Today, a significant number of retired ministers and their spouses face financial difficulties. Their ministry positions limited their earning potential which resulted in limited savings. Ordinary expenses like groceries, housing expenses, and medical bills threaten to exhaust the modest funds they possess.
Rev. Bill Hughes may be officially retired but at age 84, he continues to preach weekly. Every Sunday, he makes the hour-long drive from his home near Jackson, Mississippi to Carthage where he’s serving a small congregation without a pastor.
However, on November 28, Mike went on a mountain bike ride with his children—one of their favorite activities. In a fluke accident, he flew over his handlebars and crashed onto his helmet. He suffered a spinal cord injury, severely limiting his movement.
After her husband passed away, Peggy moved to live closer to family. She brought all her belongings, including family photos, her treasured violin and piano, and original music compositions, to an apartment—only to have a second tragedy strike when a fire consumed the building.
Call Packages should be designed with the whole person in mind. But more often than not, churches and lay leaders feel unequipped to put together a comprehensive package that covers the four essential elements: compensation, retirement, insurance, and wellbeing.