Pension Fund of the Christian Church

What Pension Fund of the Christian Church does

Pension Fund of the Christian Church is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit church benefits organization founded in 1894 that delivers retirement and savings solutions exclusively to clergy and lay employees of Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement churches and related organizations in the United States and Canada. Its core products include the Pension Plan (a defined benefit plan providing guaranteed monthly lifetime payments, launched in 1931), Tax-Deferred Retirement Account 403(b)/Roth 403(b), 457(b) Plan, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and the Benefit Accumulation Account (a high-yield savings product currently crediting 4.0%). All offerings currently apply a 4.0% base interest rate for Q3 2026, with a 6.67% annualized 10-year BAA return history and historical Good Experience Credits (e.g., 10.60% awarded in 2021).

The organization operates as a church plan exempt from ERISA regulations, enabling clergy-specific structural features such as housing allowance treatment and SECA vs. FICA tax handling that corporate retirement providers cannot replicate. Its technology stack centers on a Member Portal for self-service enrollment and account management and an Employer Portal for church administrators, supported by Zoom for webinars, FlipHTML5 for publications, and integrated wellness platforms — Learn to Live (CBT-based mental wellness for active clergy and families ages 13+) and Your Money Line/Stability Academy (financial wellness coaching and assessment). Pension payment processing has been transitioned to BNY.

Pension Fund pursues a dual go-to-market motion: a field sales force of Area Directors meets with church employers to enroll them in employer-sponsored plans, while a Client Relations team supports individual members through inside sales and the Member Portal. The firm is governed by a Board of Directors under President and CEO Rev. Dr. Todd A. Adams, with Chief Investment Officer David Stone overseeing the investment portfolio and external actuaries and auditors (WTW, Grant Thornton) supporting governance. Revenue is generated primarily through ongoing member and employer contributions to retirement products and donor contributions funding the Ministerial Relief & Assistance programs for clergy in hardship; the organization carries no fees on member accounts.

Name

Pension Fund of the Christian Church

Legal name

Pension Fund of the Christian Church

Website

https://pensionfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pension Fund of the Christian Church is a 130-year-old Indianapolis-based nonprofit church benefits organization that provides retirement, savings, and wellness products to clergy and lay employees of Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement churches in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Church Retirement Benefits

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Pension Funds (52511)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Public Pension Funds (DB/DC Sponsors) (FSAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA), Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK)

Keywords

• Church retirement benefits
• Pension plan administration
• Ministerial financial services
• 403(b) retirement accounts
• Clergy wellness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions & Employer-Sponsored Plans: Pension Fund generates revenue through contributions to employer-sponsored retirement products including the Pension Plan, Tax-Deferred Retirement Account 403(b)/Roth 403(b), and 457(b) Plan. Members and employers make ongoing contributions that are managed by Pension Fund's investment professionals.
2. Individual Retirement Account Contributions: Individual members contribute to Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Benefit Accumulation Account products for personal retirement savings.
3. Ministerial Relief & Assistance Donations: MRA relief programs are supported through generous donor contributions. These funds provide financial support and emergency aid to clergy and their families, separate from the retirement savings products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pension Fund of the Christian Church provides retirement and savings products to ministers and church employees within the Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement, including a defined-benefit Pension Plan, Tax-Deferred Retirement Accounts (403(b)/Roth 403(b)), 457(b) Plans, Traditional and Roth IRAs, and a Benefit Accumulation Account (BAA). The organization also administers Ministerial Relief & Assistance (MRA) programs offering vocational counseling, parental leave assistance, and emergency aid to clergy in financial hardship, supplemented by mental and financial wellness benefits. As a church plan, Pension Fund operates outside ERISA regulations, enabling flexible, clergy-specific retirement solutions.

Product overview

Pension Fund of the Christian Church offers a comprehensive suite of retirement and savings products designed for ministers and church employees within the Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement. The core product portfolio consists of the Pension Plan (defined benefit plan providing lifetime monthly payments), Tax-Deferred Retirement Account 403(b)/Roth 403(b), 457(b) Plan, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Benefit Accumulation Account (high-yield savings). These retirement products are supplemented by the Ministerial Relief & Assistance (MRA) program offering Vocational Counseling, Parental Leave Assistance, and Emergency Aid. Member-facing digital services include the Member Portal and Employer Portal for account management. The organization also provides wellness programs including Your Money Line (financial coaching and Stability Academy) and Learn to Live (mental health support via CBT-based online programs), plus educational publications like The Bridge magazine and the annual Week of Ministry program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Week of Ministry: Annual event created by Pension Fund in 1933 to honor and celebrate the call to ministry, offering resources to help congregations show appreciation for those in ministry.
• Ministerial Relief & Assistance (MRA)
• Learn to Live
• Your Money Line
• Cornerstones
• Stability Academy
• The Bridge

