mexico. Texas Methodist Foundation is based in Austin, Texas. To learn more, visit texasmethodistfoundation.org.