Providing Quality Retirement Savings for All Who Serve

This article was originally published in the Fall 2019 issue of Bridge Magazine. 

In the Disciples of Christ church where I grew up, we would sing “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” each time a member would unite with our congregation – either by transfer of membership or confession of faith. To this day, I remember the words well: Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

Our common confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the true tie that binds the Stone-Campbell (Restoration) Movement. Over the centuries, the movement has fractured into three mainstreams and many subbranches. Yet, continuing in the legacy of Stone and Campbell — and in an ongoing effort to remain bound as one Church — Pension Fund provides quality retirement programs to all who serve in the movement.

Pension Fund, along with the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, are two General Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with the clearly stated purpose of serving the full movement. Our mission, the original need that called us into being, is For the Support of Ministry, echoing Campbell’s words in 1831, 1834, and 1835 in the Millennial Harbinger, “to provide for the aged and care for the widows and orphans of those who serve.”

Our vision clearly states our desired outcome — that every Stone-Campbell pastor and lay employee will have a strong, smart, and secure retirement. At Pension Fund, we are committed to serving all representations of the movement including congregations, colleges, universities, seminaries, mission partners, care facilities, and all who claim Stone-Campbell as part of their history and heritage.

In addition to the Disciples of Christ (DOC) congregations we serve, Pension Fund provides retirement solutions to many churches, universities, and organizations in the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ (CCCC) sector as well.

In addition to what are considered the three mainstreams, there are other Stone-Campbell ministries we serve such as the Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ, International; Iglesia Cristiana (Discipulos de Cristo) in Puerto Rico, and fellowship groups within the Christian Church such as the Texas Christian Missionary Fellowship.

While the Movement has fractured over interpretation and application of sacred texts, we at Pension Fund remain intentional in our efforts to reach each part of the movement and are privileged to stand in the confluence of these divergent streams; blessed to be a blessing by the one true tie that connects us all. Blest be the tie that binds!