A release from Eder Financial
Pastors and staff members of Brethren congregations, districts, and camps will be able to purchase short- and long-term disability, life, vision, dental, critical illness, and accident insurances from Eder Financial for 2027 as they have in 2026 and in the past. The rates will be released in the next couple of weeks.
The good news is that the rates will stay the same for all of the insurances except for one.
“We are pleased that we will be able to provide these important insurances to pastors and church workers, and short-term disability will be the only insurance that will experience a rate increase,” said Nevin Dulabaum, Eder president.
The rates should be available by mid-September. When they are ready the rates will be posted on the Eder website and notices will be sent to people who use and are qualified to use these insurances, the district executives, the Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee, and to Newsline. Once the rates are released they will be programed into the pastoral benefits calculator that is used by district executives and congregations to calculate employee benefits for pastors being hired by congregations.
Open enrollment for these products will be Nov. 9-20.
The short-term disability rates are going up because people have needed the coverage and have used it. It is an extremely helpful and protective insurance for those who develop short-term disability issues in the future. This is the first time in many years that short-term disability will be experiencing a rate increase. Despite this increase, Eder encourages existing clients and other pastors and church workers who have not purchased this insurance to do so as it has been named as an important insurance for employees of Brethren churches, districts, and camps to access.
Why is Eder providing these insurances in 2027, having announced it is transitioning away from providing insurances, retirement, and organization investing services over the next eight months?
“Other insurance companies can offer these products to individual pastors and church workers,” said Dulabaum. “But these companies cannot offer these products as a group church plan, which offers pastors and church workers special benefits such as annual open enrollment without the need for health screenings. Everyone in the group can obtain the insurance although a person’s pre-existing conditions might not be covered.”
Eder was unable to find a solution with another qualified church-plan provider, and so the organization decided it would offer these insurances again next year.
“We want Brethren pastors and church workers to have the ancillary insurances they need,” Dulabaum said.
For more information, contact insurance@eder.org
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Find more Church of the Brethren news:
- Health Care Education Scholarships are awarded to nine recipients
- Ancillary insurances available to Brethren church workers in 2027
- Germantown Church hosts new ‘Building and Empowering Lay Leadership’ training program
- Jon Lucas Keller resigns from Church of the Brethren’s Mission Advancement team
- Engage event offers opportunity to gather in support of global mission, resources are available