Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Our leadership on advancing DEI  |  CEO pledge  |  Our work in the Church  | Our work in the Church  |  Our commitment to a diverse workforce  |  Our statement on racial justice  |  Recognition for our work

Our leadership on advancing DEI

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion shapes our work. A staff council — the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Council (DEILC) — advises senior management on supporting DEI initiatives and demonstrating inclusive leadership. And our Board of Directors provides formal guidance in our service as a national agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The DEILC is committed to broadly reflecting staff makeup in its membership. It advocates for equitable and inclusive workplace practices and promotes the Board’s strategic DEI goals and activities.

Our Board of Directors reflects diversity in gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. In fall 2021, the Board of Directors adopted its task force recommendations for advancing DEI throughout the agency. Those recommendations guide us, touching every aspect of our work, from the recruitment and training of agency staff to the selection of vendor partners.

The path to serving more, serving better, and serving the Church

The guidance states that:

• to serve more, the agency must pursue “more intentional and targeted outreach … for the many diverse constituencies that compose Christ's Church”
  
• to serve better, the agency must “eliminate artificial barriers that reduce opportunities for participation and cast a wide net to be intentionally inclusive”
  
• to serve the Church, the agency must “be adaptive and provide leadership in promoting Christian virtues through the Board's work in the world”

The six principles that guide our work

Six principles guide us as we serve more, serve better, and serve the Church:

1. The Board of Pensions rejects any form of racism, discrimination, or prejudice.
2. The Board of Pensions will work to provide ever-broadening access to benefits, programs, employment, and other opportunities.
3. The Board of Pensions recommits itself to creating a culture of belonging in which every person, being created in the image of God, feels welcomed, valued, respected, and heard.
4. Led by the Spirit, the Board of Pensions will demonstrate empathy and openness as it invites all members, employers, employees, business partners, and its Board of Directors into partnership in pursuit of its mission.
5. The Board of Pensions believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion enhance the standard of excellence it maintains in all aspects of its work.
6. The Board of Pensions will hold itself accountable for progress in DEI by developing both quantitative and qualitative outcome measurements.

We continue to advance the six principles through action in five categories:

• Workforce
• Business Partner Selection and Management
• Members
• Employers and Diverse Constituent Engagement
• Board of Directors

CEO pledge for diversity and inclusion

The Reverend Dr. Frank Clark Spencer, Board of Pensions President, is among a growing list of CEOs and Presidents from across the country and wide-ranging industries who have signed the CEO Action for Inclusing & Diversity pledge — a leadership-driven commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

By signing this pledge, Dr. Spencer committed to:

• continuing to cultivate a workplace that supports open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion;
  
• implementing and expanding unconscious bias education
  
• sharing best known — and unsuccessful — actions
  
• creating and sharing strategic inclusion and diversity plans with our Board of Directors
  

This pledge is part of the Board’s formal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to dismantling structural racism.  

Our work in the Church

We have lived into our DEI commitment by:

• expanding and promoting access to benefits
  
• supporting innovative ministries
  
• extending eligibility for our assistance grants
  

Enhancements to the 2025 Benefits Plan improved parity among plan members while further expanding access to valuable benefits. Our growing investment in innovative ministries solutions supports immigrant worshiping communities and smaller congregations who are discerning how to evolve as the Church changes.

The ongoing expansion of eligibility for our Assistance Program touches all communities of plan members. For example, eligibility changes have meant that today, more pensioners may apply for Housing and Income supplements. Members’ children now may receive Transition-to-College Assistance for trade school and part-time enrollment as well as for attendance at a four-year college or university. And educational debt assistance has been extended to eligible employees of any affiliate organization that participates in the Benefits Plan.

Our commitment to a diverse workforce

Our workforce has traditionally been diverse in background and talent, as it reflects metropolitan Philadelphia, where the agency is headquartered. But we now actively work to attract and retain a workforce that represents the full spectrum of diversity at all levels. We encourage people of color and candidates from various backgrounds to share their talents with us. We engage diverse recruiting firms and are building a culture of belonging so employees feel safe showing up as their authentic self. Mutual respect supports a culture of innovation, which is so important to our mission — to serve with comprehensive benefits and programming that support holistic well-being.

Our statement on racial justice

In June 2020, in the midst of nationwide unrest and cries for justice in the wake of the tragic killing of George Floyd, the Board of Pensions released its statement on racial justice, unanimously endorsed by the DEILC and shared with the full support of all at the Board. The statement emphasizes the Board’s role as an active ally for change and its position “in support of racial equality, and against deeply ingrained prejudices against Black Americans and other people of color simply because of the color of their skin.”