In response to The Wall Street Journal‘s recent article titled “Church Retirement Plans Sidestep Federal Oversight—and Employees Pay the Price,” the Church Alliance has released the following statement:

“As professional stewards of multiple-employer denominational church benefits plans, we at the Church Alliance are heartbroken to read about ministers and church lay workers not receiving promised retirement benefits.

Each of the Church Alliance’s 34 member organizations manages employee retirement and/or health plan benefits on behalf of multiple employers, often including churches, synagogues, and religiously affiliated ministries like parochial schools, food kitchens, day cares, and nursing homes. Unlike self-administered, single-employer church retirement plans, such as single-employer hospital church plans, the multiple-employer denominational retirement plans offered through Church Alliance members are professionally managed by organizations whose sole purpose is to steward plan resources on behalf of religious denominations in accordance with applicable federal and state law, fiduciary standards, and industry best practices.

Church Alliance member plans cover clergy, church lay workers, and family members across more than 155,000 churches, synagogues, and religiously affiliated ministries across the country.”