Pensions and God
I realize that that’s a rather stark title. But as a Christian people it must be our first concern to ensure that our thinking about pensions involves God at every stage. It is a very open secret that the Baptist Ministers’ and Staff Pension Schemes are facing a major challenge. Like BMS World Mission last year and a thousand and one other organizations we need to make major changes. This week thousands of Baptist ministers, staff and churches have received letters which clearly and helpfully spell out the situation, and the possible way forward.
But let’s try to stand back from this situation for a moment. Pensions are clearly a wonderful expression of covenant love. As Christian people we care for one another and we recognize that we have a very special responsibility to look after those whom we call to serve amongst us. Pensions are a practical expression of Christian love. I have to believe, therefore, that God delights in the provision of pensions. However such thoughts will not easily lead us to work out the exact amount of money that should be set aside for pension provision! That’s the work God calls us to do.
I am writing in this way because of a fear – and that is that anyone might see this very demanding process of pension reform as a purely technical exercise. There is no doubt at all that there is much that is deeply technical about it and we need to celebrate the amazing work that has been done by people with legal, actuarial, human resources and organizational skills. We owe them and all those who have worked with them an immense debt of gratitude. But those who have worked on this would be the first to recognize that this has been a spiritual journey with the need for prayerfulness, courage and deep faith.
As you may well know one of the biggest challenges to all pension schemes has been ever increasing longevity. And Baptist ministers make the problem even worse! Baptist ministers on average live significantly longer than the population in general – and whereas we would undoubtedly want to celebrate that fact, it has to be paid for.
My hope is that the present pension challenge will be bathed in prayer at every stage. We will need to have many technical conversations about the new scheme, but in every breath of our conversations let’s ensure that we are seeking to honour God.
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