Christian Consumer Credit Counseling

If you're being harassed by bill collectors, or you're arguing with loved ones over money, or your credit card balances consistently grow year after year, it is probably time to consider financial advice from a professional. I would recommend a Christian consumer credit counseling agency for some important reasons. Such an agency would provide the same variety of services as a secular counterpart, but with a better perspective. The Bible has so much to say about money. There are more than 2300 scriptural verses on the topic. In fact, most of Jesus Christ's parables dealt with our relationship to wealth. A Christian consumer credit counselor is trained to apply these eternal truths to your situation. If your money woes are adversely affecting other areas of your life, such as your marriage, a good Christian consumer credit counselor will be able to recommend other resources that can help rebuild what has been torn down.

A Christian credit counselor can go over your budget with you--or help you create a budget--and show you how to more effectively manage it as well as "trim the fat". Together you'll explore the choices and habits that helped get you into unmanageable debt.

Monetary problems are often merely symptoms of deep-rooted issues. These may include sinful desires/appetites, pride, or lack of contentment. With a well-trained counselor's help, these can be recognized and overcome in a non-judgmental way.

Once the causal issues are dealt with, you can start on the path to financial freedom. Your options may include a consolidation loan or a home equity line of credit. For more dire cases, your Christian consumer credit counselor can help you consider extreme measures such as negotiating with your creditors to get smaller balances and/or lower interest rates, or bankruptcy, or abandoning your home loan. Such measures should only be pursued in emergencies, because you made promises to repay each of your creditors.

In the Bible, Pauls letter to Timothy says in chapter six, "Godliness with contentment is great gain...Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." Having a good perspective about the role of money in your life will prevent you from getting into unsustainable debt again.