If you’re hoping to adopt, you’ll have several types of adoption to choose from, including independent adoption, private adoption, international adoption, and foster care adoption. Along these different routes are even more choices, such as the level of contact you’re open to, the age and race of the child, your adoption budget, and more.
 
There are many types of agencies in the U.S. which unite birth parents and adoptive parents. Keep reading to discover why it’s beneficial to seek out Christian adoption agencies!
 

What’s the Difference?

In an independent adoption, there is no legal intermediary. Everything is handled privately, directly between the birth parent and adoptive family. Adoption centers or attorney offices can also facilitate an independent adoption.
 
Private adoption agencies will work hard to find just the right match for everyone involved. You can receive support and guidance by adopting through a private agency. They will also serve as a go-between between you and the birth parent.
 
Foster care adoption also provides a go-between (a county social worker). However, it involves more uncertainty. Most of the time, foster care is a temporary situation while birth parents are actively seeking reunification with their child or children.
 
Despite these differences, what’s true of each path to parenthood is that they have the same final goal in mind: a successful adoption match. Knowing that, how can you decide what path is best for you?
 

Do Your Research

When choosing the type of adoption you’ll pursue, it’s crucial to take the time to research options and ask questions. Just as important as the questions you ask the agencies are the questions you ask yourself. Asking yourself what is important to you will shed light on which route you should take.
 
Ask yourself this, what you want most from the staff you’ll partner with to build your family? Quick results? The lowest fees? The least amount of paperwork? Since this is such an important and profoundly personal decision, it is likely to be none of those things, but instead something deeper.
 

Christian Adoption Agencies

Religious beliefs permeate all areas of one’s life, and that should also be true when you’re purposely trying to build your family. When it becomes clear after a lot of prayer and reflection that the Lord is calling you to adopt a little one into your home, remember to keep your faith in mind when seeking a compatible agency.
 
Will the agency help you prayerfully during the journey of adoption? Christian adoption agencies are not only faith-based but they’re also Christ-centered. From the staff who handles your application to those helping birth mothers, it can be encouraging for hopeful adoptive parents to know they’re working with people who share their values and speak a shared language of belief.
 
Birth parents of faith often decide to use a Christian adoption agency, because they hope to choose parents for their baby who share their faith. When a birth mother makes an adoption plan for her older child with a Christian agency, both birth parents and adoptive parents benefit. The Christian traditions which began early in the child’s life will continue, and their foundation of belief has been laid. Providing this assurance is one of the many ways Christian adoption agencies offer support for all those involved.
 
The road to adoption can be an emotional one. But, you can take comfort in knowing that with Lifetime, we’re more than just a business. We’re a prayerfully built ministry, called to serve both adoptive and birth parents.
 

You can take the first step in your Christian adoption journey today, by filling out Lifetime’s free application to adopt!

Written by Lifetime Christian Adoption