Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations participants are required to complete three educational components: online learning modules for the pastor; an in-person training session for the pastor and congregational leaders; and individual financial counseling for the pastor.
The pastor receives a grounding in financial literacy and financial management skills by completing two online learning modules: Personal Financial Planning and Terms of Call. The Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations learning path is available through Board University and accessed via Benefits Connect.
The pastor receives individual financial counseling through Ernst & Young Employee Financial Services, at no cost to them. With the guidance of a financial planner and online resources, the pastor can better understand their finances, develop good money habits, and systematically tackle their financial goals.
The pastors, along with the members of session or the personnel committee or any other congregational leaders, commit to a two-hour, in-person training session with their Board of Pensions Church Consultant. The session discusses the financial realities that face pastors today and explains A Theology of Benefits, the scriptural basis for the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
This training teaches congregational leaders to care for their pastoral leadership and helps them better understand the challenges of those called to congregational ministry.
Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations has allowed the Reverend Lorenzo Small Sr. to better devote his whole self to ministry, without concerns about his finances.