2025 Annual Review
A message from Board leadership
As an agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Board of Pensions shares in the connectional nature of our denomination, offering benefits and programs to the Church that reflect God’s desire for everyone to flourish. In 2025, these connections grew deeper and extended farther as the Board and the Church together faced the realities of the U.S. healthcare system and rising healthcare costs.
Increasingly, congregations have been unable to call a minister and afford to enroll pastoral leaders in the Benefits Plan of the PC(USA), even with the historical subsidies inherent in the Medical Plan. As healthcare costs continue to climb, we continue to look for ways to support congregations and their pastoral leadership. The Congregational Pastors Package, introduced in 2025, was designed to make it possible for more congregations to enroll their pastoral leaders in the Benefits Plan while providing access to assistance and education programs that foster wholeness.
The new dues structure led to a positive outcome for congregations served by ministers whose circumstances accommodated a shift to Member-only medical coverage. More than 50% of pastoral leaders enrolled in the new Congregational Pastors Package elected Member-only coverage. Those ministers who needed the subsidy built into Transitional Pastor’s Participation elected Member + Family coverage for 2025.
To consider ways to ease the burdens for these pastors and our small congregations, we partnered with representatives from the Association of Mid Council Leaders (AMCL) for solutions. Together, we looked at cost trends affecting the Medical Plan as well as the current subsidies inherent in the dues packages, such as percent of salary dues, so that we could support congregations and ministers with families.
Support for the well-being of ministers and others who serve the Church depends on continued growth in Benefits Plan membership. Today, PC(USA)-affiliated employers are driving the growth we need. In 2025, we continued to evaluate and enhance our product offerings as a way of building membership among this group. To ensure that we meet the demands of growth, we stabilized our administrative platform and improved our technology and operations.
Our connections across the PC(USA) and its affiliated organizations remain central to our mission. In 2025, these connections deepened as we responded to rising healthcare costs, partnered with church leaders to better support ministers with families, and strengthened our product offerings for PC(USA)-affiliated organizations. Together, these efforts reinforced a strong foundation for future service to the Church.
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Andrew Junkin |
The Reverend Dr. Frank Clark Spencer
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2025 by the numbers
$14.5B
4.8K
PC(USA)-affiliated
employers
47K
4.6%
$8M
$845M
provided
Strengthening connections in the Church
Our
Church Consultants walked alongside ministers and congregational decision-makers as they balanced resources with the desire to see their congregations flourish. We explored ways to bolster support for small congregations and pastors with family medical coverage
in partnership with the Association of Mid Council Leaders (AMCL). During several in-person and virtual meetings, representatives from the Board and AMCL shared insights into the financial challenges that congregations and pastoral leaders face in providing medical coverage and the effects of the U.S. healthcare system on the Medical Plan. At the
Benefits Regional Summits, we showed pastors, Personnel Committee chairs, and church business administrators how the Benefits Plan, coupled with our
education and
assistance programs, fosters holistic well-being in members and their families. Our support for innovative ministry expanded as our
Shared Ministry Program moved out of the pilot stage, making more congregations eligible for dues subsidies when calling a pastor. By year-end 2025, 16 congregations and 12 pastoral leaders had realized the promise of flourishing ministry through the program.
Extending care to affiliated organizations
For a decade, PC(USA)-affiliated employers have driven growth in plan membership while strengthening connections in the wider church community. Active employees covered by our benefits have grown from a low of 10,890 in 2017 to 16,600. Colleges and universities, retirement and senior housing communities, and other organizations have been drawn to the shared values they find in the church plan and our assistance and education programs. In 2025, we designed new ways to price the Medical Plan, which led to new business opportunities as well as retention of current customers. During the year,
nine affiliate organizations initiated or expanded plan participation, bringing the number of participating PC(USA)-affiliated employers to over 200. By year-end, the care that is available through the Board of Pensions extended to more than 7,000 employees of these organizations. To further attract affiliate organizations and give additional flexibility to PC(USA) employers, we began developing additional medical coverage options to broaden choice for 2027 benefits.
Stewarding benefits for plan members
As an agency of the Church, we practice faithful stewardship of the resources entrusted to us and keep the commitments we make. This is especially critical in stewarding the Balanced Investment Portfolio, which is the financial engine that powers our ability to serve plan members. In 2025, the portfolio returned 14%. Our asset-liability study delivered good news on the experience apportionment policy of the Defined Benefit Pension Plan. We modified the policy to make it more favorable for members to receive future apportionments without increasing risk to the plan.
We also added new features to support health and sustainable outcomes. Members enrolled in the Medical Plan or the
Covenant Package benefited from the addition of
Spring Health, a new mental well-being program that significantly improved access through the addition of nearly 10,000 mental health providers to our medical network. We also added a virtual physical therapy program,
Hinge Health, to the Medical Plan to provide personalized care for members with musculoskeletal issues.
Expanding assistance for members and families
The Board of Pensions has a legacy of caring for members and their families, and the
Assistance Program is one of the greatest expressions of it. In 2025 alone, we distributed 1,555 grants, totaling approximately $8 million, through the 12 grants available to active and retired members and surviving spouses. We also
expanded eligibility and increased grant amounts effective Jan. 1, 2026, so more members might receive support when they need it. We increased the grant amount for Housing Supplements and extended eligibility to residents in memory care facilities. We also increased grant amounts for Adoption Assistance and removed adjusted gross income from the eligibility requirements for Minister Debt Relief. These changes reflect our commitment to supporting those we serve.
Investing in those who power our purpose
Our staff continued to serve the PC(USA) — and each other — with hospitality, excellence, and grace. We continued to invest in their development and to support their ongoing efforts to foster a workplace where each of them can thrive. Throughout 2025, we provided group learning opportunities to foster our culture of belonging, bringing together staff at all levels for conversations focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our managers took part in development programs to sharpen their leadership skills and bolster their effectiveness. Our employees bring the Board’s values to life. With their diverse backgrounds and robust skill sets,
they collectively enhance how we serve our employers and members. They are essential to serving more, serving better, and serving the Church, and we are grateful for their support.
Board of Directors
Officers of the Board
Classes listed below indicate a Director’s incoming class year
Andrew Junkin, Chairperson (Class of 2018)
Rev. Fernando Rodríguez, First Vice Chairperson (Class of 2018)
Catherine Cuellar, Second Vice Chairperson (Class of 2020)
Wick Alexander (Class of 2020)
Rev. 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)
Rev. Dr. Ellen Clark Clémot (Class of 2024)
Sean Costigan (Class of 2024)
Keith Downham (Class of 2022)
Richard DuBose (Class of 2022)
Rev. Dr. Christopher Edmonston (Class of 2022)
Rev. Dr. Franklin Fant (Class of 2022)
Rev. Deborah Foster (Class of 2024)
Fred Gamble (Class of 2022)
Krysten Holloway (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; resigned)
Barbara Neidinger (Class of 2022)
Dr. Carolyn Neubauer (Class of 2022)
Rev. Gladys Nwabah (Class of 2020)
S. Bradley Perkins (Class of 2020)
Rev. David Peters (Class of 2024)
Rev. Stan Reid (Class of 2018)
Jean Reynolds (Class of 2024)
Gregory R. Slonaker (Class of 2020)
Joshua Power Stevens (Class of 2018)
John Towarnicky (Class of 2022)