After much prayer and soul-searching, you have decided to answer the call to adopt. As a Christian, you know that adoption is about more than your desire to build your family. Adoption is an outgrowth of your faith, and part of God’s will to help all of His children.
Choosing an adoption agency to guide you on this journey will be one of the most crucial decisions you make. The agency’s philosophy can be just as important as the services it provides.
Many Christians will lean on their faith while making this monumental decision, and that is why they will opt for a Christian adoption agency. Here are 5 benefits of choosing a Christian adoption agency:
1. You’ll work with like-minded professionals who share your faith.
At Lifetime Christian Adoption, everyone you work with, from the initial application to the final placement, shares your core values. Lifetime is more than just a business. It is a ministry here to lead you down the path to adoption prayerfully. Our faith is embedded in every part of the adoption process.
2. You will have access to religiously-based counseling.
Adoption is an emotional process. In matters of the heart, there will be times of uncertainty and disappointment mixed in with the overwhelming joy you will feel. Religious-based counseling can be comforting for people who rely on their faith during times of struggle.
Lifetime also offers free, third-party counseling services to women considering adoption. This includes over-the-phone counseling as well as peer support, so these women can speak to someone who has been in their shoes. Christians will receive support and encouragement from professionals who share a common language of faith.
3. You may see greater support from your community.
You may be in a situation where members of your family or community feel hesitant about your adoption decision. Working with a Christian organization they can get behind may help them see how you are fulfilling God’s plan, and heeding to the Biblical call to care for the orphans.
In addition, many churches already have adoption ministries and support groups in place. Ask your church if they offer these services. You may find that you have even more localized support on your adoption journey!
4. Many birth parents seek Christian adoptive families.
Placing a child for adoption is usually an emotionally trying time for a birth mother. When a birth mother has the option to choose a Christian adoption agency that she believes will meet her needs, as well as help her place her child in a home that shares her faith and morals, she will be better supported throughout the process.
If the child being placed for adoption is older, a Christian adoption agency can help the birth parents find a placement where the child can continue his spiritual development. Both the birth parents and adoptive parents can be satisfied that the child will build on a foundation of faith that has already been established.
5. You will have access to Christian adoption loans and grants.
Many faith-based organizations provide loans and grants to help fellow Christians answer the call to adopt. There are three primary forms of financial assistance:
- Loans – a set amount of money that is borrowed and needs to be repaid, either with or without interest
- Grants – a monetary gift that does not need to be repaid
- Matching Grants – the organization encourages the adoptive family to do their own fundraising, and will then match that amount as a gift that does not need to be repaid
Some religious organizations will require you to sign a covenant loan agreement as a condition of the loan. In place of a traditional legal agreement, you promise to honor your covenant with God as part of your repayment of the loan.
Loans and grants are a great way to ease the financial burden of adoption costs. Here are a few organizations that tailor loans and grants specifically to Christians:
- ABBA Fund – offers interest-free loans up to $6,000-8,000 as well as a Christian Family Adoption Grant
- Lifesong for Orphans – provides hopeful adoptive families with creative fundraising tools, matching grants, and interest-free loans
- America’s Christian Credit Union – offers loans up to $50,000, equity adoption loans, adoption lines of credit, and the ACCU Adoption Grant
Christian adoption agencies offer hopeful adoptive families access to professionals, emotional support, and financial resources from organizations that hold Christian values. By choosing a Christian adoption agency such as Lifetime, you can make your faith the center of your adoption journey from the very start, and take comfort in knowing that you are surrounded by like-minded Christians called to serve in God’s love.
Discover how you can answer God’s call to adopt, and begin your Christian adoption journey! Complete Lifetime’s free online application today.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
