2024 Annual Review
A message from Board leadership
2024 was a deeply rewarding year, one we believe has positioned this agency to serve more, serve better, and serve the Church in the years ahead. With the approval of our Board of Directors, we implemented generational change in the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to give church and affiliate employers flexibility and choice, promote parity among plan members, and lower the barriers to installing a pastor while also better reflecting the costs of health insurance.
We recognize that this change created anxiety among some pastors who were uncertain how their benefits might be affected. In response, the Board has committed to working with the Association of Mid Council Leaders to examine how the subsidies that are currently provided to small congregations and families might be continued or expanded. This discernment will be ongoing through 2025, with the potential for midcourse corrections being enacted for plan year 2027.
To prepare our employers to offer benefits from the updated plan that would take effect Jan. 1, 2025, we provided education in a variety of ways and across different venues, in groups and one-on-one. We paid special attention to our congregations and ministers, guiding them so they could make informed decisions on the new benefits packages, including a revised dues structure. In addition, we provided a transitional dues structure so congregations could continue to provide benefits for their ministers using the same dues structure while they evaluated their choices for the future.
We are deeply grateful for the dedication of Board staff to meet the year’s challenges with hospitality, grace, and excellence. Through their hard work, we moved the organization forward in support of the changing Church. They collaborated across departments and put in long hours readying our new benefits administration platform so that employers could make informed benefits decisions. We ensured that all enrolled ministers and members would continue to have coverage in 2025 during this technology upgrade.
Our efforts to bring more people into the plan continued, as did our expansion of the Assistance Program to better meet the needs of members. We also expanded awareness of dues incentive programs available through the Board of Pensions that could support innovative ministry. This included strengthening lines of communication with communities that have historically stood at the denomination’s margins.
We strengthened connections among ourselves as well, understanding that mutual respect and support make us a stronger organization. Amid the demands of this busy year, our employees paused to thoughtfully embrace a commitment to creating a culture of belonging. We are extremely proud of them and thankful for their dedication to each other and to those we serve.
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S. Bradley Perkins |
The Reverend Dr. Frank Clark Spencer
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2024 by the numbers
$13.2B
in total investment assets
5.3K
PC(USA) and
affiliate employers
affiliate employers
$9.6M
in grants distributed through the Assistance Program
4.5%
apportionment took effect for the Defined Benefit Pension Plan
$819M
in benefits
provided
provided
$5.1M
in student loan debt erased (2022-2024) through PeopleJoy partnership
Sharing a plan for the changing Church
In 2023, we launched the Season of Rebuilding initiative, which focused on updating the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to better meet the needs of the changing Church. Last spring, our Board of Directors approved an updated plan to take effect in 2025, including three benefits packages and a revision of the 40-year-old dues structure. For the first time ever, congregations with installed pastors could choose how to best support ministers and their families through the Church plan. We provided guidance in large mid council gatherings in Philadelphia and Denver, and our Church Consultants met with each of the 166 presbyteries’ Committee on Ministry, either in person or electronically. We provided education modules on the updated plan and developed multiple dues scenarios, helping employers and members visualize the various options available to them. Our Decision Guide for Minister Benefits quickly became a popular tool for using a minister’s salary and family situation to easily determine eligibility and costs for each of the three benefits packages.
Driving growth in plan membership
Membership growth in the denomination’s Benefits Plan keeps the plan vital, and employers who have an affiliation with the PC(USA) continue to drive such growth. In 2024, we accelerated our engagement with affiliate employers, including educational institutions, camps and conference centers, retirement and senior housing communities, and human services organizations. We had meaningful conversations with organizations that already participate in the plan and with those we saw as potential partners in supporting their employees’ well-being. As we shared the value of plan membership, including access to our assistance and education programs, new relationships developed and existing ones grew stronger. Our connection to the Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad (KPCA), which is in covenant relationship with the PC(USA), deepened as well, and the number of participating KPCA employers and members climbed throughout the year.
