Christian credit counseling agencies and counselors.
Find Christian credit counselors and agencies that provide debt relief, consolidation services and free financial advice. Low-income families, regardless of their faith, will get free credit repair, debt relief or enrollment into money management plans and other support. Get help from a free Christian based credit counseling agency near you.
Depending on the borrowers income, the Christian counselors are free or affordable. They help individuals rebuilt their credit, enter into debt management programs and get relief with credit card or medical debt as well as car loan payment assistance. Many of the agencies, such as Christian Credit Counselors, Trinity Debt Management, Crown Financial Ministries or Family Life Credit Service are non-profit organizations.
Benefits of Christian Credit counselors
For many, the "personal" part of the personal financial term is critical. This is another reason why Christian and faith based debt relief or credit counseling is so effective – as there is an extra layer of privacy and non-judgmental help. As the fact is that generally, people (especially struggling or low income families) do not like to share their financial problems with others, and the services from a Christian Credit counseling organization are 100% confidential.
There are times when laying out your income, spending and debts become critical, particularly when you are on the verge of losing control of your finances. Millions of people, including Christians and Catholics, have too much credit card or medical debt. In these situations, people often turn to credit counselors to seek solutions for eliminating debt short of bankruptcy.
For people of faith (whether Christian, Muslim, or another religion), the anxiety that results from dealing with mounting medical, credit card or auto payment debt can become magnified by their belief. Many people have a desire to follow religious teachings that either warn against acquiring debt or that direct that all bills be paid in full. Those whose faith, or Christianity is a core ingredient of who they are and how they conduct their affairs will naturally want to work with people, whether Christian credit counselors or counselors of another faith, who understand and appreciate their religious beliefs, particularly on issues as personal as debt and spending habits.
Debt relief and credit repair from Christian Credit Counseling agencies
Faith-based as well as Christian credit counselors provide free financial guidance with a specific religious foundation. Whether it is repairing credit, debt management plans (DMP) with Christian values or other help, the agencies assist. Christian credit counseling also help people with a mortgage or car loan, including refinancing and other support. Debt relief and consolidation is a major focus of the agencies. Or look here for more details on car note payment assistance.
There is a large as well as growing number of faith-based credit counseling agencies that employ Christian principles regarding debt and repayment. In many regards, the debt management services offered by Christian counselors do not differ from secular agencies. The differences are largely seen in the financial education, mentoring, pricing and counseling these agencies provide. Many of the assistance programs are free for the low income, elderly, or families living in poverty or that tithe to their church.
In some cases, the website as well as assistance provided by a Christian-based counseling agency looks no different than that of a secular business. Based on a cursory view of a website, it can sometimes be difficult to determine why an agency advertises itself as faith-based. You may need to look closely. But in almost all instances, a true Christian debt relief agency may include a "Statement of Faith" on its website. Or they focus on the poor and disadvantaged in a community.
In most cases, the debt relief efforts offered by Christian and secular agencies are similar. Clients meet with a Christian counselor (often for free) to review income, debt, investment accounts, credit card bills, monthly budgets and spending habits. It can be done in person, online, or over the phone. There is a detailed, comprehensive review of your entire financial situation, including income and career skills.
Based on these meeting(s), the counselor creates a debt management program or settlement plan by consolidating your unsecured debt. This will be a car loan, mortgage, credit card bills, medical expenses and others. The Christian or faith based group will work with creditors to reduce interest rates and eliminate late fees. You make a monthly payment to the counseling agency, and it distributes funds to creditors involved in the plan. Debt management plans typically require 3-5 years to complete.
Because Christian teachings encourage full repayment of all creditors, a faith-based counselor may focus on a debt management plan or hardship program. This is a form of negotiated repayment. This is the preference rather than a debt settlement plan. Credit card hardship programs are offered by most lenders to lower-income customers, and learn more on credit card financial hardship.
Settlement plans involve paying only a percentage of the underlying debt while management plans are designed to pay the full underlying financial obligation after reducing interest and eliminating fees. A Christian counselor may be more sensitive to the importance of that difference. They also offer help with credit card bills that are due.
Counseling, budgeting advice, credit repair services and free education are often provided by Christian agencies as well. Counselors typically offer guidance on how to improve finances, reduce expenses and avoid accumulating more debt. The focus in particular is on the low income. Free classes may be available to help learn about budgeting, home purchase decisions and lifestyle changes that can reduce reliance on credit and help people say money. Christian credit counselors also help clients save cash and rebuild their credit, or learn more on best way to save money.
