Christian Credit Counseling May Provide Extra Guidance and Comfort to Believers in Debt
Christian credit counseling offers clients pretty much the same services as any counseling service, except that Christian credit counseling takes into consideration the Biblical and spiritual point of view. Lifestyle excesses and the discipline necessary for budgeting may be discussed at some length, with solutions offered using examples taken from the Scriptures. For example, a Christian credit counseling staff may use words like “greed” or might advise that a client learn not to covet material items or social status. These are very personal issues and may cause deep offense to someone who is not familiar or comfortable with the precepts of Christianity; on the other hand, someone who is conversant with the teachings of the Bible and believes in them may find the counseling to make wonderful sense.
Of course, the goals here are (as with secular counseling) twofold: firstly, to provide guidelines which–when followed–will help people avoid replicating those behaviors that led to debt problems in the first place. The second objective is that the client learn enough about financial responsibility to benefit long-term. That means not only not getting mired in debt again, but also planning for the kids’ college funds, for retirement, and having some fun along the way, with big-ticket purchases like new cars and vacations.
As long as the counseling service you use is accredited by an institution like the National Institute for Financial Counseling Education and is registered with the Better Business Bureau, you can choose a service that you’re most comfortable with.