The Altar Fellowship is a non-denominational church in Johnson City, Tennessee, led by Pastor Mattie Montgomery.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Montgomery said a friend of his called to share that he’d had a dream of one day paying off people’s medical debts. The pastor described his friend as a businessman within the community who “loves the Lord,” and came up with an idea to help people through an organization known as RIP Medical Debt.
The organization negotiates with collectors to buy the legal right or claim on a debt. According to the pastor, the combined medical debt within the six counties closest to the church was about $8 million, and the church was able to buy all of the debt for $50,000.
Montgomery said, “essentially, we became the collection agency for $8 million of medical debt. And then instead of pursuing it any further, we just sent a letter to everyone whose debt we had taken, and we just said, ‘Hey, Jesus loves you, we love you. And it’s our privilege to cancel this debt entirely.'”
Altar Fellowship is located in a rural area where many residents live in poverty and struggle with addiction. While Montgomery is unsure if the church will do something like this again, he said it’s a “joy to give” and wished people didn’t have to go into debt over medical expenses.
Montgomery added, “I want people to know that, in a moment of crisis…. They need to get into a church.”