{"id":472,"date":"2025-09-22T17:35:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/?p=472"},"modified":"2025-09-22T17:35:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:35:52","slug":"how-anthony-humphress-found-ministry-in-real-estate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/2025\/09\/22\/how-anthony-humphress-found-ministry-in-real-estate\/","title":{"rendered":"How Anthony Humphress found ministry in real estate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lauren Street<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 18, 2025  \/  Giver stories<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook<\/a>LinkedIn<\/a>Twitter<\/a>Email<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his entrepreneurial spirit, Anthony Humphress never expected to find his calling in real estate development. In fact, his childhood experiences gave him almost the opposite expectation \u2013 that he would lead a paycheck-to-paycheck life dedicated to ministry and serving others. But God\u2019s path led Anthony to discovering ministry opportunities in real estate. And he wants others to discover them too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anthony Humphress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in rural Kentucky, Anthony\u2019s mom worked long hours in a clothing factory, sewing sleeves onto t-shirts. His dad managed a grocery store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy dad was very entrepreneurial, but he didn\u2019t have an outlet or any training,\u201d Anthony says. His dad had side businesses here and there, painting houses or doing handyman work, but it was never to gain wealth, only to provide. His parents\u2019 work ethic left an impression on and shaped Anthony\u2019s views of wealth and generosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy parents were people who worked hard and sacrificed to provide for our family,\u201d Anthony says. \u201cI saw that as generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith and church were also critical pieces of Anthony\u2019s childhood. Raised in the church his great-great-great-grandfather planted, Anthony\u2019s relationship with Christ was core to his identity. Of course, he struggled with faith growing up, believing if he wholeheartedly followed Jesus, his life would be boring. He points out this lie still continues to rear its ugly head at times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Anthony was always drawn toward helping people and thought of wealth as a pursuit in the opposite direction. Suppressing his entrepreneurial side, he imagined a future in counseling, social work, or ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a follower of Jesus, it\u2019s hard to get around that Jesus loved people, especially those who are oppressed and hurting,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A false dichotomy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

That conviction stayed with him through college. After earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology from Transylvania University in 2000, Anthony poured himself into a fraternity ministry, leading Bible studies, discipling younger students, and helping peers wrestle with questions of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was life changing,\u201d Anthony says. It was the first time he was around people who were both entrepreneurial and <\/em>following Jesus\u2019 call to care for the oppressed and hurting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He began working on a master\u2019s degree in social work and moved into a low-income neighborhood near campus for his practicum, hanging out with teens, building relationships, and ministering to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to be a Christian counselor because I knew I didn\u2019t want to be a pastor or a missionary,\u201d Anthony says. \u201cBut the funny thing is, I wanted to own and operate my own counseling clinic. I was probably more of a business guy than a counselor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But every step of the way, God connected Anthony to mentors who had both a heart for service and <\/em>owned successful businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The founder of the fraternity ministry owned restaurants and was extraordinarily generous in paying the salaries of the ministry\u2019s employees. The leader of Anthony\u2019s Bible study was on staff with Cru but also owned a lot of campus housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The founder of the Lexington Leadership Foundation<\/a> (LLF), who Anthony connected with while pursuing his master\u2019s degree, owned a landscape company and many rental houses. And, through LLF, Anthony was introduced to Mark MacDonald, who had just founded NCF Kentucky and started a Giving Fund<\/a> for Anthony while he was still a broke graduate student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthony came to believe the dichotomy he saw between wealth and a life of generosity was unfounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unlikely career path<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This group of successful generous mentors saw a knack for business in Anthony. Before long, he owned two and a half rental houses on University of Kentucky\u2019s campus. (He co-owned one of the houses with the leader of his Bible study.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Anthony didn\u2019t fully trust the path God was leading him down. Reluctantly, almost accidentally, real estate became his profession. But, for years, he treated it as separate from his calling. His real passion was for global missions \u2013 getting the gospel to people who had never heard the name of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my mind, when I was doing the fraternity ministry stuff on campus, God was really happy with me,\u201d Anthony says. \u201cBut real estate was just a means to an end, and he wasn\u2019t really happy with that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in 2003, Anthony\u2019s perspective began to shift. During prayer, he sensed God pressing in on him with words that felt contradictory to everything he believed. He felt God telling him he was showing a lack of faith by keeping his real estate business small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, the idea made no sense. He\u2019d always assumed that business \u2013 especially a business that could grow big and profitable \u2013 was something God merely tolerated. He thought that keeping it modest was the humble choice. Wasn\u2019t God more pleased when his focus was on mission work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But slowly, Anthony saw the truth God had been leading him to all along through the people and opportunities placed right in front of him. Real estate wasn\u2019t simply a means to an end. It could be the very way God wanted him to serve. What Anthony had always seen as a worldly pursuit could, in God\u2019s hands, become redemptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A vision for Eden<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Out of that revelation, Anthony founded Eden Companies<\/a>, a real estate business shaped by the vision in Revelation 22:2: \u201cThe leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anthony\u2019s idea was simple but powerful: If God\u2019s plan is to restore Eden on earth, then his company could reflect that vision in the way it operated. The profits from his real estate business could be the branches and leaves that help reach the nations as well as the people in his communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a business-minded man, Anthony\u2019s vision was easier said than done. It meant serving more than just investors or balance sheets. It meant caring for tenants who called his apartments home. It meant supporting employees as whole people, not just workers. It meant looking for ways to help communities like Lexington, Kentucky, flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, Eden\u2019s values of love, service, and generosity are aspirational,\u201d Anthony says. \u201cWe certainly fall short of the mark sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But God seemed to reward Anthony\u2019s aspirational values. His rental properties doubled from two to four. By the end of that year, he had eight. At the end of the next year, 17. \u201cIt just kept doubling every year,\u201d Anthony says. \u201cAnd because of guys like Mark MacDonald, I had teachings about how to steward the money. I never really felt like it was my money anyway.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eden Companies began to grow, built on a set of priorities that reflected Anthony\u2019s heart: mental health, financial health, spiritual health, and community well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A generous business<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Anthony\u2019s vision didn\u2019t remain theoretical. It took shape in practical, creative ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He established a Giving Fund of his own, which he uses to support unreached people groups around the world. In 2022, he donated an entire six-unit apartment building. By giving before selling<\/a>, he freed up an additional $300,000 that could be directed toward his passion for evangelism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Anthony\u2019s generosity also flows through Eden Companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He created the Eden Goodwill Fund<\/a>, a Giving Fund that focuses on three main charitable areas: rental assistance for existing residents who may otherwise be priced out of newly renovated units, affordable housing around Lexington for those earning less than 30 percent of the median income (by partnering with Open Door Housing<\/a>), and prioritizing the physical, social, and spiritual well-being of their residents by placing WayForward<\/a> resident-support teams in their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A way forward<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of those residents is Paul, who first came to the leasing office speaking in a soft, trembling voice, explaining he was late on rent after being hospitalized for a mental health crisis. The staff agreed to waive his late fees as long as he brought rent payments as he was able.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, Paul brought in cash payments in small amounts, always diligent, though often behind. Eventually, Paul landed a more consistent job and moved to another Eden community where the WayForward team had begun hosting resident care events. Not only has Paul stayed current on his rent there, but he recently attended an event, asked questions about Jesus for the first time, and became a Christian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just Anthony who contributes to the Eden Goodwill Fund; employees, investors, and even other residents are encouraged to participate as well. And, each year on a designated day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Eden Companies hosts a \u201cday of giving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of the rent that we collect for that day \u2013 basically, 1\/31st of our rental income for that month goes straight into the Goodwill Fund,\u201d Anthony says. There\u2019s a rhythm of generosity baked into the company\u2019s DNA, reminding everyone involved that real estate is about more than financial return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Anthony, it\u2019s not about building reserves to be generous at some later date either. He\u2019s established criteria for both his personal Giving Fund as well as the Eden Goodwill Fund to spend at least 80 percent of the money coming in. \u201cIf Jesus is going to multiply it a hundredfold, then get it out there!\u201d Anthony says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An invitation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Today, Anthony no longer sees his real estate business as a side hustle to fund his \u201creal\u201d calling. Eden Companies is<\/em> his calling. The work he once thought of as unspiritual has become his ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he wants other real estate owners to see the same thing. In 2023, he and a group of leaders in Lexington began hosting \u201cvision gatherings\u201d to spark a redemptive real estate movement across Kentucky. This week, they hosted their biggest gathering yet, with more than 80 real estate owners, investors, and apartment association members discussing ways to use their resources for the betterment of God\u2019s kingdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to help people see that real estate doesn\u2019t just have to be about transactions. It can be about transforming lives and communities,\u201d Anthony says. What might that look like in the future? \u201cPersonally, I\u2019d love it if we could use one of our recently renovated buildings to house a few dozen who have aged out of foster care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Anthony learned from God and good mentors has become his invitation to other leaders. What the Lord did with his own reluctant steps into real estate, he can do with others, turning ordinary properties into redemptive real estate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lauren Street September 18, 2025  \/  Giver stories FacebookLinkedInTwitterEmailShare Despite his entrepreneurial spirit, Anthony Humphress never expected to find his calling in real estate development. In fact, his childhood experiences gave him almost the opposite expectation \u2013 that he would lead a paycheck-to-paycheck life dedicated to ministry and serving others. But God\u2019s path led Anthony to discovering […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":474,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions\/474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncfgiving.com\/kentucky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}