CPG in Action
Business Updates
Over the past year, we have enhanced a variety of benefits consistent with General Convention resolutions and our ongoing commitment to providing a high level of benefits as cost-effectively as possible. We offered increased lay employee maternity benefits to employers, raised the lifetime fertility benefit for our self-insured plans to a combined maximum of $50,000 for medical and pharmacy services, and rolled out Hinge Health, a new online physical therapy program that is already serving hundreds of members.
Our pharmacy and Group Medicare Advantage (GMA) programs delivered the cost savings we expected and introduced members to new, value-added services. For example, 28% of our GMA participants are benefitting from home visits, and more than 4,000 meals have been delivered as part of the post-hospital discharge support program.
While our ongoing cost-containment efforts kept the average medical plan rate renewal increase below 4%, we also continue to have fruitful conversations with the Denominational Health Plan (DHP) Task Force that was created by the 80th General Convention. The task force is studying aspects of the DHP to determine if there are ways to deliver competitive healthcare at more affordable rates. The
Denominational Health Plan Annual Report offers greater insight into our most recent accomplishments and our plans to pursue additional opportunities.
As the employee benefits landscape evolves, we remain committed to keeping pace. Our move to web self-service has been well-received, and we plan to add new features in the years ahead. While we continue to look for ways to make it easier for our members to manage their benefits, we will stay focused on containing healthcare costs.
Spotlight on Lay Employees
We are making an intentional effort to track lay employee compensation patterns. Our first ever
Lay Employment and Compensation Report provides an overview of the demographic, geographic, and compensation differences among those enrolled in The Church Pension Fund retirement plans. We are also working to raise awareness among lay employees about the many benefits, products, and services available to them. (See graphic below.)
Offering affordable property and casualty insurance that provides adequate coverage to a wide range of Episcopal churches and institutions is a delicate balancing act for Church Insurance Companies. We help clients manage the cost of coverage by educating them about proactive steps they can take to keep their properties in good condition, so the likelihood of loss is reduced.
Insurance coverage is only one of the tools institutions can use to protect their buildings and people. We partner with all our clients to help them see what they can do to reduce the financial impact of a storm or other occurrence. For example, we provide checklists in advance of major weather events to help clients easily take precautions.
Our hands-on approach to support and service likely explains why, year after year, we retain close to 98% of our clients, which is substantially higher than the industry standard. Numbers like this give us confidence that our approach is working, and we plan to continue it as we explore even better ways to communicate and serve.
Property and casualty insurance costs are increasing industry wide due to more frequent and severe weather-related events. We also are seeing steep increases in construction costs that could affect future premiums. Church properties and Church Insurance are not immune to these trends. Most clients can expect to see increases to premiums in the coming year. But they will experience an increase in service and support as well.
This year, Church Insurance began the process of upgrading billing, claims, data, and other systems. Once complete, the new processes will enable easier and faster communication with our clients and will help our agents collect property details in real time before and during walkthroughs of Church-owned properties.
We also increased our focus on education so every client and potential client understands the importance of coverage, the cost of coverage, and the tradeoffs they can make to ensure appropriate coverage with rates and deductibles that they can afford. Lower premiums are not always the answer, particularly when they come with higher deductibles that can be impossible to fund when surprise disasters strike.
Cyber risk is another topic that we have continued to address through client education and policy coverage. With plate and pledge donations now increasingly digital, it is critical that institutions understand how to protect donor information from privacy breaches and identity theft.
Our Church properties and people play important roles in the communities they serve. Church Insurance exists to help the Church identify, understand, and manage risks to both. We look forward to continuing to serve in the years ahead as ongoing and emerging risks require expert insight, education, collaboration, and coverage.
Prepared to Swoop In
“The Diocese of Southwest Florida had 22 churches damaged by Hurricane Ian. Church Insurance was immediately on the ground providing contractors and insurance payments to these congregations, which gave peace of mind. Church Insurance focused on our buildings so we could focus on our people.
“I am convinced that without Church Insurance and their quick response to the hurricane, many of these 22 churches would be facing closure. Instead, they continue to serve their communities and are looking forward to the day that they can return to worship in their beautiful sanctuaries.”
— Michael Booher, Chief Financial Officer, Diocese of Southwest Florida
Airié Stuart, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Church Publishing Incorporated (CPI), talks about what drives her to bring the principles and values of The Episcopal Church to the widest possible audience.
When I became the head of Church Publishing, I saw an opportunity to grow the impact of a progressive Christian publisher whose purpose is, put simply, to do good in the world. I had run a multi-market publishing company, and I knew that CPI had powerful potential to reach multiple audiences on topics of importance to The Episcopal Church.
Since I joined in 2020, a new editorial strategy focused on market-specific content has expanded our impact. The editorial team’s goal is to maximize thought leadership, support the inspiring work of scholars, champion important voices, and develop content creators on a wide variety of topics that appeal to Episcopal readers and beyond. New titles are generating attention and positive reviews across a range of media. We have been able to expand the visibility of our work around the country and sow seeds around the world. A recent webinar we hosted on practical guidance to begin the work of reparations is a good example of how a book can facilitate dialogue and address the needs of the Church.
We are excited about the future of Church Publishing, and the role it can play in supporting clergy and lay employees of The Episcopal Church in their calling to spread the gospel, and in introducing other audiences to scholarly, professional, and general interest topics such as theology, spirituality, social justice, and leadership.
In the effort to expand our reach and serve a wider audience of readers, we have built a new mechanism to deliver our content on demand to people all over the world, and we have established new relationships with booksellers and libraries. Our commitment to growing access includes offering translated work and ensuring the widest possible readership. Recent publications of the new Spanish and French translations of The Book of Common Prayer, and a globally available bilingual selections edition, are a focus for us in this regard. We look forward to building our international impact.
We are extremely appreciative of the feedback and support we receive from our community. We are committed to listening and learning every day.
Kwok Pui-lan
The Archbishop of Canterbury has honored Kwok Pui-lan for her contributions to Asian feminist and postcolonial theology. Having embraced the Anglican faith in her native Hong Kong while it was still under British rule, she focuses her research on the colonial legacy of the Anglican Church and its implications in the 21st century. Her forthcoming book
The Anglican Tradition from a Postcolonial Perspective (from Seabury Books, an imprint of Church Publishing) is the first book by a non-Western Anglican female scholar about the challenges facing the Anglican Communion.
“I think that it is important to understand where we are by looking back from the lessons of history. Without knowing the past, we will not have the insights and wisdom to envision the future,” Professor Kwok says.
Kwok Pui-lan is Dean’s Professor of Systematic Theology at Emory University. She is a former president of the American Academy of Religion and author or editor of more than 20 books in Chinese and English.
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