Products and services

• Pension Plan A defined benefit retirement plan providing guaranteed monthly pension payments for life to eligible ministers and church employees within the Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement. Pre-dates Social Security, having launched in 1931.
• Tax-Deferred Retirement Account 403(b)/Roth 403(b) Employer-sponsored retirement savings accounts allowing pre-tax (403(b)) or after-tax (Roth 403(b)) contributions with tax-advantaged growth. Includes catch-up contribution provisions for those age 50+. Currently offers 4.0% interest rate.
• 457(b) Plan Deferred compensation plan allowing eligible employees to contribute a portion of their salary to an eligible deferred compensation account. Currently offers 4.0% interest rate.
• Traditional IRA Individual retirement account with tax-deferred growth where contributions may be tax-deductible depending on income and eligibility. Currently offers 4.0% interest rate.
• Roth IRA Roth individual retirement account with after-tax contributions and tax-free qualified withdrawals in retirement. Currently offers 4.0% interest rate.
• Benefit Accumulation Account (BAA) High-yield savings account designed for long-term investment with moderate risk. Offers 4.0% base interest rate with potential Good Experience Credits (GECs) for additional earnings, with no fees, no income or age limits, and penalty-free withdrawals at any time. Annualized 10-year return is 6.67%.
• Ministerial Relief & Assistance (MRA) Relief programs funded by donor contributions meeting the evolving needs of new, active, and retired clergy and their families. Includes Vocational Counseling, Parental Leave Assistance, Emergency Aid Gifts, and other support services.
• Learn to Live Confidential, 24/7 online mental wellness platform for active clergy and their families (ages 13+), grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Self-paced programs cover stress, anxiety, depression, social anxiety, insomnia, and substance use; available in English and Spanish with coaching via phone, email, and text.
• Your Money Line Financial wellness benefit providing members access to Financial Guides for one-on-one coaching on budgeting, saving, debt management, and retirement planning. Includes Stability Academy, My Finances account aggregation, eLearning courses, and a mobile app; uses employer code 'pensionfund'.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.0% interest rates across all products for Q3 2026 with historical 10-year annualized BAA return of 6.67%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BNYcoreTechnology or IntegrationBNY serves as Pension Fund's payment processing partner for pension payments. Following the transition to BNY for pension payments, monthly pension payment information is provided directly by BNY to retirees, including updated payment amounts and applicable withholdings.
• Pete the PlannercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPension Fund has partnered with Pete the Planner to provide members with access to financial guides who help answer tough financial questions, along with online tools such as calculators and eLearning courses through the Your Money Line platform.
• Learn to LivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLearn to Live is an online mental wellness platform offered as a free benefit to active clergy and their families (ages 13+). Grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), it provides self-paced programs for stress, anxiety, depression, social anxiety, insomnia, and substance use. Available in English and Spanish, with coaching available via phone, email, and text.
• Your Money LinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYour Money Line (YML) provides free financial wellness coaching to Pension Fund members through accredited Financial Guides. Services include one-on-one coaching, the My Finances feature for account integration, Stability Academy for financial stability assessment, and access to budgeting tools, courses, and webinars. Employer code: pensionfund.
• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)minorOthersECFA publishes the annual Minister's Tax and Financial Guide and the Church Nonprofit Tax & Financial Guide, which Pension Fund offers to members and employers as educational resources.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GuideStone Financial Resources: Provides retirement, insurance, and investment services to Southern Baptist pastors, church staff, andmissionaries. Comparable in offering 403(b), defined benefit, and church-employer-sponsored products under a church-plan structure.
• Wespath Benefits & Investments: Administers pension, health, and welfare benefits for United Methodist Church clergy and lay employees. Highly comparable as a denominational church benefits organization running a defined benefit pension plan alongside DC savings products.
• Church Pension Group: Provides pension, health, and retirement benefits to Episcopal Church clergy and lay employees. Closest structural analog to Pension Fund in terms of operating a church plan exempt from ERISA for a single U.S. denomination.
• Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program: Supports Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations, ministers, and related organizations with retirement planning and investment products. Comparable as a denominationally-aligned benefits and retirement-services provider.
• Portico Benefit Services: Operates pension, health, and retirement plans for ministers and lay employees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Closely comparable denominational church benefits organization with multi-product retirement offerings and wellness support.
• Concordia Plans: Provides retirement and welfare benefits to Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) pastors, professional church workers, and their families. Direct peer in operating church-plan retirement and relief programs for a specific denomination.

Others

• CapinCrouse: National accounting and advisory firm dedicated to faith-based nonprofits and churches. Adjacent peer in the ecclesiastical benefits ecosystem, supporting church employer-side retirement-plan administration and compliance that complements Pension Fund's offerings.

Broad incumbents

• TIAA: Large incumbent provider of retirement and investment products with deep presence in the nonprofit and higher-education / faith-based employer market. Comparable in 403(b) administration and retirement-plan services but far broader in scale and scope.
• Vanguard Group: Major asset manager with strong presence in 403(b) and IRA markets, frequently used by individual ministers and church employees as an alternative to denominational plans. Comparable as an investment vehicle competing for clergy and lay-employee retirement savings.
• Fidelity Investments (Workplace Investing): Operates workplace retirement plans including 403(b) for nonprofit and faith-based employers. Overlaps with Pension Fund on 403(b)/Roth 403(b) and individual IRA product sets, but offers no denominational specialization or MRA-style programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pensionfundchristianchurch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pensionfundcc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pension Fund of the Christian Church