Men ordinarily enter ministry while they are young. They enjoy the energy and vitality that accompany youth. Many are in the first years of marriage and parenting. Life is in front of them, and they often lack a sense of vulnerability when it comes to unforeseen tragedy.
This dynamic isn’t unique to ministry. Most young adults don’t carry life insurance or disability policies. Yet, insurance claim studies indicate that the odds of becoming disabled for ninety days or longer are much greater than dying during one’s work years.
Just ask Joe Novenson, pastor of senior adults at Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church. Joe suffered a life-altering accident that left him disabled for almost two years. We asked Joe about his experience with disability and how it reshaped his view of being prepared for unexpected events.
What was your experience that led to your disability?
The year was 1975. I was 21 years old and had been married to my wife Barb for just two months. Two months after we had said to each other “for better or for worse,” my wife stayed with me through what was, and may to this day be, the worst that we faced.
Before I was to begin an assistant chaplain’s job at a college; I wanted to earn some money. So, I took a job with Kelly Temporary Labor Service and was assigned to a sheet metal factory. After 10 minutes of working in the sheet metal factory, my right hand was caught in sheet metal rollers. I intuitively, in an attempt to rescue my right hand, threw in my left hand to try to pull the right hand out. As a result, both hands were crushed. I screamed so loud that my ears rang from my own voice’s volume.
I was sent to St Luke’s hospital where I began the first of 17 surgeries to rebuild my hands. The surgeon took bone from my hip and flesh from my chest and tendons from my wrists and rebuilt my hands. And I will be the debtor to that doctor for the first several billion years of eternity.
The surgeries were intermittent. They would work on one hand and then the other and I had to hold both my hands above my head for one year. I know that sounds like a preacher exaggeration but it’s not. After crush injuries, if you lower your hands below your heart; the swelling is almost immediate and the pain is astronomical. So I slept with my hands above my head. I would lie in the bed on my back and my wife would build an “igloo” of white pillows and I would rest my hand on top of the pillows.
How did God use this experience in your life?
I had completed one year of Westminster Seminary at the time. I still was not a convinced reformed thinker at this time. After the accident, my father built me a desk at which I could sit and place my elbows at ear level. I would put books in a little tray that he had built for me and I would turn the pages with a pencil in my mouth and the eraser end against the page. That’s how I read Calvin’s Institutes. The hand accident was really the turning point that made me reformed and I entered the Presbyterian Church in America after that.
How did you pay for all the medical care you received?
Barb and I were newlyweds and were in a financial crack in both policy and provision. We were so poor that we applied for a Sears credit card and didn’t qualify. But we also had enough money saved for our marriage that we didn’t qualify for social assistance. On top of that, the laws of the state classified all of my surgeries as “plastic.” And, in most categories, plastic surgery is seen as elective and is uncovered by workman’s compensation. I had between a quarter and half a million dollars worth of medical debt and no ability to pay. It took seven years of legal activity and an appeal to the supreme court before I could pay my bills.
I did not have disability insurance and if I had not received grace and mercy from the physician who did the surgeries and the hospital itself, I don’t know what I would have done. I could not pay my bills, period.
What’s your advice to pastors and church staff?
When it comes to our own fragility and planning for disability, I think there are two proofs of the word of God that are underestimated here in the West: the full extent of the fallen world and the doctrine of finitude.
The doctrine of the fall is intense. I think the recent months with COVID have taught us all that we are not as strong and secure as we think we are. Our finitude makes our lives far more tenuous in this fallen world. Good stewardship requires preparation for the difficulty of living in a fallen world. We need to take our finitude seriously in order to rightly steward our lives when we are called by God to face great trials. If you think you don’t need disability insurance, you’ve underestimated the doctrine of the fall and you’ve underestimated your own finitude.
We are thankful to Joe Novenson for his willingness to share insights from his personal experience. PCA Retirement & Benefits partners with ministries to provide long-term disability as well as combined short and long-term disability plans for their staff.
Follow the links above to learn more about our disability plans and click the button below to take the next step to enroll.
Watch Joe Novenson share his story from our 2018 General Assembly report.
For more than 50 years, Geneva Benefits Group has been committed to serving those who serve the Church. Established by the PCA General Assembly in 1973, Geneva was entrusted with a clear and enduring mission: to care for pastors, ministry workers, and their families—not just in seasons of flourishing but in moments of real need.
At the heart of that mission is the Relief Fund.
