Minister’s Choice
Minister’s Choice provides important financial protection for ministers and supports wholeness through access to assistance and education programs.
The protection and access they deserve
Every minister ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) should have access to benefits and programs that support wholeness. Every minister deserves to have their income and financial future protected, for themselves and their loved ones, throughout their ministry and when they retire.
Minister’s Choice is a benefits package that provides this important financial protection for ministers and opens the door to the Board's education and assistance programs. By offering Minister's Choice, employers can help ministers have the protection and access they deserve.
Why Minister's Choice?
There is no commercially available benefit that can reproduce the financial protection offered through Minister’s Choice. And ministers enrolled in Minister's Choice have access to important assistance and education programs* that help cultivate wholeness and nurture ministries, like CREDO, the Assistance Program, and Board University.
Who's eligible?
- Any minister who is not an installed pastor.
- Any minister who works at least 20 hours per week.
Pastors in installed positions must be enrolled for Pastor's Participation. Employers may choose to enroll any minister who works at least 20 hours per week for Pastor's Participation.
What’s the cost?
The cost is 10 percent of effective salary, fully paid by the employer.
What’s included?
Minister’s Choice is intended to ensure all ministers have a level of financial protection by providing the following benefits:
Defined Benefit Pension Plan includes special features such as experience apportionments and pension credit accruals at the greater of actual salary (capped at statutory limits) or employment classification median. Also included are survivor pension benefits for the life of the member’s surviving spouse.
Death and Disability Plan protects members in the event of a long-term disability and provides survivor benefits.
Temporary Disability Plan provides an income benefit for up to 90 days after a 14-day waiting period. It provides members with 60 percent of effective salary, up to the IRS maximum.
Employee Assistance Plan, a confidential resource through Cigna Behavioral Health, provides members with access to counseling sessions; financial, tax, and legal assistance; identity theft consultation; resources for child and older adult care; and more — at no cost to the member.
Access to the following assistance and education programs* that help foster wholeness:
Can I offer additional benefits?
Yes, employers may offer Minister’s Choice as well as other benefits, including one of the medical options available through the Medical Plan (PPO, EPO, or HDHP).
Benefits Packages Comparison
| Benefit | Pastor's Participation | Minister's Choice |
|---|---|---|
| RETIREMENT PROGRAMS | ||
| Defined Benefit Pension Plan |  |
|
| Retirement Savings Plan |  |
|
| FINANCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS | ||
| Death and Disability Plan |
|
|
| Temporary Disability Plan |
| |
| Supplemental Death |
|
|
| Supplemental Disability | | |
| HEALTH PROGRAMS | ||
| Medical Plan |
| |
| Employee Assistance Plan |
| |
| Dental Plan |
| |
| Vision Eyewear Plan | | |
In package
Required to offer; cost may be shared
May be offered; cost may be shared
Questions about Minister's Choice?
Sessions, session committees, and other church leaders making benefits decisions may call on their Church Consultant for guidance about benefit options, including Minister's Choice. Contact your Church Consultant and determine if Minister's Choice meets your organization's needs.