Retirement: joy or dread? For many Baby Boomers it’s a mixture of both, and aging PCA pastors are no exception.

In 2010, PCA Retirement & Benefits, Inc. (RBI), conducted a comprehensive survey on retirement readiness among teaching elders. Asked if they felt prepared for retiring, pastors typically gave answers ranging from “No,” to “Not sure,” to “I need help!”

Over the next 25 years, the number of retired teaching elders is expected to soar from approximately 800 to 2,500. This could severely tax the PCA’s Ministerial Relief Fund, which offers primary assistance to widows and families of deceased teaching elders, and to retired pastors whose assets have become depleted.

Retirement Readiness: An Ongoing Challenge
While the issue looms, the situation is not dire, according to Gary Campbell, president of RBI. “This has been a concern going back as far as a decade and will impact our agency for years to come,” Campbell said. “It will affect support for the Relief Fund and the way RBI delivers help and counsel to teaching elders and their families.

The survey strongly suggests that between now and 2035 the number of retirees will triple. “Over that time period, families in need of assistance will quadruple,” Campbell said.

RBI has been asked to write non-binding guidelines for pastoral call package—not only salary and expenses—but also specifics for long-term disability, long-term health care, life insurance, and general health insurance.

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