In 2001, Travis and Carol Moody had over $100,000 in unsecured debt and a mortgage on a home that they could not afford to live in, to maintain, or to even sell.  That same year, they took a Crown Financial Ministries small group class at a local Church to learn Biblical principles for getting out of debt.

The Moodys aggressively applied principles learned through Crown.  By the end of 2004, God had eliminated all of their debt except their mortgage. Meanwhile, they started teaching Crown Financial Ministries small groups and became Money Map Coaches, counseling others who were in debt.  In 2006, Travis wrote Financial Breakthrough, God’s Plan for Getting Out of Debt to share their personal story of being delivered from what seemed to be an unwinnable battle with debt.  During the process of writing Financial Breakthrough, he realized God was calling him into ministry full-time to teach financial stewardship.

Travis, a native Memphian with degrees from Hamilton High School, Georgia Tech and an MBA from Duke, and his family moved back to Memphis in the spring of 2008 and he currently works full time for Crown Ministries.

When you talk to Travis about financial freedom, he is quick to point that it is not only “freedom from” debt, but also “freedom to” what God has called us towards.  For him it was freedom to serve Christ through Crown, for others it might be freedom to overseas missions, loving your family, or even freedom to simply be able to give generously.

The Moodys’ vision is to see the Mid-South financial free.  Crown’s specific goal for Memphis is to teach Biblical stewardship principles to 100,000 people by the end of 2013.  Based on surveys conducted of graduates of Crown Bible studies, it is expected that an additional $70 million per year will be given to the cause of Christ in the Mid-South as a direct result of this teaching focus.

According to The New York Times Memphians are among the worst in the country when it comes to managing money.  Memphis has over 240 pay-day loan type companies.  This is almost twice the average of similar sized cities.  In 2001, The New York Times ran an article that labeled Memphis as the “bankruptcy capital of the nation.”  Recent reports show that 1 out of every 31 homes foreclosed in Memphis in 2008.

Crown’s Mid-South activities are threefold.  First the plan will include outreach training to the poor and financially illiterate.  Crown will target many of the traditional more financial struggling communities such as Orange Mound, Binghampton, and Frasier.
The second stage of attack will be to help train pastors and church leaders through Vision events.  These events would be localized in scope to explain and encourage the use of resources (e.g. financial Bible studies for all ages, financial seminars, workshops, and Pastor’s support material) at their respective churches.  Presentation by local Crown staff as well as testimonies of local pastors will be an integral part of the program.

Lastly Crown will use Money Map Coaching.  As people are exposed to training, many will recognize the need for one-on-one training and accountability as they begin the process of making difficult financial decisions.  Money Map Coaches are volunteers trained to provide support and guidance while helping people change spending habits.

We at the Hope Christian Community Foundation believe that the implementation of this plan will result in lives being transformed as Jesus Christ replaces money as the Lord of their lives, generosity becomes an objective of every believer, and overall financial integrity is enhanced and embraced throughout the community of Christians and non-Christians alike.

To get involved about Crown Financial Ministries please contact Travis Moody at 901-832-8340 or via email at tmoody@crown.org or contact Hope to find more information.