Domestic Adoptions

What to Expect

Adoption is a rewarding process, but it can also be a long one. LFS cannot make any guarantee of placement or time frame for the process. Though there are significant costs to adoption, Lutheran Family Service will work to help make your adoption affordable.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the requirements of their State Code regarding adoptions, as well as Lutheran Family Service’s own requirements:

• Male/female couple married at least 3 years
• Active members in a Christian congregation
• Good mental, emotional and physical health

Domestic Infant Adoption

Lutheran Family Service’s Domestic Adoption Program places newborns in the homes of pre-adoptive families directly following birth and release from the hospital. This program allows flexibility for families seeking a domestic private adoption to work solely with Lutheran Family Service, or work with other agencies along with Lutheran Family Service towards the placement of a child.

How it Works

Pre-adoptive families who have successfully completed the adoption home study process create a profile book that is used to introduce women considering placing a child for adoption to them as prospective adoptive couples. The women review all possible profile books and select who they would like to meet in person to further consider a possible “match.” Lutheran Family Service walks with both birthmothers and prospective adoptive parents every step of the way through the match process, facilitating conversations and asking important questions of each. It is ultimately up to the birthmother and the pre-adoptive couple to each decide if they are a match for each other.

Birth families and pre-adoptive families design their relationship details with the help of Lutheran Family Service staff. For some, a completely open arrangement that includes direct communication and visits in the future is very comfortable. For other families, Lutheran Family Service may be involved with helping to share indirect communication between them during the years to come. We help to guide all parties into an arrangement everyone can be comfortable with.