The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board began considering the ministry priorities and leadership qualities needed in the denomination’s next general secretary during its fall meeting Oct. 16-18 at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill.
Church of the Brethren congregations and organizations that have used Eder Financial’s organizational investing and retirement services need to work to transfer those accounts to Everence as soon as possible, if they haven’t done so already.
Eder Financial will conduct open enrollment for 2027 benefits from Monday, Nov. 9, through Friday, Nov. 20. Open enrollment is the once-a-year opportunity to update insurance coverage. Eligible pastors and staff members of congregations, districts, and camps can purchase short- and long-term disability, life, vision, dental, critical illness, and accident insurance from Eder Financial again this year.
Dan Radcliff and Ann Vang have resigned their positions with Eder Financial. Both have accepted positions with Everence Financial. Dan Radcliff has resigned as Program Director for Organizational Investing, Deferred Gifts, Client Services at Eder Financial, as of Oct. 30. He began employment with Eder on Oct. 26, 2020. Ann Vang has resigned as Operations
Pastors and staff members of Church of the 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.
Eder Financial had big news for the delegates this year as they described the background of the decision and the process for moving employee retirement and organizational investing services to Everence Financial.
Standing Committee has approved two documents related to Eder Financial’s transition of services to Everence Association Inc. The decision endorses Everence as the Church of the Brethren’s preferred provider for a number of services that are being transferred by Eder to Everence. These services include employee retirement, organizational investing, and possibly other financial or insurance services.
A special meeting of the Standing Committee of district representatives to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will take place on Monday evening, April 13, at 8 p.m. (Eastern time). The meeting will center around Eder Financial’s agency status with Annual Conference and a proposed interim memo of understanding (MOU) between Standing Committee and Everence.
The Church of the Brethren’s Inter-Agency Forum (IAF) met in Florida on Jan. 27 and has issued the following statement. The IAF includes officers of the denomination’s Annual Conference; the general secretary of the Church of the Brethren and the chair of the Mission and Ministry Board; representatives of the Council of District Executives; and executives and chairs of the boards of the three Annual Conference agencies: Bethany Theological Seminary, Eder Financial, and On Earth Peace.
The delegates to the Church of the Brethren 2025 Annual Conference voted to continue the agency status of Eder Financial (formerly Brethren Benefit Trust or BBT). This allows Eder Financial to continue as an agency reportable to Annual Conference and authorized to use the Church of the Brethren name.
