About The Plan

The Benefits

The Christian Churches Pension Plan was specifically developed to benefit people whose lives are devoted to vocational service for Christ.  Consider these benefits:

  • The Plan is simple.

  • Annual affordable contribution of $750 per unit. Participants may subscribe to multiple units, with additional units being added anytime before the age of 60.

  • Defined Benefit is determined by age of enrollment

  • The Plan is portable—you can take it with you if you change ministries/jobs.

  • The Plan vests in just one year.

  • The Plan is cost-effective, allowing it to offer the industry’s highest committed rate of return.

  • The Plan is stable.

  • The Plan is overseen by a Board of Governors elected by Plan Participants from among Plan Participants.

  • The Plan is reviewed annually by USI Consulting Group for fiscal soundness.

  • The plan features multiple seasoned asset managers that strategically seek asset diversification.

  • Annual contributions by the church or institution on behalf of the minister or employee are neither taxable nor subject to Social Security tax to the member.

  • Ordained persons can choose to have up to 100% of the amount they receive at retirement treated as parsonage allowance.

Benefits Table

CCPP has both a defined benefit, and a defined contribution.

The defined contribution is $750 per year, per unit. Participants can get as many units as they want.

The defined benefit is determined by age at enrollment.

Use the chart below to ESTIMATE your total annual retirement income for each unit.

The precise amount of your benefit is calculated from the actual date of enrollment through the date participation ceases. The amounts shown are based upon enrollment on your birthday, and will be PRORATED depending on the month you enroll.

If you enroll at the age on the left, you will receive the annual benefit indicated, provided you continue participation through age 65.

1 unit – $750 per year

20 – NA 30 – $7140 40 – $3600 50 – $1440
21 – $10560 31 – $6936 41 – $3456 51 – $1344
22 – $10320 32 – $6732 42 – $3312 52 – $1248
23 – $10080 33 – $6528 43 – $3168 53 – $1152
24 – $9840 34 – $6324 44 – $3024 54 – $1056
25 – $9600 35 – $4860 45 – $2400 55 – $720
26 – $9360 36 – $4692 46 – $2280 56 – $648
27 – $9120 37 – $4536 47 – $2160 57 – $576
28 – $8880 38 – $4368 48 – $2040 58 – $504
29 – $8640 39 – $4296 49 – $1920 59 – $432

4 units – $3000 per year

20 – NA 30 – $28560 40 – $14400 50 – $5760
21 – $42240 31 – $27744 41 – $13824 51 – $5376
22 – $41280 32 – $26928 42 – $13248 52 – $4992
23 – $40320 33 – $26112 43 – $12672 53 – $4608
24 – $39360 34 – $25296 44 – $12096 54 – $4224
25 – $38400 35 – $19440 45 – $9600 55 – 2880
26 – $37440 36 – $18768 46 – $9120 56 – $2592
27 – $36480 37 – $18144 47 – $8640 57 – $2304
28 – $35520 38 – $17472 48 – $8160 58 – $2016
29 – $34560 39 – $17184 49 – $7680 59 – $1728

8 units – $6000 per year

20 – NA 30 – $57120 40 – $28800 50 – $11520
21 – $84480 31 – $55488 41 – $27648 51 – $10752
22 – $82560 32 – $53856 42 – $26496 52 – $9984
23 – $80640 33 – $52224 43 – $25344 53 – $9216
24 – $78720 34 – $50592 44 – $24192 54 – $8448
25 – $76800 35 – $38880 45 – $19200 55 – $5760
26 – $74880 36 – $37536 46 – $18240 56 – $5184
27 – $72960 37 – $36288 47 – $17280 57 – $4608
28 – $71040 38 – $34944 48 – $16320 58 – $4032
29 – $69120 39 – $34368 49 – $15360 59 – $3456
Portable Plan
Take It With You
Vests In
One Year
Highest Committed
Rate of Return
In the Industry
Stable
55 Million
In Assets

Vesting

Uniform annual contribution

The current annual contribution is $750 per year per unit, well within the financial capability of every congregation. Participants may subscribe to multiple units. We recommend starting with what you can afford, with the goal of getting to 8 units in order to provide a livable retirement income.

Annual contributions by the church or institution on behalf of the minister or employee are neither taxable nor subject to Social Security tax to the member. The Plan cannot receive pension payments after age 65 for ministers or employees.

Immediate vesting

A member is vested when one full year’s contribution ($750) has been credited to him or her. This means that a member will collect a pension payment when he reaches age 65 even though he or she has been in the Plan for only a single year.

Portability

The Plan is portable. As the member moves from one church or institution to another, he or she can take their pension credits with them. Transfer from one church or institution to a new affiliation is simple. We just need one form showing the commitment of the new church or institution to continue contributions on behalf of the member. Or, a member can also make the contributions themselves, although in that case, they lose the pre-tax benefits of the contribution.

Bonus

Extra Benefits

Extra benefits have been given, in the past, to members who have been in the plan four years or more. This amount is above the benefits noted above and in the Plan document. However, any further distribution of excess funds is not guaranteed but depends upon the Plan’s investment earnings.

NOTE: Each year active members will receive an annual report projecting the scheduled monthly benefit based on continuous service to age 65; the projected monthly income based on accrued contributions; and the projected monthly income assuming the net trust earnings reach certain levels.

Plan Trustee

Presently, the Trustee of the Plan’s assets is the US Bank of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Other co-trustees or successor trustees may be retained by the Board to manage some or all of the Plan’s assets. Only banks or similar financial institutions, supervised by the federal or state government, are eligible to be Trustees.

Plan Asset Management

Diversification is a key responsibility for the fiduciaries of any retirement plan. The assets of The Christian Churches Pension Plan are diversified according to asset managers, investment philosophies, and asset classes.  The Plan assets are divided among and managed by the following:

  • US Bank, as Trustee of The Plan, manages the largest portion of the assets.
  • Baird Private Wealth Management
  • T. Rowe Price, Inc.
  • Copeland Capital Management, LLC
  • James Capital Alliance, Inc.
  • The Capital Group, Inc.
  • Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
  • BlackRock, Inc.
  • Diamond Capital Management