AdelFi Partners with Lifeway Research to Learn the Differences in How Christians Manage Their Money

BREA, Calif., March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AdelFi (formerly Evangelical Christian Credit Union) and Lifeway Research released a study today that explores the giving and spending habits and attitudes toward debt of young adult Christians compared to their non-Christian peers.

"As a leading digital banking institution for Christians, we partnered with Lifeway Research to better understand how young believers manage their finances," said Abel Pomar, President and CEO of AdelFi. "We learned through this study that young adults want to patron businesses that align with their values, and we hope to galvanize this movement of recycling Christian dollars where fellow believers choose to support companies that commit to sharing their resources to help spread the Gospel."

Among other key findings, the study revealed that:

• 56% of Christian young adults said giving at least 10% (tithing) is a biblical command for today.
• 74% of all young adults, regardless of faith, seek to purchase from companies that share their values. Almost as many (70%) seek to purchase from financial institutions that share their values.
• Just under half of Christians agree (48%) that Christians have a responsibility to try to spend their money with companies that are owned or operated by Christians.
• Christians give three times more than non-Christians at an average annual donation of $1,820, versus $556.

"The study showed Christian young adults share more of their financial resources and time than their non-Christian peers" shared Scott McConnell, Executive Director at Lifeway Research." We found that for Christians, their faith influenced their financial decisions, and that is evident in many aspects of their life, this, including how they manage debt, who they do business with, where they give and their overall behavior as consumers."

The online survey of 905 Americans was conducted between January 18-22, 2022, using a national pre-recruited panel of young adults ages 25-40. Quotas and slight weights were used to ensure the sample matched national totals for gender, age, region, ethnicity, education and religious preference.

The full study is available at www.adelfibanking.com/about/thought-leadership

About AdelFi (formerly ECCU)

AdelFi was founded in 1964, originally as the Conservative Baptist Credit Union, which merged in 1984 with the Association of Christian Schools International Credit Union to form the full-service financial institution it is today. AdelFi is committed to the mission of equipping individuals and Christian businesses and ministries to better manage their financial resources so they can pursue their God-given mission. AdelFi will begin its next 60 years as a growing alliance of more than 12,000 individuals and organizations whose combined banking activity helps support the spread of the Gospel in more than 130 countries around the world. AdelFi looks forward to serving even more individuals, families, Christ-centered ministries and businesses to protect, grow and share their financial resources.

About Lifeway Research

Launched in 2006, Lifeway Research is a leading evangelical research firm measuring needs in the church and culture. Lifeway Research has become a renowned and respected source for insights on pastoral leadership, church ministry and the beliefs and faith practices of Americans. Lifeway Research assists and equips church leaders with insight and advice that will lead to greater levels of church health and effectiveness. Frequent surveys on today's church and culture demonstrate a knowledge of the dynamics of ministry today and an understanding of the realities of the culture we live in.

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SOURCE AdelFi