What Is a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)?

For many people, investing isn’t just about making smart financial decisions. They also want to allocate their resources in a way that is consistent with their personal values or religious principles. Some investors may prefer financial advice from a professional who shares those values. For those of the Christian faith, working with a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) could help align financial and spiritual values.

If you’re looking for specific financial advice, SmartAsset’s free matching tool can help you find an advisor.

What Is a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA)?

The CKA is a certification designed for professionals serving clients in the Christian faith and who take a values-based approach to financial matters. It involves a course of study that integrates biblical principles with core financial advisory training. Essentially, CKA holders frame their financial expertise within a worldview consistent with Christian teachings.

Kingdom Advisors created and administers the CKA training and certification process. Founded in 1997 (under the original name of Christian Financial Professionals Network), this group provides advocacy, education and networking for financial professionals. Its mandate is to help its members offer “biblically wise” advice to their clients and promote a strong, mutually reinforcing tie between religious teaching and finance.

A CKA holder may have a background in financial or insurance advisory services, accounting or law. Many will have advanced degrees or other certifications. Christian financial advisors are ideal candidates.

Services Offered by Someone With a CKA

A Certified Kingdom Advisor typically provides financial guidance that incorporates Christian values and biblical principles. Advisors with this designation often work with clients who want their financial decisions, such as investing, spending and charitable giving, to reflect their faith. This approach focuses on aligning financial strategies with personal beliefs while still pursuing long-term financial stability.

CKA professionals may help clients develop investment strategies that reflect both financial goals and faith-based priorities. This can include discussing responsible investing, evaluating companies through a values-based lens or building diversified portfolios that align with a client’s ethical preferences. While the investment tools used may be similar to those offered by other advisors, the recommendations are framed within a faith-centered perspective.

Many advisors with a CKA designation assist clients with charitable giving strategies. This can involve helping families structure donations, establish donor-advised funds or plan long-term philanthropic goals. The focus often centers on stewardship, managing financial resources in a way that supports both personal financial health and generosity toward charitable or faith-based organizations.

CKA advisors may also help clients plan for major financial milestones such as retirement. They can provide guidance on saving strategies, retirement accounts and income planning while encouraging responsible financial stewardship. By integrating faith-based principles with practical financial planning, these advisors help clients pursue both financial security and values-driven decision-making.

What Are CKA Certification Requirements?

The CKA certification requires professional bona fides not unlike many other financial certifications. Applicants must have certain approved degrees or certifications, such as JD, CPA, CFP®, ChFC and CPA, or 10 years of experience in their designated field.

The prerequisites vary depending on a candidate’s professional background. Many professional certificates qualify candidates for admission, particularly for financial advisors and investment experts. Legal professionals could have specializations in many areas, including estate planning, gift planning and corporate law. Ultimately, the certification targets experienced, educated professionals, rather than individuals just beginning their careers in the field.

Kingdom Advisors also asks for three letters of reference, one of which must come from a church leader. Candidates show commitment to biblical stewardship and Christian values, including charitable giving, by signing a statement of personal stewardship.

Combined, the professional standards and faith values reflect Kingdom Advisors’ efforts to bring legitimacy to financial planning based on Christian principles. The organization also wants to expand a network that benefits advisors and clients who see no separation between financial matters and their religious faith.

What Does the CKA Educational Program Cover?

Since working professionals are the target market for CKA certification, the course of study is accessible online and self-directed. Online enrollment is also available to candidates across the United States and Canada; Canadian candidates can obtain the Canadian CKA designation.

Kingdom Advisors collaborates with another Christianity-based organization, the Ron Blue Institute, to develop and deliver the coursework. Indiana Wesleyan University administers the CKA education program and issues the certificate upon completion. 

The course includes 20 online modules to be completed within six months. Students can also access 95 video lessons featuring Ron Blue and other experts, as well as 212 Scripture verses on money, 19 case study assignments and 20 practice quizzes. Candidates usually invest around 60 hours of study. 

The regular price for the CKA educational program is $999, although Kingdom Advisors does sometimes offer limited-time offers featuring lower prices. If candidates do not have a CKA membership already, they can pay $1,359 to bundle the organization’s membership fee with the educational program. 

Students can also purchase an optional CKA Educational Program Resource Guide for $75. Once enrolled, candidates have access to an instructional mentor who provides feedback on the case studies on an as-needed basis. 

Candidates who complete the educational program are eligible to sit for the CKA exam. This is proctored online and costs $199, in addition to a $50 application fee. 

Once certified, CKA holders must maintain membership with Kingdom Advisors and complete 10 hours of continuing education annually.

What’s the Difference Between CKAs and Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®s)?

Kingdom Advisors launched the CKA certification in 2016. So it may be too early to compare the financial credentials of the CKA certificate with the better-established CFP®. However, both certifications are evidence that an advisor has studied to learn the finer points of retirement planning, investing, estate planning, insurance and taxation.

That said, the CFP® does not reflect any particular value structure. The CKA, as noted, views the topics in accord with Christian principles.

