On Monday, April 13, the Church of the Brethren Standing Committee, endorsed Everence® Financial as the denomination’s employee benefits and organizational investing provider of choice. The action, requested by Eder Financial, will transition retirement, insurance, deferred gift, and money management services to pastors, church workers, congregations, and affiliated organizations from Eder Financial to Everence. As the transition moves forward, updates and important information will be posted on this page for our members and clients.
For more than eight decades, Eder Financial and Everence have supported Anabaptists and other like-minded communities by providing faith-informed financial stewardship grounded in shared values. Building on this long-standing commitment, Everence is pleased to welcome Eder Financial members and clients, continuing a legacy of trusted service, thoughtful guidance, and stewardship that aligns financial decisions with faith and purpose.
The Church of the Brethren Standing Committee met in special session on April 13 to endorse Everence Financial as the denominations’ employee benefits and organizational investing provider of choice. For that reason, Eder Financial will begin its exit from the employee benefits and organizational investing business.
For now, nothing. Eder Financial will continue serving members and clients during the transition. Both Eder Financial and Everence Financial will communicate the next steps by early June and will provide advanced notice before accounts are moved to the Everence platform.
For more than 80 years, Everence (formerly known as Mennonite Mutual Aid) and its affiliates, and Eder Financial (previously Church of the Brethren Benefit Trust) and its affiliates, have served Anabaptists and other like-minded denominations. The Brethren and Mennonite traditions have a long history of working side by side, and sometimes together. In fact, Everence already is serving some Brethren individuals and organizations. Both Eder and Everence are shaped by the historic Anabaptist conviction that all we have belongs to God and should be faithfully managed for the good of others (Psalm 24).
Eder Financial will transform into a benevolent ministry where it will try to support endeavors of sustainability and vitality. In addition, Eder Financial will continue to administer Church Workers’ Assistance Plan.
In 2026, yes, as it will continue to serve some members and clients up until first quarter 2027. From then on, if it attends denominational events, it will be doing so as the reimagined benevolent organization.
Organizational Investing (Asset Management), Retirement, and Planning Giving.
Organizational Investing clients will begin opening new Everence accounts in June and continue through the end of November. Fund transfer dates will be set after the paperwork is completed, with the earliest transfers beginning in July. Contributions made to existing Organizational Investing accounts will continue on the Eder platform until the transition occurs.
Contributions to existing retirement accounts will continue on the Eder platform until the employer signs a new agreement with Everence to participate in the Mennonite Retirement Trust. After the agreement is completed and before the end of 2026, new accounts will be opened on the Everence system. New contributions will begin posting there. For several months, actively contributing members will have two retirement accounts: one with Everence receiving new contributions and one with Eder holding prior contributions. In the first quarter of 2027, prior contributions – including balances for members no longer contributing- will be transferred to Everence. When this occurs, members’ Eder accounts will be closed.
Charitable gift clients will transition in 2026.
All clients opening new accounts can begin working directly with Everence Financial.
Since both organizations serve clients and members with Anabaptist roots, we have partnered together on projects when it makes sense to do so. Many years ago, Everence provided the backend support for Eder Medical Plan, but that relationship ceased when Eder returned to offering its own partially self-funded medical plan through its professional association, the Church Benefits Association. Through that arrangement, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has provided Eder with backend support. Additionally, when Brethren Foundation, Inc. was established in the early 1990s, Everence staff assisted Eder staff in creating new investment funds. At this time, Eder Financial has determined that it does not have the scale of operations needed to provide the best services at the lowest prices. Therefore, on April 13, 2026, Eder asked the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Standing Committee to endorse Everence as its employee benefits and organizational investing provider of choice as Everence has the economies of scale to offer lower fees and a broader range of products.
For more information about what Everence offers, please review the information here: Welcoming Eder Financial clients to Everence Financial
After your account transitions to Everence, Eder Financial staff will not have access to your data to serve you. After all clients transition to Everence, Eder Financial will transition away from employee benefits and organizational investing into a foundation that manages benevolent funds. Read more about the future of Eder Financial here: Transition
You will receive more information no later than early June 2026.
If your church or employer adopts Everence Financial’s retirement plan, then your account will transition to Everence Financial. More information will be provided directly to members as it becomes available.
Direct your questions to retirement@eder.org and one of our staff members will respond as quickly as possible.
Yes. Each church will need a new board resolution to approve a new adoption agreement.
Yes. The Church of the Brethren contribution recommendation for pastors will be included in adoption agreements used by Brethren participants. The formula of a four percent employee contribution, an 11 percent employer contribution, and one percent contributed to Church Workers’ Assistance Plan will be located at the bottom of the adoption agreement.
If you have an annuity from the Eder Retirement Plan (Formerly known as Brethren Pension Plan), a lifelong housing allowance designation can be found on this page: Ministers Group
Eder Financial will provide the housing allowance designation for the 2026 tax year.
For the 2027 tax year and beyond, the Church of the Brethren (and Covenant Brethren Church, as applicable) will designate your housing allowance. You can obtain a copy of your housing allowance designation from either Everence or the denomination.
Eder Financial has a clergy indicator in its database. When the account transfers to Everence and its record keeper, the clergy indicator should remain intact. Everence offers a church plan (Mennonite Retirement Trust), and its record keeper is very familiar with processing 1099s for clergy.
Yes, the Mennonite Retirement Trust offers a periodic payment plan. It is a standard offering. To learn more about the Mennonite Retirement Trust, please visit this link: Mennonite Retirement Trust | Everence, faith-based financial services
For those who have an established retirement annuity distribution, you will continue to be served by your current provider, which is either Securian or an insurance company secured through Hueler Income Solutions®.
