OPC Committee on Ministerial Care

01/09/2026

Ecclesiastes informs us that “for everything there is a season” and then assures us that “everything is beautiful in its time.” In the ministry, seasons come and go, regularly and unexpectedly. As a result, this can unsettle a pastor’s faith and expose his finely-tuned expectations (for how it was supposed to be). What does this mean for the man whom God calls to “be ready… in season and out of season,” as he serves the members of his flock who are experiencing the same things as he?

REFRESH 2026 will provide an opportunity to reflect on such ministerial challenges with others who understand, including both pastors and their wives. More importantly, it will be an occasion to renew your confidence in the fullness of Christ. He graciously supplies what his servants need for their readiness, endurance, and ministry amid every season that he sends, oversees, and makes beautiful.

We are delighted to announce that the keynote speaker for our Seasons of Ministry theme will be The Rev. Dr. A. Craig Troxel. Craig is the Robert G. den Dulk Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California and also serves as the Associate Pastor of Harvest OPC in San Marcos, California. He previously served OPC congregations in Glenside, Pennsylvania, and Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of "With All Your Heart: Orienting Your Mind, Desires, and Will Toward Christ" (Crossway, 2020).

For further information about REFRESH 2026, visit www.opcCMC.org/retreat.

As a reminder, registration for the retreat opens on Tuesday, January 20, at 8:00 pm Eastern / 7:00 pm Central / 6:00 pm Mountain / 5:00 pm Pacific.

12/09/2025

Pastoral ministry can be hard. With the weekly pressure of preaching, caring for your flock, administrative tasks, and more, maintaining balance in life is often a challenge. Many OPC pastors have found great benefit in making time for spiritual, physical, and relational refreshment, as evidenced by the popularity of CMC’s Retreat Grants in recent years.

Now, we are pleased to be able to invite you (and your wife, if you are married *) to be a part of the first-ever OPC pastor’s retreat: REFRESH 2026. Thanks to the generosity of donors to the David Haney Memorial Fund, CMC has planned three days in Atlanta next Fall, which we think will delight and rejuvenate all who participate.

A Retreat or a Conference?
There are many worthwhile theology conferences each year, and our intent is not to compete with them. Instead, our goal is to create a true retreat which will refresh you and your wife through a balance of biblical teaching, singing, fellowship, and leisure activities. Mornings will be for learning. Afternoons will be for recreation, catching up with old friends, and perhaps a nap. Evenings will be delicious!

Location
Our selection of the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort fulfills two goals: we want to pamper you, and we want to make your travel as simple as possible. Nestled amidst towering pines alongside a scenic lake, the resort is a part of Atlanta’s historic Stone Mountain Park. The accommodations are first class, with each guest room offering either a lake or pool view from your own private balcony. By selecting the Atlanta area, air travel is simplified, and we expect that many will be able to arrange non-stop flights. We’ll greet you at the airport and from there, let the pampering begin!

Cost
In a word, minimal. More details to follow, but you will pay $50 per person at the time you register, we will cover all of the normal room charges, meals, etc. at the resort, and we’ll reimburse you for most or all of your travel costs. If you have children at home, you can even request a child care stipend of up to $400 to arrange for their care while you are away.

Dates
REFRESH 2026 will begin with dinner on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, and conclude Thursday morning, Oct. 1. Registration opens in six weeks on Tuesday, January 20 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

(*) Unmarried pastors are warmly welcomed to be part of REFRESH 2026. While we expect that the majority of attendees will be married couples, the teaching, fellowship, and leisure activities will be beneficial for all.

12/01/2025

Your OPC Committee on Ministerial Care is excited to announce REFRESH 2026, a first-ever, denomination-wide retreat for OPC pastors, their wives, and single pastors. If you would benefit from spending time at a beautiful resort, reconnecting with your spouse, enjoying fellowship with other OPC pastors from around the country, and being spiritually renewed, we would be excited to have you join us.

With more details to come, here are a few highlights:

• Location is the Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort.

• First 200 to register will have all retreat costs paid (lodging, meals, ground transportation) plus travel costs reimbursed of up to $300 per person.