Find a Christian Credit Counselor or agency
The steps taken to select a faith-based credit counseling agency near should be similar to how a secular business is chosen. There can be significant differences between free Christian or any other religious/faith based debt counseling organizations. Care should be taken to ensure that the use of the word "Christian" in an organization's name reflects a company's true philosophy and is not just an advertising ploy to attract business.
Christian credit counseling is available both online and in-person. Many of the agencies provide free initial phone consultations, with follow up points done online, email or through video chat. In general the goal is to provide as many forms of communication as well.
There are steps to take. Do your homework. Read user reviews on the organization's website. Be sure the agency is certified by either The National Foundation for Credit Counseling or the Financial Accounting Association of America. Ensure they offer free services to the poor or low income, or that the costs/fees are clearly documented and affordable. Both require agency counselors to meet a standard level of quality. During your first meeting with a counselor ask questions about the role that faith plays in the services and counseling provided.
That being said, some of the main national and local Christan Credit counseling agencies include the following. They combine free or low cost assistance programs as well as standard fees, based on the client’s income. The best options are below. However there are other faith based organizations
- Christian Credit Counselors. Customer service telephone (800) 557-1985.
- Family Life Credit Services - Dial 877-322-8319
- Trinity Debt Management Credit Counseling - Phone (800) 793-9049.
- Crown Financial Ministries offers debt management, budgeting and other support. Dial 800-722-1976.
- Jewish Family and Children's Services, and another is
- Christian Credit Counselors intake number is 1-800-557-1985.
The difference in Christian faith-based credit counseling
The most significant differences in Christian-based agencies are typically seen in free personal counseling, mentoring, workshops and education. There are many workshops on steps to take to save money. The language used and the philosophy directed toward debt relief will be somewhat different. Counseling sessions and educational materials focus more heavily on biblical principles of debt repayment.
Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths comprise the three largest religious groups in the U.S., and all share some common financial beliefs. Generally, all encourage responsible decision-making, repaying debts in full, and contributing to charity.
There are more than 2,300 biblical verses that mention money or debt in some manner. Those who choose Christian debt counseling often begin the process by learning what the Bible preaches about debt and spending too much money. Even if you are not up to speed on the bible, there is no pressure or pre-requisite required. A review of just a few illustrates the basic philosophy of Christian credit counseling.
Psalm 37:22 states that he wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. Proverbs 22:7 says the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. Romans 13:7 directs the faithful to pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
Matthew 6:24 states that one cannot serve God and money. In practical terms, this means that being in debt prevents a person from being spiritually free as a result of placing a focus on money. The goals of Christian debt relief are to relieve debt with honesty and integrity resulting in returning personal focus to God and family.
Counseling sessions are likely to include prayer and references to financial passages in the Bible or church groups. Educational materials will make greater reference to biblical texts and thoughts as a basis for personal financial advice. Since tithing and charitable giving are strongly encouraged in the Christian faith, counseling and budgeting exercises will usually incorporate those activities into future planning.
Hebrews 13:5 directs the faithful to keep their lives free from the love of money and to be content with what they have. Toward that goal, free faith-based counselors will often work to dispel the belief that money and the acquisition of material goods will result in greater joy. The goal for many counselors is to help relieve debt while also helping a person develop a closer relationship to God in the belief that righteousness will not be found in prosperity but in being faithful to the teachings of Christ and scripture.
Conclusion - Christian faith based counseling will help
Dealing with overwhelming debt creates stress, perhaps even more so if faith and biblical teachings play a major role in your daily life. For those who have strong religious convictions, finding a free or low cost Christian debt counselor can help to ease the anxiety. Or there are religious credit or debt counselors for those who practice Islam or Judaism. The assistance of a compassionate advisor who shares your faith and can help lead you back to fiscal security will improve both your financial as well as spiritual well-being.
In summary, the Christian faith cautions against becoming overwhelmed by money or credit cards. It encourages living within means and giving to charity. Christian or other faith based credit counseling (whether Islamic or Jewish) encourages responsible financial management and repayment of all debt. Christian principles demand that a person take responsibility for problems and honor obligations.
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