The Relief Fund exists to provide financial assistance and compassionate support to PCA pastors, widows, and ministry families facing hardship. Whether the need arises from illness, loss, or unexpected crisis, the goal is simple: to ensure that those who have given their lives to ministry are not left to carry those burdens alone.
This work is overseen by the Geneva team and guided by people who understand ministry life firsthand. Many on our team are pastors themselves and have spent years walking alongside ministry families. Financial planners, staff members, and committee leaders bring both professional expertise and pastoral care to every situation.
Because behind every application is a real story.
A Thoughtful and Pastoral Application Process
The Relief Fund is available to PCA pastors, widows, and ministry families experiencing financial hardship. The circumstances vary, but often include medical crises, disability, loss of income, or the death of a pastor—leaving a spouse or family navigating both grief and financial uncertainty.
Applying for assistance is designed to be a private, respectful, and pastoral experience. Applicants are invited to share their circumstances in a way that helps Geneva understand both the financial need and the broader context of their situation. Financial information is gathered but always with an emphasis on dignity, confidentiality, and care.
No one is treated like a number. Every application represents a person, a family, and a story that matters.
How Relief Fund Grants Are Prayerfully Distributed
Once an application is submitted, it is carefully reviewed by Geneva’s Financial Assistance Committee. This team includes financial leaders, pastoral staff, and experienced advisors who bring both wisdom and compassion to the process.
Each request is approached with prayerful discernment. In many cases, applicants also meet with a Geneva financial planner to gain a clearer understanding of their financial picture and to receive guidance on next steps. This ensures that assistance is not only timely, but also thoughtful and sustainable.
Several factors are considered in determining how relief is given:
- The nature and urgency of the need
- The applicant’s available resources
- The long-term impact and sustainability of support
Support may come in the form of a one-time emergency grant or ongoing assistance for more extended situations. Each case is handled individually, with care taken to tailor support to the specific need. Relief is delivered as quickly and practically as possible—meeting people where they are, when they need it most.
How Your Generosity Changes Lives
Every dollar distributed through the Relief Fund begins as a gift.
Donors make this work possible by giving generously to support pastors, widows, and ministry families they may never meet but with whom they share a deep bond in Christ. These gifts are carefully stewarded by Geneva to ensure both immediate impact and long-term sustainability.
Supporting the Relief Fund is relational, not transactional. To give to the Relief Fund is to participate in the care of the Church. It’s a way of saying, “You are not forgotten.” It’s a tangible expression of gratitude for those who have spent their lives serving others.
The impact of your generosity is literally life-changing:
“My wife and I would not have made it financially for the last few years without the help from the Relief Fund.” -Scott, PCA Pastor
“When I got the call that I was going to be given help, I cried for 20 minutes straight on the phone…It felt like a miracle and that the Lord saw me.” -Jen, Widow
“Without the Relief Fund, I don’t know where I would be. I could very well be homeless. I have no family that can help. I can’t say enough good things about this ministry.” -Kimberlee
Time and again, these gifts become lifelines—helping families stay afloat, covering essential expenses, and providing stability in seasons that might otherwise feel overwhelming.
A Growing Need
As the PCA continues to grow and mature, so do the needs within it.
More pastors are reaching retirement age. More widows are living longer and requiring ongoing care. At the same time, rising healthcare costs and financial pressures are increasing the strain on ministry families.
The need for the Relief Fund is growing.
And with that growth comes an opportunity for the church to respond–to live out its calling as a connected, caring body, and to ensure that those who have faithfully served are, in turn, faithfully supported.
How to Get Involved
At its core, the Relief Fund is a bridge.
It connects those in need with those who are able to give. It reflects a shared commitment to care for one another across churches, cities, and generations. It honors the service of pastors and ministry families by ensuring they are not alone in times of hardship.
“You often don’t know the struggles and trials your pastor, his family, and other ministry workers endure. They often put on a great public face while having many internal struggles and weariness in the ups and downs of hard ministry work. Being able to provide relief is essential for helping those who serve the Lord openly and, in their calling, when they have extraordinary need.” – Relief Fund Monthly Sustainer
This is what it looks like to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). And it is an invitation:
- To pray for those in need
- To give to the Relief Fund as you are able
- To apply for help
As we support one another in times of need, the Church becomes a clearer picture of Christ’s love and care for His people.
Geneva Benefits Group serves those who serve others, providing practical support for the financial, physical, and mental wellbeing of people who work in full-time ministry.
