The Church Alliance today expresses its gratitude to outgoing Steering Committee Chairman James (Jim) Sanft, who served for 18 years as the President and CEO of Concordia Plan Services before retiring this year, and welcomes its new Steering Committee Chairman, Andrew (Andy) Q. Hendren, J.D., General Secretary and CEO at Wespath.
During his more than seven years serving as Steering Committee Chairman (2019 – 2026), Mr. Sanft guided the Church Alliance through a period of transformative growth and impact. Among other achievements, Mr. Sanft helped the Church Alliance advocate for retirement policy reforms in the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Acts of 2019 and 2022 and for ministries’ access to government relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also spearheaded the organizational restructuring that led to the hiring of the Church Alliance’s first full-time Executive Director last year.
Mr. Hendren has been engaged in denominational benefits policy work for more than 20 years at Wespath, where he now serves as CEO. From 2015 – 2020, Mr. Hendren served in Church Alliance leadership roles, including as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Church Alliance, and provided critical leadership to the Core Lawyer Working Group that carried out the majority of the organization’s activities. He became a Church Alliance Steering Committee member in 2022.
“It has been an incredible honor to serve the broader church plan community as Chair of the Church Alliance,” said Sanft. “Together, we have been able to accomplish much on behalf of those who have answered the call to ministry and to serve the people of God!”
“I am honored to follow Jim’s leadership as we continue the important work of the Church Alliance in advocating for fair benefits policies on behalf of clergy and lay workers who serve across the Alliance’s 35 member organizations,” Andy reflected. “Wespath and Concordia Plan Services share a long history of supporting the Church Alliance in its work ensuring regulators, members of Congress and other federal policymakers understand the unique needs of faith-based employees and make decisions that protect the interests of those who serve their faith communities.”
“During the last 15 months, Jim and Andy have both played essential roles in helping me understand how the Church Alliance has served the denominational benefits community and how it can continue to serve this community in the future,” said Chris Wells, who began as the Church Alliance’s first full-time Executive Director on January 1, 2025. “In partnership with Andy and the rest of the Steering Committee, I look forward to further expanding the breadth and depth of the legal alignment and advocacy services that the Church Alliance provides to denominational benefits organizations across the country.”
