Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church
Located in Manhattan, one block from Central Park in the Upper East Side neighborhood, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church considers itself a community church — a place where all are welcome. “Most of our congregants live within a mile or so, either in the neighborhood here or across Central Park,” said John Clemmer, who joined Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church as Director of Administration & Finance in spring 2022.
Built in 1901, the expansive church has an 800-seat sanctuary and the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Day School operating onsite. It employs approximately 70 staff members and four pastors. Before Mr. Clemmer joined the church, his predecessor began to explore the possibility of a new medical benefits provider for staff in hopes of cutting costs. “We were getting fairly significant cost increases from our past provider,” explained Mr. Clemmer.
Additionally, as costs were increasing, the number of network providers was decreasing, leaving staff with fewer and fewer options for medical care. “There are a million and one options here in New York City, but we couldn’t access a lot of them. It was very frustrating,” said Mr. Clemmer.
With Madison Avenue’s installed pastors already enrolled in benefits through The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the church was familiar with — and importantly, trusted — the agency. “Both the level of service and the reputation of the Board of Pensions,” noted Mr. Clemmer, encouraged the church to consider benefits through the Board for its staff who were not already enrolled in the Benefits Plan of the PC(USA). He also noted that the mission and values of the church and the Board aligned, which was meaningful to the church. “We’re both part of the [PC(USA)] family,” he said.
The Reverend Dr. Carrie Mitchell, Church Consultant for the Board of Pensions, had an established relationship with Madison Avenue leadership and was an important resource for information on the Board’s plans and programs and the benefits of a partnership between the two PC(USA) organizations. Board of Pensions Church Consultants, located throughout the country, offer personalized assistance to employers, as well as mid councils, in their assigned geographic areas.
Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church’s Personnel Committee approved the proposal to partner with the Board of Pensions to offer medical, dental, and vision eyewear benefits to full-time staff — “an easy decision between the rates, the [Medical Plan’s Blue Cross Blue Shield] network, and the reputation of the Board of Pensions,” commented Mr. Clemmer. For medical coverage, the church decided to offer the preferred provider organization (PPO) and high deductible health plan (HDHP) to best meet the needs of its staff.
John Clemmer
“Anytime you change a medical provider, people get nervous,” said Mr. Clemmer. “I think it was helpful right away to say, ‘This is Blue Cross Blue Shield. It’s through the Board of Pensions. They’re part of the Church’.”
The Board of Pensions ensured a smooth transition for Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. A dedicated implementation team visited the church to meet with staff who were eligible for the benefits. The team provided information and materials and answered questions, meeting with staff both in a group setting and one-on-one.
The Board’s team also ensured church staff were prepared from an administration standpoint. “They anticipated our questions — and when we did have a question, they answered quickly. Everything was very organized,” said Mr. Clemmer of the experience.
Since transitioning to benefits through the Board of Pensions, staff have relayed positive feedback to Mr. Clemmer, even stopping him in the hallway at the church to comment on the Medical Plan’s large network of providers or the high quality of the Dental Plan. “At least three people have told me that when they walked into their dentist office with the new plan, the office staff said, ‘Wow, this is great insurance’,” he said.
For staff enrolled in the Medical Plan, the Call to Health online well-being program has resonated. “The participation rate has been really excellent,” said Mr. Clemmer. Call to Health is one of several unique features included with all three medical options that deliver outstanding value in promoting wholeness and well-being, at no additional cost to the employer. [The Medical Plan includes an exclusive provider option (EPO) as well as the PPO and HDHP.]
Dr. Mitchell expressed gratitude for the experience of transitioning Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church to the Benefits Plan. “I love serving employers and employees in my territory and am gratified we can do the holy work of providing greater access to benefits not just for Madison Avenue staff, but for anyone who answers a church’s call to ministry,” she said.
In addition to the high level of satisfaction among his staff, Mr. Clemmer appreciates that the ease of administration has allowed him to focus on other important church matters. “The transition has been seamless, and the benefits and the service have been great,” he said. “It’s just everything that we had hoped for.”
