Answering a call to ministry comes with a lot of preparation. There’s education, credentialing, learning to lead and serve well, and figuring out the practical realities of life in ministry.
Financial preparation deserves a place on that list, too.
For a newly credentialed pastor, retirement can feel like something that belongs much farther down the road. There are plenty of financial questions that feel more immediate: How do I build a workable budget? What should I know about housing allowance? How much should I be saving? How do I balance student loans, family expenses and ministry income? Where do I even begin?
Those are exactly the kinds of questions we want you to bring to us.
Start with $500 toward your future
The Servant Solutions Newly Credentialed Program was created to walk alongside ministers at the very beginning of their journey and encourage healthy financial habits from the start.
If you qualify, Servant Solutions will deposit a $500 gift directly into your new retirement account. There’s no cost to you and no requirement to match the gift.
But we don’t want to simply help you open an account. We want to help you begin building habits that can serve you for years to come.
After one year of regular contributions and completing a Financial Roadmap meeting with our team, you’ll receive an additional $1,000 gift toward your retirement.
That means $1,500 invested in your future, along with something potentially even more valuable: a year of establishing the habit of saving and a clearer understanding of your financial picture.
Preparing for more than retirement
Ministry is a calling, but pastors still face the same financial realities as everyone else. Starting early gives you something that can be difficult to make up later: time.
Even modest contributions made consistently can grow over the course of a career. Just as importantly, learning to pay attention to your finances early can help you make more informed decisions as your ministry, family and income change.
Our goal isn’t to hand you a list of financial rules. It’s to help you understand where you are, answer the questions you’re already asking and help you identify practical next steps.
Because preparing financially for ministry isn’t just about someday retiring from it.
You’re preparing to enter ministry. Let us help you stay there.
Do you qualify?
The Newly Credentialed Program may be available to you if you meet all three requirements:
You have been fully credentialed by an approved church body within the last five years.
You work at least 20 hours per week for a church or nonprofit organization that participates in the Servant Solutions Retirement Plan.
You receive compensation from that participating organization.
Not sure whether your organization participates? That’s an easy question to answer. Contact Servant Solutions, and we can verify whether your organization already participates or explore whether it qualifies to join the Servant Solutions Retirement Plan.
Now is the time to build financial habits that can support your calling for years to come. Bring us the questions you’re already asking. We’d be glad to help you get started.