About Us

Who We Are

We’re Family Life Credit Services, a nationwide nonprofit Christian Family Credit Counseling agency founded in 1986. We incorporated as Family Life Services Inc., D.B.A. Family Life Credit Services in 1989, located in West Fargo, North Dakota.

Our Christian credit counselors provide confidential biblical Christian debt counseling help for individuals and families who have found themselves in financial crisis. We do this through analyzing their budget, discussing all options they have including self payment, debt consolidation program, bankruptcy, personal loans, etc. We make no personal judgment about clients and the circumstances leading up to their current situation. We are not a loan company, nor do we file bankruptcies.

We encourage you to go to the “Our Faith” section for a special message about the beliefs that drive us as a Christian faith-based service.

Principal Officers:

Patricia Larson – patricia@familylifecredit.org
Joe Larson – joe@familylifecredit.org

The “Christian” in Christian Financial Counseling

We take our faith very seriously. The organization was founded as ministry work and we uphold all the standards of Christian fellowship and affection for our fellow man. This strong foundation of Christianity, we believe, gives us a moral perspective on what we do and how we help, while at the same time allowing us to pursue our calling to ministry work. This is the reason we call ourselves Christian Financial Counselors while working in family credit counseling.

I became a believer in Jesus Christ in my mid 20’s. My relationship with Jesus has brought me constant joy and hope. The Bible says in the book of John that God loved the world so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. This is the greatest thing that has ever happened. Without Jesus Christ, man was destined to spend eternity separated from God. If we put our trust in Christ, we cannot only receive His love and forgiveness, He says that we can have life and have it abundantly here on earth, but also have the assurance that when we die, we will go to Heaven to be with Him forever. He loves us so much and desperately wants a personal relationship with each of us. I encourage you to keep reading and discovering what Jesus has done and wants to do in your life today.

Patricia Larson — Family Life Credit Services President & Co-Founder

How We Began

Darold and Patricia Larson started a ministry to young women in the Fargo-Moorhead community in the early 80’s. They had three young sons and opened their home to a crisis pregnancy center starting in 1982. Pat counseled young women that were planning to terminate their pregnancy and offered them a last-minute opportunity to give life to their child as well as a place to live, medical care, clothing and other support.

Then, in 1984 ,close friends Dr. David & Judy Perry were killed in an automobile accident. Dr. Perry had provided free medical care to many pregnant women before his death. In 1985, a house was purchased with the plan of making it a home for young women to stay during their pregnancy, where the Larsons and staff could minister the love of Jesus Christ. The Perry Center was incorporated as a non profit, and was licensed by the ND Department of Human Services as a maternity home in September 1986.

In mid 1985, an adoption license was applied for to place children in Christian homes. Again it was incorporated as a non profit and was licensed by the ND Department of Human Services as Christian Family Life Services – an adoption agency.

During this time, some pastors and a Christian counselor began marriage and family counseling from a Biblical perspective. In 1990, it was incorporated as the nonprofit National Association of Christian Counselors dba Christian Counseling Center.

There were occasions when a Perry Center resident would have a legal problem or other persons would have a legal case and no money to hire an attorney. In 1990, the Family Legal Clinic was incorporated as a non profit and began helping individuals and families with legal issues.

While working with clients in many of these areas, the Larsons would meet individuals and families that were struggling with debt and their finances, often considering bankruptcy as their only way out. The Larsons began helping them, one at a time, set up a budget and get caught up in their bills – all without a loan, but by teaching them budgeting, showing them how to change their spending habits, and contacting their creditors to see if they would help by lowering the interest rates. This counseling started under Help & Caring Ministries in 1985. Eventually, it was incorporated independently in 1989 as a non profit and was named Family Life Services Inc., dba Family Life Credit Services.

FLCS Code of Ethics

In interacting with clients, creditors, suppliers, and all others connected to the FLCS mission, we will follow the Golden Rule, treating others as we wish to be treated. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Mission

To assist families in becoming financially debt-free and to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Accountability

Family Life Services, Inc. dba Family Life Credit Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), which demonstrates our commitment to organizational excellence and quality service delivery for all persons served.

Family Life Credit Services DBAs

Family Life Credit Services does business under the following names:

• Family Life Credit Services
• Family Life Thrift Store (ND Only)
• CreditWise (ND/MN Only)