For those of us who work in denominational back offices, this is an exciting time of year. We are preparing for Open Enrollment for health insurance and updating contribution amounts for pensions. I’ve been doing this for about 15 years. Each year, I’ve tried to improve the process of collecting this information from pastors and churches. If I could communicate better or create a better form or better spreadsheet than last year, I consider it a win.
There will be close to 4,000 churches and pastors in the Global Methodist Church by the end of the year. I’ve never served so many! I’ve never served such a diverse group either. I’m from the Dakotas where diversity is if you have a mix of Norwegians, Germans, Swedes, and Czechs. I guarantee I’ll make plenty of mistakes this season… but next year will be better.
In the video, I cover the Pension Contribution Form. Here’s a couple of ways that you can help me and the Benefits Team out so that we can serve you better:
Pray for Us
Like I said, I know we’ll make mistakes. Pray especially for Teri Casson who is on the front line for Pension Contributions. I’m always mystified by prayer…that for His own reasons, the LORD listens to and works through our prayers. Pray that our damaging mistakes will be few, and we’ll learn quickly from them. Pray that those responsible for the work will have health and joy in this season. Pray that this season will be a blessing for pastors instead of a distraction or frustration.
Assign a Responsible Person
In every church, there’s at least one person that makes sure things get done. If this isn’t you, who is it? That person needs this and any other communications relating to pension and health insurance elections. It will be very difficult for me and the Benefits Team to reach out to churches to remind them to turn in their Pension Compensation Form. Pastors will outnumber finance and benefits bureaucrats 1,000 to 1 in the Global Methodist Church! But, if the responsible people are brought into the loop, there will be less need for adding more bureaucrats. I would prefer our denomination be known for multiplying disciples of Jesus Christ instead of multiplying bureaucrats.
Don’t Feel Guilty if you’re not the Responsible Person
If you are the pastor or the lay leader, you may feel like it’s up to you to handle any denominational forms so you refuse to let go of that duty. It feels like failure if you have to hand it off. We are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). The LORD created someone and joined them to the church you serve that will experience great joy and satisfaction from being able to take care of things like this Pension Contribution Form.
Useful Links
- PDF Version of Form: https://jctaccounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Pension_Contributions.pdf
- Excel Version of Form: https://jctaccounting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Pension_Contributions.xlsx
- Global Methodist Benefits: https://globalmethodist.org/faqs/
- Email the Benefits Team: benefits@globalmethodist.org