Setting the stage for continued growth
Modernization of our technology is a promise to better serve all employers and members and a necessity if growth is to continue. Our new benefits administration platform, which replaced a 20-year-old platform, was fully configured to support the updated plan. All 2025 benefits options were live on the platform in August, giving our employers the time needed to review pricing and select benefits for their employees to choose from during Annual Enrollment. To ensure that we realize the full potential of this modern benefits platform in the years ahead, we began building the necessary internal support for the system and will continue to adjust and adapt its functionalities into the future.
Expanding assistance
Wildly shifting weather patterns placed many of our members in paths of destruction last year, and the need for assistance was crucial. We distributed over $1 million in natural disaster grants to the employees of congregations and organizations that provide benefits through the Board of Pensions. We also broadened our grant eligibility and expanded financial support for the well-being of ministers. Ministers who had received grants from Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations in 2016-2021 became eligible for Minister Debt Relief. Additionally, we added a $5,000 travel grant to the Sabbath Sabbatical Support program for ministers who return to their country or territory of origin, or that of an adopted dependent, as part of their sabbatical.
“I want to express my deep appreciation for the grant I was blessed with together with the additional resources to support financial planning. … It will help alleviate stress and allow my family and I to plan more strategically for the future.”
Minister Debt Relief grantee
Building a culture of belonging
We are committed to recognizing and meeting the needs of the various communities that make up the PC(USA). In workshops and conferences, we shared information on the support available through the Board of Pensions. As we made new connections, awareness grew around the dues initiatives that help worshiping communities call pastors and the assistance and education programs that support congregational ministry. This work in the wider Church mirrored evolution inside our workplace, where we celebrated our individual differences and their contributions toward serving more, serving better, and serving the Church. Together, we embraced the work of building a culture of belonging, among ourselves and beyond.
“I'm really passionate about creating spaces where people feel seen, where they feel heard, where they feel valued, and where they feel respected.”
The Reverend Dr. Regina Groff
Director, Education for Wholeness
Board of Pensions
Board of Directors
Officers of the Board
Classes listed below indicate a director’s incoming class year
S. Bradley Perkins, Chairperson (Class of 2020)
Andrew Junkin, First Vice Chair (Class of 2018)
Krysten Holloway, Second Vice Chair (Class of 2022)
Wick Alexander (Class of 2020)
Isaac Y. Baah (Class of 2020)
Evette Beckett-Tuggle (Class of 2024*)
Christopher Brown (Class of 2024*)
William Bradley Bryant (Class of 2024*)
Rev. Jeremy Campbell (Class of 2022)
Adam Ceteznik (Class of 2016**)
Ellen Clark Clemot (Class of 2024*)
Sean Costigan (Class of 2024*)
Catherine Cuellar (Class of 2020)
Keith Downham (Class of 2022)
Richard DuBose (Class of 2022)
Christopher Edmonston (Class of 2022)
Franklin Fant (Class of 2022)
Rev. Deborah Foster (Class of 2024*)
Rev. Margaret O. Fox (Class of 2016**)
Fred Gamble (Class of 2022)
Rev. Michelle Hwang (Class of 2022)
William Keith (Class of 2018)
Rev. Joey Lee (Class of 2022)
Dr. Martha Mims (Class of 2022)
Rev. Sarah Moore-Nokes (Class of 2022)
Barbara Neidinger (Class of 2022)
Dr. Carolyn Neubauer (Class of 2022)
Rev. Gladys Nwabah (Class of 2020)
Rev. David Peters (Class of 2024*)
Rev. Stan Reid (Class of 2018)
Jean Reynolds (Class of 2024*)
Rev. Fernando Rodríguez (Class of 2018)
Gregory R. Slonaker (Class of 2020)
Joshua Power Stevens (Class of 2018)
John Towarnicky (Class of 2022)
Rev. Floyd White (Class of 2016**)
* Class of 2024 term began July 1, 2024
** Class of 2016 term concluded June 30, 2024