Dues packages

The 2025 Benefits Plan features two new dues packages that provide flexibility and choice for congregations and their pastoral leadership. These packages support the wholeness of plan members through benefits not available on the commercial market.  

• The Covenant Package is available for any eligible employee, regardless of ordination status.
• The Congregational Pastors Package is required for installed pastors and may be offered to any eligible congregational pastoral leader. 
   

Covenant Package

The Covenant Package offers income protection at an exceptional value that cannot be found elsewhere.

Use the 2025 Decision Guide for Minister Benefits to determine 2025 eligibility and costs for this package. In addition, use these dues scenarios with calculations as examples of how the 2025 benefits packages apply to ministers with varying situations.

Eligibility

Any employee working 20 hours or more per week may be eligible for this package, regardless of ordination, including:

• employees who are not ministers
• ministers of the Word and Sacrament serving in congregational settings
• ministers of the Word and Sacrament serving outside of congregational settings 

Benefits

This package offers holistic benefits that help enrolled members thrive in all areas of life:

• Defined Benefit Pension Plan 
• Death and Disability Plan 
• Temporary Disability Plan 
• Employee Assistance Plan 
• access to assistance and education programs 

Dues

• 10% of effective salary, paid entirely by the congregation or employer
   

Congregational Pastors Package

The Congregational Pastors Package provides congregations with the flexibility and choice to offer congregational pastoral leaders the benefits they need without paying for benefits they don’t need. 

Use the 2025 Decision Guide for Minister Benefits to determine 2025 eligibility and costs for this package. In addition, use these dues scenarios with calculations as examples of how the 2025 benefits packages apply to ministers with varying situations.

Eligibility

The Congregational Pastors Package replaces the Pastor’s Participation dues package. This package: 

• is required for installed pastors
• may be offered to congregational pastoral leaders employed by a PC(USA) congregation and scheduled to work 20 hours or more weekly, including: 
  • PC(USA) ministers
  • commissioned pastors 

Benefits

This package provides:

• Member-only PPO medical coverage for the congregational pastoral leader 
• all the income protection benefits included in the Covenant Package 

Medical coverage for spouses and children may be offered, and congregations may choose to pay all, some, or none of the cost.  

Dues*

• Dues are 16% of effective salary for Member-only PPO medical coverage, plus 10% of effective salary for income protection benefits (subject to minimum and maximum dues for medical coverage), paid entirely by the congregation.

*Medical Plan pricing for employees who will not be enrolled in the Congregational Pastors Package or Transitional Pastor’s Participation will be available in August during Employer Agreement.

Dependent coverage

Medical coverage for spouses and children may be offered, and congregations may choose to pay all, some, or none of the cost. Many spouses and eligible children have access to other medical coverage, such as through a spouse’s employer, that better meets their needs. In 2023, fewer than half of the ministers enrolled in Pastor’s Participation enrolled both a spouse and children; however, employers still had to pay dues for full family coverage. The cost of coverage for child(ren), spouse, and eligible family is established as national, community-rated, fixed pricing and is the same regardless of the number of children enrolled. These flat rates are not based on effective salary:

Annual dues

Total dues for covering family members include the 16% of effective salary for the member combined with the flat rate amount for the selected level of dependent coverage. 

Transitional Pastor’s Participation

Transitional Pastor’s Participation is available to employers who have a minister in Pastor’s Participation as of Dec. 31, 2024, to transition from the current dues structure to the new one.

Transitional Pastor’s Participation continues the noncontributory dues structure of Pastor’s Participation as a percentage of effective salary through Dec. 31, 2027, subject to cost increases.

Use the 2025 Decision Guide for Minister Benefits to determine 2025 eligibility and costs for this package. In addition, use these dues scenarios with calculations as examples of how the 2025 benefits packages apply to ministers with varying situations.

Dues

Dues for Transitional Pastors Participation are paid entirely by the congregation or employer. Dues are the percentage of effective salary for medical coverage, detailed in the chart, plus 10% of effective salary for other benefits.  

*2026 and 2027 rates are minimums (subject to future Board of Directors approval). 

Transitional Pastor’s Participation will end for 2028 and installed pastors will be enrolled in the Congregational Pastors Package.

Ministers Bridge Coverage

Ministers Bridge Coverage is available for ministers of the Word and Sacrament enrolled in the Congregational Pastors Package, Transitional Pastor’s Participation, or the Covenant Package who leave active service and are seeking a new call.

Through this coverage, a minister may:

• continue enrollment in all or some of their benefits at their own cost
• only maintain enrollment in the benefits coverage they had immediately prior to their change in employment status 
• participate for up to 24 months 

Participation in Ministers Bridge is dependent on presbytery validation that the minister is actively seeking a call.