By Rev. Jeremy Morton, First Church of God Hoopeston, IL

Our church recently offered Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, and it has had a tremendous impact on all participants, leading them towards financial peace.

About forty-five people (singles and couples) participated. Each Sunday, we watched an hour-long video in the morning during the Sunday school hour, and then we met in two small groups in the evening for discussion and accountability. The following statistics demonstrate the success of the program:

• The class started with a combined debt of $742,635 (not including mortgages).
• Some participants had debt levels as high as $75,000.
• During the thirteen weeks, $191,817 of debt was paid off. That was more than 25 percent of the total debt!
• Approximately 80 percent of the people involved in FPU have not only paid off debt, but they have also been able to save up for a $1,000 emergency fund, which is Dave Ramsey’s first baby step to financial freedom.

In a recent Sunday service, we had a women stand up and give a testimony of thanks for FPU. She is debt free now. Here are a few other testimonies of how this program has changed lives:

Amy: “My marriage has improved greatly because my unsaved husband came to FPU, and it helped our communication about money, which has always been a touchy subject. My husband has been attending church regularly now!”

Brenda: “My husband is a farmer, and I have prayed for a couple of years, every time I pass our field, that God would bless and multiply the crop. Last year he did that, and after going through FPU recently, we decided to pay off all our debts (outside of our house). I feel so free that after sixteen years of marriage we don’t have to live from paycheck to paycheck. We’re even getting ready to build on to our house with money we’ve saved!”

John and Whitley: “We just got married, and this has been a great way to get our marriage started off right!”

Jeremy (Pastor) and Lori: “We have facilitated a lot of premarital counseling this year. So, we encouraged all the couples to go through this training. Dave Ramsey did a much better job than we could have ever done concerning finances!”

Keith and Tori: “We’re getting ready to have our first baby. The program helped us figure out [our finances] so that Tori can work just part-time in order to be with our baby more.”

The price for the FPU program was $300 for the church and $100 for each single or couple. It is difficult to say what the ultimate impact will be on the finances of the church, but we are seeing tremendous peace in the lives of those who have participated. I can also say that I have heard several comments from those who have gone through the program indicating that they are now in a better position to support our ongoing building campaign.

Strategic Goal #3 for the Church of God is “Free! Committing to stewardship principles (Matt 6:33) leading to a flexible ministry future and the management of debt (debt free as the goal) for every individual, church, and agency.” Church of God Ministries (CGM) encourages everyone to prayerfully examine their personal and business financial management practices.

CGM recommends Financial Peace University and Crown Financial Ministries as biblically-based financial management training courses and has made arrangements for our churches to receive discounted rates with both of these providers. To find our more about the discounts, as well as other available resources, click here.

Learn more about the Strategic Plan and Goals for the Church of God by clicking here.