• If you have children at home, a child care stipend of up to $400 is available.

• Dates: Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, 2026.

Mark your calendar for REFRESH 2026 and watch for additional information throughout December. Registration opens January 20 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

01/12/2025

https://opccmc.org/rest/

12/30/2024

Our retreat application remains exclusively available to first-time participants until February 15, 2025. After this date, the application process will be opened to those who participated in 2023. Funds are limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a monetary cap of $1400 per couple or $800 for an individual minister.

12/12/2024

COMMITTEE ON MINISTERIAL CARE: New forms for OPC pastors for their 403b retirement plans are now available on the website. More information on this and the work of the CMC can be found here: https://opccmc.org/403b-retirement-plan/

10/08/2024

08/29/2024

I am pleased to announce we are fully back online with insurance offerings for OPC ministers. Optional insurance benefits including Health, Life, Disability, Vision, and Dental are available through a portal on our website: https://opccmc.org/insurance/

We recently sent this same news in a letter to all presbyteries and sessions in the OPC, so your elders should also be aware of these insurance opportunities. In that letter, we said the following:
“At present, we offer PPO-style health insurance through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. We believe medical sharing and HSA high deductible plans are already widely available. However, for families that need a higher level of medical care, there may not be affordable options in their state, and we believe this nationwide plan may serve such families. Our goal is not to provide the least expensive insurance possible, but to provide a plan that will support full coverage for those who need it, with the tax advantage that the church as the employer can pay for the coverage as a benefit, rather than the minister paying for coverage out of his income (as is the case with medical sharing plans).

Additional benefits now available include affordable life, disability, dental and vision insurance through MetLife Insurance. One advantage of the MetLife long-term disability insurance is that it will cover not only ministerial salary but also housing allowance, a rarity in the field. Meanwhile, any minister can qualify for up to $100,000 in guarantee issue life insurance, which is not dependent on health factors to qualify."

If you have questions or feedback on these insurance options, please contact me.

In Christ,

John Fikkert,
Director, Committee on Ministerial Care

08/27/2024

The Committee on Ministerial Care was formed to provide general financial advice and ministries of encouragement and support to ministers of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and their spouses.

Our prayer and efforts are directed at assisting ministers in finding the answers and resources needed to flourish in ministry.
We also assist presbyteries and local congregations in considering compensation and benefits packages and other means of strengthening the care of ministers.

06/14/2024

https://opccmc.org/how-much-should-we-pay-our-pastor/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2owC_puoLtBFidZLVwUilXdzXUqWz4O2lvDttMJBd856mR9IYyVG9-WPY_aem_AWDk4J7nFKwspmPkXvLBrbkbkximK06POP8po3kL4Em-WrQi_mB6h9TfS8YgukmxPqQ-22Dzo841gQiKAs8VI_kx

One of the hardest and most sensitive issues a church can face is how much to pay its minister for his labors. This article provides some thought-provoking information for churches to approach the topic with grace and wisdom.

This article "How Much Should We Pay Our Pastor? An Introduction to the Pastoral Compensation Tool" originally appeared as a feature article on OP ...

04/01/2024

Ministers of the gospel and other clergy and religious workers are granted a unique opportunity to claim an exemption from self-employment taxes, and thus to avoid participation in what is commonly called the Social Security system. The merits of “opting out” have been a source of debate for many years.

https://opccmc.org/should-ministers-opt-out-of-social-security-2/

03/09/2024

Pastors have a unique calling that often comes with unusual hours and non-traditional work weeks. In addition to working weekends, they are often pulled away from their families on many evenings. In essence, it is a 24/7 role, that is often misunderstood.
As such, a sabbatical leave is periodically granted to ministerial staff with the primary purpose:
• To give time off to ministerial staff for personal and professional enrichment in
accordance with the Biblical principal of rest and refreshment embodied in the Sabbath,
along with the secondary purpose:
• To encourage longevity, spiritual and intellectual growth, and excellence in the work of
ministry.

https://opccmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Sabbatical-Grant-Application-2023a.pdf