Restoring financial health and revitalizing congregations

The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) introduced the Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations program in 2019 to restore the financial health and wholeness of PC(USA) pastors so they may revitalize their congregations. This innovative financial education program combined pastor and congregational leader training and awards grants of up to $10,000 to qualifying pastors for debt reduction or retirement savings.

New enrollments for Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations have closed, with the program focusing its efforts on covenanted partners through 2021. The program has surpassed its initial program cap of 500 covenants, and has distributed more than 700 grants to ministers who have completed the program.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ruth Adams at radams@pensions.org.

Why Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations

Talking about money can be difficult for anyone, especially for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregational leaders deciding compensation for pastors. Even so, there are good reasons to have conversations about finances:

• For pastors called to preach God's word and sustain a vital ministry, personal matters, such as financial planning, often take a back seat to serving their congregations.
• A growing number of pastors today are carrying significant educational debt or have insufficient savings for retirement.
• When pastors are not on solid financial footing, it can hinder their excellence in ministry and erode their personal well-being.
• Pastoral compensation and benefits are theological as well as practical matters.
  

As part of our connectional Church, Board of Pensions recognizes that we, as a Church, must faithfully address pastors' personal financial challenges if they are to grow and sustain their ministries and our congregations are to flourish.