Financial Peace University – Momentum Marathon Review 2019
Flashback to summer 2018 – We had just announced that we were going to be on the Dave Ramsey show to celebrate with a debt-free scream! As word got out, we were let in on a little secret – our church was going to be going through a version of Momentum, a program that aimed to take entire churches through a class to create financial mature people who are working to better their finances (and in turn, their family trees and their communities).
When we were in Nashville, we had the amazing opportunity to meet with two of the advisors/coaches that our church was working with. We talked about our experience going through FPU in 2015 and what it was like to be both a facilitator and an advisor.
Not long after, we were offered the volunteer position to direct a session of FPU. After a lot of talking, planning, and prayer, we accepted the position for ALL FOUR sessions at our campus. We wanted to be a part of seeing lives changed!
What did we measure?
The Financial Peace University class is nine weeks long. On week two, participants turn in an anonymous “financial reality check” that has them look at their non-mortgage debt, readily-available cash, and number of credit card accounts open. These numbers get tallied up and provide a big snapshot of where the class is at. At the end of the nine weeks, they fill out a similar card that asks how much on-mortgage debt they paid off, how much additional cash they saved, and the number of credit cards they cut up.
Let’s talk numbers
The Results
We had about 209 households stick through the nine weeks of Financial Peace University, and their results are astounding! On average, each household cut up 2 credit cards (though totals per household ranged from 0-20). On average, each household saved $2873 between weeks 2 and 9. Most astounding is that on average, each household paid off $5,635 of non-mortgage debt!
These participants are ALL IN. They know that if they can live a life where they don’t have to make payments to someone else. That money can be used in so many other ways that are far more beneficial.
The Momentum Marathon
All in all, it was a little bit of a crazy ride directing this many FPU classes. We easily dedicated 20 hours or more a week for the nine weeks (and for a few weeks before as well).
It isn’t necessarily a sustainable thing for us as a couple, but we don’t regret it. But what has been so fun to see is the way that God has showed up every step of the way.
Last year, we worked hard to have around 20 volunteers helping lead groups. This year, we had over 100 volunteers step up! Every year, God seems to place the right people in each group, with the right leaders. And yet again, we have heard story after story from people that have made important connections with the other people in the class. They continue on to form small groups, stay in touch about FPU, or even build new friendships. And more than anything, God shows up in the progress and change that each of these participants make. We are so humbled to be a part of that work, and can’t wait to share with more people the effect that FPU has had on our lives!