A History of Geneva Benefits Group and the PCA

Geneva Benefits Group is the Presbyterian Church in America’s agency for ministry staff benefits

For fifty years, Geneva Benefits Group has administered the Ministerial Relief Fund on behalf of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The first General Assembly of the PCA established this committee to manage retirement and benefits of the newly formed denomination and to develop a program to “meet the needs of ministers and other workers in the church in an adequate manner.” That longevity reflects the denomination’s commitment to the practical needs of its ministry staff and their families.

Initially launched in 1982 as Insurance, Annuities, and Relief, the agency has long provided financial planning services to the pastors and staff of the PCA’s churches.

Around the agency’s twenty-year anniversary, Insurance, Annuities, and Retirement became PCA Retirement and Benefits. This name change reflected its commitment to the denomination and emphasized its core services. RBI, its shorthand nickname, focused on both the long- and short-term financial health of ministry servants.

As the PCA has grown, so have the capabilities of its retirement and benefits agency. In the late 2010s, RBI initiated a study of PCA pastors and their families to understand financial, emotional, spiritual, and relational stresses they experience in their roles. This report coincided with and galvanized an expansion of RBI’s services. Instead of only focusing on financial health, the agency broadened its services to include emotional and mental wellbeing services.

At the same time, RBI began serving other like-minded denominations within the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC), like the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Korean American Presbyterian Church. These denominations began using RBI services to offer retirement benefits to their ministry staff. 

In 2022, PCA Retirement and Benefits changed its name for a third time, becoming Geneva Benefits Group. It remains a proud PCA agency, operating under the supervision of and in submission to the General Assembly. Since its services and customers have now expanded, though, to include other like-minded reformed denominations and a broader set of services, it made sense to do business under a new name.

Geneva reflects a commitment to the reformed tradition and a flexibility to add even more helpful benefit categories to ministry servants’ employment packages. And of course, Geneva maintains active support for its Relief arm, which comes alongside pastors, their widows, and ministry staff and families in need.