The CFP® also requires professional bona fides, including 6,000 hours of work experience in a financially related field. Candidates with advanced degrees or certifications may be eligible to skip the course of study and head straight to the qualifying exam.

Like the CKA, this certification does not qualify holders to do anything different than advisors without a CFP®. Instead, it conveys stature in the industry and can telegraph expertise to potential clients. Both certifications come with standards for ethical conduct and continuing education requirements.

The fundamental difference between them is that CKA holders highlight their Christian worldview for potential clients. In addition to standard financial education, CKA coursework includes topics such as charitable giving, financial stewardship, passing on stewardship and developing wisdom. Ultimately, CKA holders must know the financial advisory profession while embracing their clients’ religious values.

What Services Can CKAs Offer Clients

Certified Kingdom Advisors provide many of the same core services as other financial professionals. A CKA can create retirement plans and investment plans, while also helping you manage taxes and design estate strategies. They also guide clients on budgeting, debt management and insurance needs.

Additionally, CKAs focus on areas that connect directly to faith. This can include charitable giving strategies, stewardship planning and legacy planning to pass wealth in line with biblical principles. That is why clients who want their financial lives to reflect their spiritual beliefs often turn to a CKA for help.

CKAs may also work with business owners, offering advice on succession planning or corporate stewardship. Some help families prepare the next generation for responsible money management, tying financial literacy to values. In all cases, the CKA combines technical financial training with a faith-based perspective.

For clients, the benefit is aligning financial expertise with your personal faith, all through the same relationship. Whether you need investment guidance, estate planning or charitable giving, a CKA can tailor your financial strategies to balance your financial goals with your Christian principles.

How a CKA Can Help You Create a Plan for Your Finances

You may reach a point where financial decisions feel incomplete without considering how they align with your faith. This often happens when choices involve giving, legacy or trade-offs between personal security and generosity. At that stage, the question is not only what works financially, but what fits your values over time.

The decisions involved tend to be structural rather than transactional. You may be deciding how much wealth is enough, how to balance long-term security with ongoing giving, or how to prepare heirs to manage money responsibly. You may also be weighing whether certain financial strategies feel inconsistent with your beliefs, even if they appear efficient on paper.

A CKA helps you evaluate these choices through a faith-based lens while keeping the financial implications clear. That includes reviewing how cash flow, savings and investment growth support both your household needs and your giving goals, and clarifying where trade-offs exist. The focus stays on aligning purpose, priorities and financial reality rather than maximizing one outcome at the expense of the others.

You can bring direct questions into these conversations. For example: How much can I give without putting future obligations at risk? How should I think about generosity during high-income years versus retirement? What does stewardship mean in my situation when resources are limited or uneven over time? How do I pass on both assets and values to the next generation?

Advisor input becomes more relevant as complexity increases. Competing goals, uneven income, large one-time decisions and long time horizons all raise the cost of missteps. Decisions made early around giving patterns, savings discipline or legacy structure tend to compound forward, which makes alignment more difficult to correct later.

A CKA adds value by helping you connect timing and consequences to intent. The benefit is clarity around how financial decisions support the role you want money to play in your life as responsibilities and commitments expand.

How to Find a CKA

One of the most direct ways to find a Certified Kingdom Advisor is through the professional directory maintained by the Kingdom Advisors organization. This directory allows individuals to search for advisors who hold the CKA designation and specialize in faith-based financial guidance. You can typically filter results by location, services offered and professional background to identify advisors who may fit your needs.

Before choosing a CKA, it’s helpful to review the advisor’s credentials, experience and regulatory registrations. Many CKA professionals also hold other financial designations, such as CFP® or registered investment advisor (RIA). Looking into an advisor’s background and professional history can help you better understand their qualifications and the types of services they are authorized to provide.

Not every advisor with a CKA designation approaches faith-based financial planning in exactly the same way. During an introductory meeting, you may want to ask how they incorporate biblical principles into financial advice and investment recommendations. Understanding their philosophy can help you determine whether their approach aligns with your personal beliefs and financial goals.

CKA professionals may offer a range of services, including investment management, retirement planning and charitable giving strategies. As you evaluate different advisors, ask about the specific services they provide and how they charge for them, whether through asset-based fees, hourly rates or commissions. Comparing these details can help you choose an advisor whose services and pricing structure fit your financial situation.

Bottom Line

A Certified Kingdom Advisor is a financial professional who integrates biblical principles with traditional financial planning and investment guidance. These advisors often help clients with services such as faith-based investing, charitable giving strategies, retirement planning and long-term stewardship of financial resources. If aligning financial decisions with Christian values is important to you, working with a CKA may provide a framework that blends practical financial planning with faith-centered priorities.

Tips for Choosing a Financial Advisor

• A financial advisor can help you create a financial plan based on your values. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goal, get started now.
• Look into what type of services your advisor offers and if they have the expertise in the areas you care about. It’s also wise to research whether they’ve ever been subject to disciplinary or legal action. Remember to be clear with yourself and potential advisors about your financial and retirement goals.

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