I am not MI Benefits Guy; I’m the other bearded Joel, Joel Fitzgerald. But with Joel Walther away on parental leave, I was asked to write an article about decisions made by the Conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits (CBOPHB) regarding the conference health plan.
The CBOPHB has multiple groups we are responsible for and multiple needs we must balance. We strive to provide great health and wellness coverage to our pastors and lay employees. Ministry is hard, and many studies show that clergy and church leaders bear this stress in their physical and mental well-being. Providing great care helps pastors stay well and enables them to serve the church more effectively. We also recognize that pastors are often paid less than similarly positioned professionals and may find it difficult to absorb additional costs.
Balancing this desire is the reality of the financial state of the local church. As churches become smaller and costs rise, local churches face tough choices. We know many local churches have a hard time paying the cost of health benefits, and some cannot afford these costs. Increasing health care expenses add more pressure to local church budgets.
Along with local churches and pastors, we also have to balance the benefits reserve funds we have been entrusted with. Many might not know, but the CBOPHB uses our benefits reserves to subsidize the cost of our health plan. While this allows us to provide better coverage at a lower cost to churches and participants, these funds are not unlimited and must be shepherded carefully.
Given all of this juggling, the CBOPHB made the hard decision to raise premiums in 2025 and 2026. We know this increases the costs for churches and pastors. We also made the decision to increase the co-insurance maximum in 2026 and move toward higher deductibles in 2027 and beyond.
In setting these amounts, we also consider the broader health insurance marketplace. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report, the average participant premium for a family plan is almost $6,300. For comparison, our participants have a tiered premium based on salary, with the maximum premium being $3,840. Likewise, KFF reports the average deductible for single coverage is $1,700, and over 30% of workers have deductibles over $2,000. In contrast, our current single coverage deductible is $500, which will increase to $750 in 2027 and $1,000 in 2028.
So, while we have to make tough decisions about costs for pastors and local churches, we know we are still providing excellent health care at a lower cost than many other workers.
While we live in precarious times, we strive to provide a balance of cost-effective benefits that allow participants, churches, and the conference to continue the work of Jesus in the world.
Last Updated on December 2, 2025