Couples who meet the following basic criteria may apply to adopt a child from CFLS:
- Adoptive couples must be residents of North Dakota or Minnesota. Occasional exceptions are made to the residency requirement for hard-to-place children.
- CFLS is non-denominational and couples of any Christian denomination may apply.
- CFLS places an emphasis on the spiritual training the child will receive. Both husband and wife must have accepted Christ as their personal Savior and Lord and must demonstrate that they are growing spiritually through personal devotions and Bible study. Regular church attendance and membership of husband and wife in the same church are required.
- Both husband and wife must believe in the sanctity of human life, beginning at conception.
- Both husband and wife should be no more than 45 years of age at the time of application.
- The couple must have been married long enough to established a stable marriage (a minimum of 2 years at the time of application). Because CFLS bases its beliefs on the historical teachings of the Old and New Testaments, marriage is defined as a legal and spiritual commitment between man and woman.
- CFLS does not require that a couple have a history of infertility in order to adopt. We do request couples who are actively pursuing adoption not to actively pursue fertility treatments concurrently. A couple who does become pregnant during the adoption process will be placed on hold and may reinitiate that process when the child is 6 months old.
- A couple who adopts a child may reapply for another adoption any time after the child is 6 months old and the adoption has been finalized.
Exceptions may be made to some of these basic requirements in the case of placement of special needs children or Native American children, or in the event that our waiting list is low at a particular time. Each case is evaluated on an individual basis.