Allow me to be frank—Americans are struggling with their finances in a way that I have never seen before. Financial literacy is down. Debt is up. People are living paycheck to paycheck. They are overwhelmed and stressed. Their finances are impacting their marriage and parenting. Things are a mess right now.
And for believers, they know this is not what God wants for them, nor is it why God gave them financial resources. Their hearts are screaming, “This can’t be it! There must be more!”
Of course, there is more. God has designed us, not to be hoarders, but conduits through which His generosity flows. God entrusts us with His resources and then invites to leverage those resources for His mission. He didn’t have to do this, but He did.
As Randy Alcorn said, “Giving is a giant lever, positioned at the fulcrum of this world, allowing us to move mountains in the next world. Because we give, eternity will be different—for others and for us.” Generosity is an act of worship, but generosity also allows us to join God and His mission to see every tongue, tribe, and nation reached with the gospel.
But most of those in the church can’t do this in the way their heart desires because of debt, disorganization, and a lack of financial understanding. They need help.
People from around the nation ask me for financial guidance on a very regular basis. I wish I could help them all, but I can’t. I am but one person.
We need an army of men and women, ready to help people get financially healthy for the sake of advancing God’s Kingdom.
I have been certified through one of the most well-known, secular financial counseling programs. And while the program had its strengths, the lens through which they taught was unsurprisingly absent of a biblical worldview. Financial health was the end, not a means to something greater.
It became apparent another designation was needed, one where both the financial rigor and worldview could be trusted by believers. After much prayer, thought, and work by our team, the Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC) designation and program was developed.
Christian Financial Counselors help individuals and couples discover and pursue God’s design for money. Practically, Christian financial counselors guide individuals and couples in making wise financial decisions, build sound financial habits, and increase their biblical, financial literacy.
Areas of Christian Financial Counseling can include:
- Discussing what the Bibles says about stewardship and other topics related to money.
- Setting and obtaining financial goals
- Increasing generosity
- Creating and maintaining a budget
- Getting out of debt
- Building an emergency fund
- Saving for larger purchases
- Sinking funds
- Understanding net worth
- Improving credit score
- Managing cash flow
- Managing financial risks
- Discussing investment and retirement basics
- Maintaining an eternal perspective on money
The CertCFC designation is awarded to those who pass, an estimated 2-hour, live-proctored examination. CertCFCs must maintain their certification through ongoing education. The CertCFC program prepares individuals for the exam by including the following:
- 32 go-at-your-own-pace modules, covering the essentials in personal finances and what Scripture says about money.
- 32 practice quizzes.
- 30+ resources to help you with your future financial counseling.
- The CCFC examination. Certification is contingent on passing the exam.
The CertCFC education program is for those with a passion to help others manage money in a way that leads to financial health and glorifies God. The ideal candidate for this program already has a broad-based knowledge of personal finances. The CertCFC program is not best for those with little to no understanding of money management or personal finances.
Could someone use this for their private financial counseling practice? They could. The amount financial coaches and counselors charge ranges from $75 per hour to $250 per hour. For the few clients I take on, I charge $125 per hour.
Christian Financial Counselors help individuals and couples discover and pursue God’s design for money.
However, my deep desire is to see men and women use this designation to better serve their local church. I would love for every church in America to have a CertCFC. They may be a staff person, but more likely, it would be a volunteer. This person would help members struggling with their finances, much like marriage counselors help those who are struggling in their marriages. I have already been told by some pastors that they plan to have a CertCFC in their benevolent ministry.
I could go on about the CertCFC program and designation, but I will stop here. If you want to find out more information on the program, go to ChristianFinancialHealth.com. From now through Monday, November 29th, 2022, you can get 40% off the program fee by using the CERTCFC40 promo code.
Let’s be a generation that is passionate about changing our finances so that we can be a part of changing eternity.