Bible Based Financial Teaching, Training, Counseling 
And
Financially Related Services & Products

 

MINISTRY FACT SHEET

THE MISSION

Glorify God as we prayerfully help people become financially free to better share the love of God through Jesus Christ.

THE MISSION

Formal:

The Mission of Christian Financial Ministries is to help individuals, families, churches, and small businesses learn to manage their financial and relational journey to “Debt Free Living God’s Way” by successfully identifying, correcting, and overcoming root spiritual, financial, and relational issues rather than just treating the symptoms. We accomplish this mission by leveraging the spiritual gifts God gives His people, technology, and the Internet to offer the highest quality, highly accountable, Bible-based and non-Bible-based financial and relational teaching, training, counseling, coaching and mentoring services and products that also

  • Help people come to or back to a personal and growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ
  • Strengthen the family, and
  • Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.

Informal:

Christian Financial Ministries helps individuals, families, churches and small businesses

  • Keep their finances out of bankruptcy, their homes and businesses out of foreclosure, and their marriages out of the divorce courts;
  • Then learn to build strong relationships and to grow and pass on wealth.

THE TRENDS

  • More than half of all our families are delinquent on their credit card payments. (American Bankers Association)
  • Families are on track to break record-setting annual bankruptcy filings. Four out of ten adults (36% say, “It seems impossible to get ahead because of the financial debt I have.” (Barna)
  • Most single parent homes are headed by a mother earning less than $15,000 pr year. Almost 90% of all welfare recipients live in single parent homes.
  • Churches are forced to cut vital services—giving is down.
  • Missionary candidates are kept at home due to lack of support and excessive personal debt.
  • Only three of the 1002 adults interviewed in a recent Barna survey (less than .03%) held firm and biblically consistent beliefs. Almost nine out of ten adults surveyed believe they know all of the basic teachings of Christianity very well. However, when you explore what they think the Bible actually teaches—many theological inconsistencies and inaccuracies emerge.

THE DILEMMA

Christians and non-Christians need help. Unless these negative trends reverse, families will continue to hurt: approximately 40% will continue to overspend each month, 20% will remain on the verge of divorce, and 55% of all marriages will end in divorce due in large part to financial difficulties. SPECIAL NOTE: 40% of pastor's marriages end in divorce.

THE SOLUTION

There is hope in God’s Word. Sound financial management is smart spiritual warfare! Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, then you are truly disciples of mine. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). The Bible contains more than 2,350 verses that address in very practical, specific ways the earning, saving, spending, investing, and giving of money. Biblical principles apply today whether we have a little or a lot, if we are single or married, if we are young or young at heart.

THE MINISTRY

Christian Financial Ministries (CFM) is a singularly unique, full-time, Bible-based financial education, teaching, training, coaching, mentoring, and counseling, IRS approved nonprofit, nondenominational ministry. We are spiritual counselors who deal almost exclusively in the area of finances. With CFM, high personal accountability is not an option. It is required. CFM started in 1987 and incorporated in 1991. We are associated with the American Association of Christian Counselors, American Association of Debt Management Organizations, American Family Association, Better Business Bureau, Christian Financial Professionals Network, Christian Legal Society, Cobb County Community Collaborative, Cobb County Faith Partnership, Georgia Board of Examiners for Christian Counselors and Therapists, Georgia Christian Counselors Association, National Institute For Financial Counseling Education, Dave Ramsey, Crown Financial Ministries, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and The Georgia Department of Community Affairs. CFM holds Certificate No. FS 59958 and operates a quality management system which complies with the requirements of BS EN ISO 9001:2000. CFM undergoes annual certified financial audits by a licensed CPA firm. CFM meets or exceeds all applicable federal, state, and local statute, licensing, insurance and bonding requirements.

Who We Serve

We serve according to Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus tells us the importance of serving others in need. Who we serve is not important. What is important is that the “who” is in need. Therefore, we serve individuals, families, churches, businesses and other para-church ministries in the United States, Canada, and around the world. We serve regardless of race, religion, sex, creed, age, color, disability, or national origin. We serve counselees regardless of whom they owe, the amount they owe, or their ability to pay of our services.

Staff

Our staff members are paid, licensed, ordained, certified and/or highly trained professionals who have a heart for ministry service. Our staff undergoes consistent continuing education and training to improve our proficiency and performance.

Funding/Cost of Services

We are a faith ministry that receives voluntary tax-deductible gifts from the counselees, creditors, Support Partners, and Church Partners we serve. We provide many of our services and products for free, or for greatly discounted prices.