The surplus payments to Eder Retirement Plan annuitants were distributed into active Eder Financial retirement accounts, which were set up for each annuitant. If you did not take a distribution and still have this account at the end of 2026, the account and funds will transition to the Everence platform in early 2027. While it is the intent that all information associated with your account will be transferred with it, it is always prudent to check. After the transfer, please take particular care to ensure your beneficiary is listed as you desire it to be.
Everence offers a periodic payment structure, not an annuity offering. If you want to begin a distribution at regular intervals, such as what an annuity provides, Everence suggests first talking with one of its financial planners. A financial planner can suggest solutions based on your overall financial goals. These solutions could include a periodic payment plan or referral to a broker who sells annuities.
Everence uses Empower as its recordkeeper. Empower is familiar with periodic payment plans and, in most cases, will be able to maintain current assumptions when the account is transferred. For periodic payment plans with only a few years remaining, an account representative will work with you at the time of the transition to discuss your options.
After your account transfers, you will be accessing a different website page on the Empower retirement platform used by Everence rather than that NWPS platform currently used by Eder. This Empower website page will provide access to a different platform which will look different. Eder Retirement Plan used the Empower Platform up until about seven years ago; that platform is intuitive, easy to use, and contains many retirement planning resources. It is strongly recommended to print your statement history from the NWPS platform for your records before your account transfers to Empower.
Everence does not currently have a relationship with EFE. The Edelman relationship through Eder Financial will terminate with the transition of your account to Everence. Eder Financial will let you know in advance when this relationship ends.
The reason Eder Financial initiated a relationship with EFE is because it wanted to provide a service that offers fiduciary level advising. Everence provides licensed financial advisers who can provide advice; however, Everence’s advisers cannot manage your investment allocations based on the advising session. Members will need to make the investment changes in their account.
In addition to licensed financial advisers, Everence does offer Target Date Funds. With these funds, individuals would choose the fund that most closely aligns with their planned retirement year, and the portfolio adjusts itself as the individuals advance toward this projected year.
If you are currently actively contributing to your retirement account, your account will transition to Everence after Everence and your employer sign the necessary paperwork. The Mennonite Retirement Trust is an employer retirement plan, so the employer must first establish a relationship with Everence through the Adoption Agreement process. If you are a pastor working for a church, the church administration must first sign an Adoption Agreement. It is anticipated that the relationship between the employer and Everence will be established by the third quarter of 2026. If you are no longer actively contributing to your retirement account, your retirement account balance is expected to transition in the first quarter of 2027.
Everence offers screened funds as part of its overall portfolio options as well as other unscreened funds. As a starting point, an individual’s retirement account will be mapped to the funds that are most similar to Eder Financial’s proprietary investment funds. After the account is transferred, an individual can adjust his/her investment choices. Given our shared Anabaptist values, Brethren will recognize many of the screens the Mennonites employ, such as weapons, alcohol, tobacco, pornography, abortion, human rights abuse, and more.
Active contributions are currently scheduled to start on the Everence platform in late 2026. Prior contributions held by Eder Financial’s record keeper will be transitioned to the Everence platform in early 2027. This transition should not impact your retirement timeline, but it may require interacting with two record keepers instead of one if an individual chooses to retire between September 2026 and March 2027. If you are planning to retire soon, please set up a complimentary retirement consultation by reaching out to retirement@eder.org and you will be directed to a representative who can help.
The 2027 salary increases will be recorded through Everence’s platform, powered by Empower.
No. Your funds currently exist as part of a church plan trust. When the account is transitioned to Everence, it will also be part of a church plan trust. Both organizations, Eder and Everence, work with their own financial custodians and record keepers who are very familiar with this type of transition as it occurs in the industry frequently. Both Eder Financial and Everence will engage in significant reconciliation to ensure the funds are transferred accurately. You are encouraged to check your account information to make sure it is current.
Yes, if you work for a Church of the Brethren church, district, or camp that contributes to the Church Workers’ Assistance Plan, Everence will collect the entire contribution and then allocate the Church Workers’ Assistance Plan portion to its correct account. Eder Financial will be transitioning into Eder Foundation and will continue to administer the Church Workers’ Assistance Plan.
When a Church of the Brethren church signs the Adoption Agreement with Everence, it can accept the Church of the Brethren’s Pastoral Compensation and Benefits Advisory Committee’s recommendation of 11 percent employer contribution,1 percent Church Workers’ Assistance Plan contribution, and 4 percent employee contribution or it can elect a different amount that aligns with the church’s individually desired contribution allocation.
You will receive more information no later than early June 2026.
Direct your questions to oi@eder.org and one of our staff members will respond as quickly as possible.
Yes. Each church or employer group will need to sign a new contract with Everence Financial.
While Eder’s fees were appropriate for its book of business, Everence’s fees will be less due to scalability which stems from Everence’s many products and much larger assets under management.
You will receive more information no later than early June 2026.
You will receive more information no later than early June 2026.
Eder Financial will continue to administer the Church Workers’ Assistance Plan. Contributions to the Church Workers’ Assistance Plan will be conveniently collected with the retirement contributions.
Email us at customerservice@eder.org.
Our team is available to assist you during our regular business hours, 8AM-4PM CST.
Everence will not have information about your Eder accounts until you receive notice that your account has transferred. To speak with an Everence representative about Everence products and services:
Message: Everence Customer Engagement Center (CEC)
Toll-free: (888) 236-0906
Appointment hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET | Sat.-Sun. closed
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Annual Conference
Bethany Seminary
On Earth Peace
Church of the Brethren
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Avenue,
Elgin, IL
60120
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