subject: Christian Credit Counseling [print this page] There are many legitimate faith-based groups who offer Christian credit counseling. A quick online search will reveal page after page of them, and many are, indeed, affiliated with genuine religious organizations. And many are not.
For consumers who have an existing relationship with a church who offers these services, then there is solace in knowing who they are dealing with, and that can be a positive thing. But for those who see the ads and think that because an organization is church-based that it must be legitimate, there can often be a sad realization when it doesn't perform.
What lures people in is the notion that Christian credit counseling services are free, and they usually are. But only for the counseling part itself. If there is a need to get into debt management, there will be plenty of fees just like with any other debt resolution company. This is not to criticize faith-based organizations, but serves to point out that whenever a debt resolution company goes to work, it costs money.
To understand how debt resolution programs work also lends to understanding why they cost money. To receive the best negotiations for clients, it takes professional and experienced arbitrators. They have salaries. It also takes working with an insured banking facility who holds accounts. There are fees involved with any financial account. And so the list goes on. Christian credit counseling is no different. While counselors themselves may be volunteer, they are usually paid from the fees that are charged for debt management or consolidation programs. There is nothing wrong with that. People who do counseling deserve salaries too. But consumers should be aware that what purports to be free actually isn't.
Getting help from Christian credit counselors can be a great way for people to get help and to feel comfortable about doing it. But unless the organization is personally known to the consumer, it should be just as researched and investigated as a privately held debt relief company. Unfortunately, the addition of the word Christian to the name doesn't always mean that the service will be good.
As seen in the news, there relatively no part of society today that isn't vulnerable to scams, and the debt resolution business has just as many as any other industry. It is up to the consumer to do their homework and start working with any company with their eyes wide open. It takes relatively little effort to look at accreditations and references, and it is something that there's no excuse for not doing ahead of time.
