Emma Allen and Frank Johnson left their banking jobs at First Charter Corp. in Charlotte last winter for what they describe as a higher calling: to preach the gospel of basic money management.
Ms. Allen and Mr. Johnson formed a company, AJ Financial Group LLC, that offers financial literacy seminars - often in churches - covering topics such as saving money, improving credit scores, eliminating debt, and creating multiple streams of income.
Both have 20 years' experience in the banking industry, and over those years they have come across plenty of people who have needed financial advice, from minimum-wage workers to professional athletes.
"A lot of families are leveraged to the hilt," Mr. Johnson said. "The message of financial literacy is one that needs to be shouted from the rooftops."
Most of their business comes from churches, but their company also has been hired by schools, employers, and at least one bank.
Mr. Johnson said he thinks more banks around the country could benefit from offering the interactive seminars, which can be used to attract customers and get Community Reinvestment Act credit. "We're out to help individuals do a better job of managing their resources, but in doing so, we're also helping the bank," he said.
Kentucky Bank sponsored a seminar with a handful of minority churches in its hometown of Paris this past summer. The $633 million-asset unit of Kentucky Bancshares Inc. is planning another one early next year.
"The time and effort is well worth it," said Wallis Brooks, the bank's CRA officer.
People who wanted more information about products such as certificates of deposit and mortgages filled out a slip of paper after the seminar.
Kentucky Bank got several good leads, he said, including a woman who had received money from a trust fund and opened a brokerage account, because she wanted to use the money to finance her child's education.
Mr. Brooks also said the seminar, which lasted about two hours, often had the audience laughing.
Mr. Johnson said the banter between him and Ms. Allen, as well as audience participation, help make the presentation special.
"Nothing we talk about is rocket science. It's not like we have a new way to do anything. The way it's presented is what has an impact on folks," he said.
Humor is an important part of the learning process, Mr. Johnson said. "We try to be informative, but also entertaining," he said. "People who have fun while they're learning are more apt to retain the information and make changes in their lives."
Ms. Allen and Mr. Johnson met while working at First Charter, where Ms. Allen was the manager of community outreach and Mr. Johnson was a lending specialist. They teamed up to present First Charter's financial literacy seminars, often at the more than two dozen African-American churches in the Charlotte area.
They decided to form their own company so they could go into the seminar business full-time. Their new jobs have taken them to communities in three states, but they say they are willing to travel anywhere.
"We see this as a ministry for us personally," Ms. Allen said.
She and Mr. Johnson tailor their seminar - "Start Now, Finish Rich" - to different groups. When giving churchgoers an overview of how to handle money wisely, they touch on the topic of tithing. Students at high schools and colleges hear advice on managing a checking account and choosing the right credit card.
Ms. Allen said businesses - including a few banks - sometimes have them present a short "Lunch and Learn" seminar as an employee benefit.
About 50 people attended the event sponsored by Kentucky Bank, which took place at a local fine arts center. "That was a good start," Mr. Brooks said of the turnout. "The word-of-mouth got out, which created a lot of good PR for us."
He said he approached minority churches only in Bourbon County about getting involved the seminar in Paris, which he called a "pilot."
Some churches had scheduling conflicts, but six chose to participate, he said; they helped pay for the event and publicized it to their congregations by distributing fliers.
"The local ministers said, 'This is something we do need,' " Mr. Brooks said.
Ms. Allen and Mr. Johnson also stopped at two of the churches during Sunday services to offer a personal invitation to their seminar and deliver a five-minute sample of what people could expect to hear if they attended. According to Mr. Brooks, because the seminar was such a success, Kentucky Bank, which has branches in six counties, wants to involve churches throughout its market next time.
He said the bank decided to organize the event after Louis Prichard, its president and chief executive officer, read a newspaper article about the seminars and sent him to one.
Mr. Johnson said his company would openly plug any bank that sponsors the seminar, to help the bank generate good will in the community. "We let people know that the bank thought enough of them to present the workshop, so it makes the bank look very good."
