Eder Financial has entered into discussions with Everence® to explore how they together, can build on a shared commitment to better serve individuals, organizations, and congregations for years to come. These conversations are exploratory in nature and are being approached with care and discernment.
Eder and Everence have come to these discussions grounded in a shared foundation of faith, values, mission, and heritage. 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 communities. Both organizations 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).
“Caring for our members and clients to help them achieve their financial goals and dreams is our top priority, such as when we sold the Eder Retirement Plan annuities in late 2024 to give our retirees extra protection,” said Nevin Dulabaum, president of Eder Financial. “We’re pleased to be in discussion with Everence to build on our history of working together and to explore opportunities to leverage their increased scale to provide better services and pricing for our members and clients."
Purpose of the discussions
As part of this collaboration, leadership teams from Eder and Everence are engaging in ongoing conversations focused on:
Areas under exploration Eder Financial and Everence are engaging in exploratory, strategic discussions focused on understanding long-term sustainability, regulatory realities, and how to best serve our members and churches in the future.
Potential areas of impact being considered include:
"For generations, Eder has been a trusted presence in the lives of church leaders and congregations, “said Ken Hochstetler, Everence President and CEO. "We are grateful for the opportunity to engage in thoughtful discernment that honors Eder’s legacy and reflects our shared commitment to stewardship, service and faith-inspired values."
No determinations have been made regarding organizational structure, governance, products, services, or staffing. We are committed to communicating clearly and responsibly throughout this process and to sharing information as meaningful clarity emerges.
Eder Financial and Everence are engaging in exploratory, strategic discussions. These conversations are part of a discernment process and are focused on understanding long-term sustainability, regulatory realities, and how to best serve our members and churches in the future.
Eder leadership is being proactive in response to increasing regulatory complexity, demographic and denominational shifts, and the importance of ensuring long-term stability for employee benefits, deferred giving, and organizational investment services. Exploring options now allows Eder to approach these questions thoughtfully rather than reactively.
We are in conversation with Everence because of the following reasons:
A Strong Professional Relationship: Over the years, we have worked alongside Everence through the Church Benefits Association and other collaborations, building familiarity, mutual respect, and understanding of one another’s work.
In Service and Stewardship to Similar Communities: Eder and Everence have interacted as distinct organizations serving similar communities. Entering into these conversations with that awareness, both Eder and Everence leadership are being intentional about posture – emphasizing humility and trust-building rather than competition. Everence brings experience and a values-driven approach that we believe make them a thoughtful conversation partner as we explore long-term sustainability and faithful stewardship.
Deep Historical Connection: Both the Mennonite movement (Everence) and Church of the Brethren movement (Eder) began more than 300 years ago in Europe. Each movement interacted with each other in Europe. After migrating to North America, both movements built their first meeting houses within a mile of each other. Through the years, both expanded into similar areas of the US, with colleges and other institutions
in close proximity to each other. Over the years, our denominations have worked together in numerous ways, and in the early 2000s Everence and Eder worked together to provide healthcare to our constituents.
Everence is a faith-based financial services organization that serves individuals, congregations, and organizations within Anabaptist and other values-aligned communities. With roots dating back more than 80 years, Everence provides a broad range of comprehensive services including banking, financial planning, retirement, investment management, insurance, charitable giving, and stewardship education.
Originally established by the Mennonite Church, Everence is grounded in Anabaptist faith values of stewardship, mutual aid, and service. These values shape how Everence approaches its work and relationships with a range of faith communities, with attentiveness to denominational identity, relationships, and trust.
No – these discussions are exploratory, not final. There have been no decisions regarding organizational structure, governance, products or services, staffing, or roles.
Email us at communications@eder.org
Our team is available to assist you during our regular business hours, 8AM-4PM CST.
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Annual Conference
Bethany Seminary
On Earth Peace
Church of the Brethren
1505 Dundee
Avenue,
Elgin, IL
60120
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