Christian Adoption Agencies

I understand that Christians are not the only people who adopt. I am grateful for anyone willing to provide a stable home for orphaned children. This includes Foster care as well as adoption. Though I am writing this article from the Christian point of view, the principles of finding an adoption agency apply to non-Christians as well.

The importance of a good placement agency cannot be stressed too much. These people will be your guides and best friends as you go through the confusing, often stressful process of adoption. Choose this agency carefully.

As a Christian, finding an agency that supported my personal values was very important. The good news, is that there are many licensed agencies that fit this criteria. Enter Lifeline Adoption Services of Birmingham, Alabama. We learned about this company through a friend of the family. The first thing we did was examine their website. This should be a no-brainer, as you can usually find out a lot of information about a company on their site without making calls or sending email. That is what a website is for.

After searching their site, we reached out via phone. Our first conversations with Lifeline were encouraging and informative. We really like them. My wife and I are the question asking kind of people. The staff at Lifeline spent literally hours on the phone with us over the next couple of months at no charge encouraging us and answering our questions. These conversations began in October, and we did not pay the first money to Lifeline until four months later. These folks were great.

Their values matched our values. We are now going through the adoption process with them, and would highly recommend them to other Christians looking to adopt domestically or internationally.

Here is a list of things to consider when searching for an adoption agency.

Cost

• What are their total fees?
• When are their fees due?
• What type of payment options do they offer?
• Do they have a refund policy?

Service

• What type of services will you receive for your money?
• Are they a hand-holding agency? In other words, will they walk you through the entire process?
• Do they provide post adoption services?
• Do they provide "in country" support in the case of international adoption?
• Are they Hague accredited?
• Are they licensed to do the Home Study?

Beliefs

• Do they have a doctrinal statement or a statement of beliefs?
• Do their beliefs contradict with your own?
• If there are contrary beliefs, can you find a middle ground?
• Are you required to sign a statement of agreement?

It is equally important for your agency to support your beliefs as it is for you to support theirs. Do not accept their terms unless you are in agreement. This will only lead to problems later on. There are many adoption agencies in the US. Many of them have beliefs and rules that are not required by law, but are unique to the agency. Do your research before committing any financial resources to an agency.

For our family, Lifeline Adoption Services fit these requirements. They may or may not be the right agency for you.