The Missionary Church

Ministry benefits created with the Missionary Church in mind.

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The Missionary Church

Ministry benefits created with the Missionary Church in mind.

Get Started Learn More

We understand your ministry.
We understand employee benefits.
And we share your passion for the Gospel.

That’s why GuideStone® and The Missionary Church have teamed up to support your calling and offer faith-based retirement, medical coverage and insurance solutions uniquely designed for your ministry.

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GuideStone offers comprehensive solutions designed to provide support, guidance and protection. Explore our offerings below.

Retirement
Medical Coverage & Insurance Solutions
Why GuideStone Retirement?

Alongside The Missionary Church, GuideStone® is excited to offer a unique retirement plan for church staff members. The plan is offered as part of The Missionary Church's commitment to a secure retirement investment platform for churches, pastors, staff and missionaries and is now available to all churches in the The Missionary Church network.

GuideStone is one of the nation’s largest providers of employee benefits and financial services, working with 36,000 churches and nearly 600 ministries to offer retirement plans customized to help employees reach their individual financial goals.

  • Faith-based Investments: GuideStone sponsors the nation’s largest1 faith-based mutual fund family — GuideStone Funds® — which provides you with investment options that align with your values.
  • Ministers’ Tax Benefits: GuideStone offers a 403(b)(9) church retirement plan, allowing distributions as housing allowance in retirement for employees who qualify as Ministers for Tax Purposes.
  • Advisory Services: GuideStone's team of financial advisors is available to deliver customized advice to members for an additional fee. Plus, our customer solutions specialists are also available by phone or email Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT to assist you in secure, knowledgeable conversations.
  • Targeted Educational Resources: Access informative and timely employee resources. Employees can find personalized tools in their MyGuideStone® accounts.
GuideStone's Retirement Plan Solutions
Who is eligible?
  • All churches in The Missionary Church family are eligible to participate in the 403(b)(9) plan.
  • Employee eligibility is determined by the church.
What types of costs are associated with the retirement plan?
  • There is no cost to the church to establish the retirement plan.
  • There are no recurring fees for Members outside the expense ratios of the funds.
What kind of contributions can be made?
  • Contributions can be made by the employer, employee or both.
  • Salary-reduced contributions by the employee can be made as tax-sheltered or Roth (After Tax Contributions).
What do standard plan provisions include?
  • 100% vesting on all contributions regardless of years of service
  • One hardship withdrawal per plan year for participants less than age 59½ (must meet IRS requirements as a hardship)
  • One in-service withdrawal from the plan for participants who are at least age 59½
  • Distribution options of a single sum or systematic withdrawal payments after termination from service
  • One outstanding plan loan
  • Spousal consent is required for primary beneficiary designations other than the spouse
  • As a denominational pension board, GuideStone can facilitate housing allowance for retired ministers (within IRS limits) — a unique benefit for you!
How do I get started?

Step 1:

  • If you're ready to sign up: Request your church's plan documents by booking an appointment or contacting Kent Gayle. (Please include "Your Church Name-The Missionary Church" in your email.)
  • If you have additional questions: Schedule an appointment with Kent Gayle

Step2 :

  • After plan document completion, you will receive information in order to enroll eligible participants to begin employee contributions via the GuideStone Employee Access® Program (EAP).
Request Plan DocumentsAdditional Questions
Why GuideStone Medical Coverage & Insurance Solutions?

GuideStone believes when the body of Christ is healthy, it’s free to transform the world — and we want to help guide and equip your ministry to do just that. With GuideStone, your church has access to a variety of Christian health plans, life insurance options and other insurance solutions designed for ministries like yours.

Get Started with Medical Coverage and Insurance
What We Offer

We offer a variety of both group and personal health plan designs to match your budget to your health care needs. Designed with Christian values in mind, our plans have built-in features — like nationwide networks and nurse navigators — so that you can steward your ministry dollars well.

To round out your benefits package and offer your employees peace of mind, we also offer other essential coverages.

With GuideStone, dental, vision, life, accident and disability coverage may be more cost-effective than you think!

Who is eligible?

All churches in The Missionary Church family are eligible to participate in GuideStone coverage.

  • To qualify for GuideStone Group Plans, employers with two or more covered employees must contribute a minimum of 50% of the employee-only cost of medical coverage. Employees may participate in a GuideStone group health plan if they work 20 or more hours per week and are paid, full-time employees of an eligible church, agency, or institution affiliated with, or sharing common religious bonds with, the Southern Baptist Convention.
  • An individual is eligible to participate in GuideStone Personal Plans if he or she is a paid employee of an eligible church that is a part of The Missionary Church family and works 20 or more hours per week.
How do I get started?

Ready to get started with medical coverage and insurance solutions? Get a quote.

What People Are Saying About GuideStone

Don Williams, Director of Operations, Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN
“
The GuideStone team has a willingness to go above and beyond that is unmatched by any person or organization I've worked with in nearly 30 years of ministry. [They] provide excellent values-based investment options for our ministry team. From an HR standpoint, GuideStone's platform is easy to use, and their reporting, training, and willingness to answer questions is top drawer.”
Don Williams, Director of Operations, Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

Don Williams, Director of Operations
Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

 

 

 

 

 

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1 As of September 30, 2024, GuideStone Funds has $20.0 billion in assets, which makes GuideStone Funds® the nation’s largest faith-based mutual fund family. No other faith-based fund family exceeds GuideStone Funds in asset size.

Advisory services offered through GuideStone Advisors®, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. GuideStone Advisors is a controlled affiliate of GuideStone Financial Resources®. For more information about the firm, products and services, please review the GuideStone Affiliate Form CRS.