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The Church has changed, but the Benefits Plan has not changed with it. The plan was designed 40 years ago for a different type of pastoral leadership and a different family structure. Its dues structure is outdated and does not support today’s congregations.

Approximately 30% of ministers ordained since 2007, the very people the plan is meant to embrace, are not enrolled in the Benefits Plan, with women representing 63% of those not covered through the Board. Small congregations, where resources are scarce, are also affected. Only 28% of churches with 150 or fewer members have an installed pastor. For African American churches, only 20% have installed pastoral leadership, regardless of size.

We must act now to address the needs of the changing Church.

No. The restructured Benefits Plan will not affect the design of the pension plan, which remains strong. The funded status of the plan was 156% at year-end 2023, enabling our Board of Directors to grant a 4.5% experience apportionment, effective July 1, 2024. This marks the 12th consecutive year with an experience apportionment, yielding a cumulative increase of 46.6% since 2013. 

The Board of Pensions is committed to serving congregations, their employees, and ministers of the Word and Sacrament with benefits and programming that support holistic well-being. For 2025, the Covenant Package or Congregational Pastors Package may be made available to congregational leaders working more than 20 hours per week, regardless of ordination status. The Covenant Package may be offered to any employee working more than 20 hours per week. We have a team of Church Consultants who can help congregations make the most effective use of available benefits. Find the Consultant for your region.  

Medical Plan coverage, including the network, copays, and coinsurance, will remain the same in 2025.

Yes. The Benefits Plan will remain rooted in A Theology of Benefits, detailed in the Church’s values, specifically: community nature, compassion, justice, and fair compensation.

The Board of Pensions is committed to providing transitional support for employers and members. Employers may choose to provide Transitional Pastor’s Participation to any minister who is enrolled in Pastor’s Participation as of Dec. 31, 2024. This option will sunset Dec. 31, 2027.

We have dedicated funding to support the continuing investment in innovative ministry solutions, including new forms and contexts as ideas surface from within the Church.

We will continue to offer coverage for spouses and eligible children. For members enrolled in the new Congregational Pastors Package, our Board of Directors has approved allowing employers to choose whether to cover some or all of the cost for eligible family members.

Providing family coverage would be based on the needs of the congregation and of the congregational pastoral leader. For example, if a minister’s spouse is employed, their employer may offer medical coverage that would be a better financial choice for the minister’s family than the PPO coverage available through the Board. If family members will be covered by the Board, they must choose the same Medical Plan option as the covered member has chosen.

Pastors in installed positions are required to be enrolled in the Congregational Pastors Package, which includes PPO coverage.

Congregational pastoral leaders scheduled to work 20 hours or more weekly, including PC(USA) ministers and commissioned pastors, may be offered this package by their employer.

Ministers not enrolled in the Congregational Pastors Package who work 20 or more hours weekly would be able to select from the Medical Plan options their employer offers.  

The Congregational Pastors Package is designed to support PC(USA) installed pastors and congregational pastoral leaders serving PC(USA) congregations. The Covenant Package and benefits plan offerings are also available to PC(USA) ministers of the Word and Sacrament serving in PC(USA) congregational and non-congregational settings, if their employer offers those benefits.

Because the Benefits Plan is an employer-sponsored plan, benefits can only be offered by employers to employees, not members of a congregation. Employees are eligible to enroll in the benefits offered to them by their employer during enrollment periods.

A PC(USA) minister or commissioned pastor working for two or more employers (also known as a split service) is eligible for the Congregational Pastors Package if they are scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week and:

• one of the employers is a PC(USA) congregation
• that employer offers the Congregational Pastors Package

Ministers of the Word and Sacrament who do not serve a PC(USA) congregation and are enrolled in Pastor's Participation as of Dec. 31, 2024, may be offered Transitional Pastor’s Participation or the Covenant Package and any of the benefits offerings in the Health & Wellness Plans.

Pastoral and congregational leaders — including business administrators, chairs of Personnel Committees, Committees on Ministry, sessions, presbyteries, and mid councils — can contact their region’s Church Consultant to assist in faithful decision-making. The 2025 Decision Guide for Minister Benefits is a helpful tool to assist congregations and ministers with calculating dues for next year for the Covenant Package, Congregational Pastors Package, and Transitional Pastor’s Participation.

Congregations with more than one pastor may offer each pastor a different package and the dependent medical coverage that is best suited to their needs and the needs of the congregation.

Congregational pastoral leaders in these programs can enroll in Transitional Pastor’s Participation or the Congregational Pastors Package.