During the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Greensboro last month, I attended a workshop led by Bo Prosser, CBF Coordinator of Organizational Relationships, and Gary Skeen, President of the CBF Church Benefits Board. They announced the launch of an initiative by CBF to address the economic challenges facing pastoral leaders which is largely funded by a grant from the Lilly Foundation. One of the most striking parts of the meeting was the report of a survey of 642 pastoral leaders on the topic. Four pressing concerns were identified from this data. First, those surveyed carried a heavy debt load. Of those surveyed, 67 percent carry a debt that equaled up to two times their annual salary. Student loans or educational debt made up 41 percent of respondent debt. Second, health benefits are limited. Forty-four percent of the participants did not receive medical benefits from their employers. Of this 44 pe...
Comments from a Christ-follower on things that matter to him