Services

  • We PRAY individually and as a staff. We pray with our counselees.
  • We offer EDUCATION (the best education media and materials from CFM and other outstanding authors), TEACHING (educators make simple things complex—our teachers make complex things simple!), TRAINING (hands-on applications using personal financials), COACHING (inquiring, questioning and accountability that help individuals think more clearly, gain alternative perspectives, and focus on needs), MENTORING (takes coaching to the next level by providing educational instruction and direction in the area of personal finance), and COUNSELING (help to understand how to communicate to make better financial decisions). We have appeared and taught on local and national radio and television and publish weekly and monthly articles that appear in local, regional and national magazines, newspapers and Internet forums.
  • DIRECT CREDITOR NEGOTIATIONS : Where needed, we offer certified and IRS approved consumer credit counseling services to help qualified individuals work with their unsecured creditors to help lower monthly payments, and stop or cut interest rates, late fees, over limit fees, and collection calls. We help arrange one low monthly debt payment with no new loans or bankruptcy.
  • FORECLOSURE PREVENTION : Our HomeSavers Department has more than 10 years experience helping people save their homes from foreclosure without bankruptcy, new loans, or paying all the past due payments up front.
  • RELATIONSHIP THERAPY FOR INDIVIDUALS AND COUPLES: Financial difficulties are the number one cause of divorce in our country today. One of our goals is minister to the “whole person.” Therefore, we partner with licensed professional relational counselors and therapists so people receive both the relational and financial help they need.
  • COMMUNITY CONSULTATION SERVICES AND PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS with local faith-based and secular organizations. We provide Church Benevolence Support Coaching for local churches.
  • WE are a HUD APPROVED HOUSING COUNSELING AND EDUCATION AGENCY.
  • LOOKING FORWARD IN 2008: We started the year operating from our newly leased 3800 square foot office and teaching facility located in the heart of the Marietta, GA community we serve. This year, God willing, we will continue to leverage technology and the Internet to offer (1) Internet assisted tele-classes, (2) one-on-one mentoring and coaching video conferencing, (3) new E-Books, and (4) several new interactive educational Internet sites. God willing we will add new services to include Small Business and Home Business Start Up and Operations, and individual financial coaching for those who will soon become engaged, married or retired. We will seek grant support to develop two new ministry departments: (1) the “Military Support Department” will provide individual financial coaching designed specifically for graduating military service academy cadets and expand to include financial coaching for active duty military worldwide supported by a new Web site and a complete set of support materials including several E-Books. (2) The “Church Support Division” will provide individual financial coaching designed to meet the unique needs of pastors and religious workers also supported by a dedicated Web site and support materials.

Fantastic Successes

We believe our services and tools put people in a position to be used and blessed by God. We see it happen time after time. Lives change when people come to or back to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Relationships and marriages re-energize. Funds are freed up to meet individual needs and the needs of others. And in the process, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is lovingly proclaimed and the timeless wisdom of Scripture is again revealed.

If God does not work through the tools, the tools fall far short. For example, secular consumer credit counseling agencies offer many of the same tools (free budget counseling, seminars, individual and small group counseling, etc.). However, secular consumer credit counseling agencies generally retain only 50-55% of their clients each month. This means 45-50% of those on debt management programs “drop” the program each month without getting out of debt. We started offering limited consumer credit counseling services in 1997. We have tracked our retention rates since July 2000. Our average monthly retention rate is 97% (96.4% lowest, 99.3% highest). This means that when people work with us, they stick with their debt elimination program until they are debt free. God’s Word presented, received, and applied, makes the difference.

CONCLUSION

The symptoms of financial bondage often hold hostage a person’s ability to recognize and deal with root issues. Christian Financial Ministries help individuals, families, churches and small businesses manage their journey to “Debt Free Living God’s Way” by helping people successfully identify, correct, and overcome root issues rather than just treat the financial symptoms. If you believe our Lord can use Christian Financial Ministries to help you or help you to help others, please give us a call at 1-800-895-0512 or 678-797-9444. We are on the Internet at http://www.good-steward.org. Our e-mail address is good-steward@good-steward.org.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

The Bible, in its original documents, is the inspired Word of God and is without error.

There is one God, eternally existent, Who is the creator of the heavens and earth and is manifested in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God. He became flesh, dwelt on earth and was sinless and perfect. He gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice by shedding His blood and dying on the cross. He was raised from the dead on the third day and is enthroned at the right hand of God the Father.

God is absolutely sovereign and in His sovereignty gives man a free will to accept or reject the salvation that He has provided. It is God's will that all should be saved and that none should perish.

Each member of the human race is fallen, sinful and lost. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for the salvation of man. The moment a person receives Christ as his Savior, immediately the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, who is sealed until the day of redemption.

The church is composed of all true believers. By the Holy Spirit we are all baptized into the one Body of Christ. Although water baptism is not essential for salvation, it is a testimony to the world.

Jesus Christ will return to the earth to receive all believers unto Himself. There will be a resurrection of the saved and the unsaved--of the saved, to life eternal; of the unsaved, to eternal conscious punishment.