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As the Church Pension Group (CPG) continues its service to The Episcopal Church, our work remains grounded in stability, responsiveness, and partnership. Chief Operating Officer Frank Armstrong shares his perspective on the progress we’ve made and the ongoing challenge of keeping our products and services affordable for those we serve.
Across healthcare and pension benefits, property and casualty insurance, and publishing, success really came down to staying connected to our clients to fully understand their needs. This past year, we introduced online billing to administer our benefits more efficiently and launched a new operating platform for our property and casualty insurance business.
We also added a healthcare navigator, Quantum, that is designed to help our clients maneuver the complexities of healthcare, make more informed and cost-effective treatment decisions, and achieve better health outcomes. This decision was driven by client needs and by our commitments under the Denominational Health Plan to deliver cost-effective, comprehensive care while managing the rising costs of healthcare.
Although the implementation of this solution has presented some unexpected challenges and client frustrations, we are dedicated to working closely with Quantum and taking decisive actions to deliver a more consistent and effective client advocacy experience.
Each of these investments is helping us work more efficiently, improve client experience, and better manage costs while continuing to deliver strong value.
Listening closely is essential. When something doesn’t land as intended, we want to understand why and respond quickly. That feedback helps us spot gaps—whether in communication, understanding, or performance—and take action.
For example, we know we need to do a better job of explaining what’s driving healthcare costs and how our plans deliver value. Insights like that shape both how we communicate and how we make decisions in the future.
Healthcare costs are largely driven by how care is used—from routine tests to more complex hospital services. At the same time, broader trends such as rising drug prices on popular medications such as GLP-1s for weight loss and the prevalence of chronic conditions continue to push costs up across the board. These pressures affect everyone we serve—active employees, clergy, and retirees alike—and the underlying dynamics are largely the same across the Denominational Health Plan and retiree medical benefit plan.
Our efforts are focused on the areas we can influence: thoughtful plan design, strong vendor partnerships, and tools that help members make better-informed decisions about their care. The Denominational Health Plan continues to offer comprehensive coverage at a cost that compares well with other options. We also adjusted pricing for our richest plans. This helps relieve pressure on employers who need more affordable options. It also places our plans at the lower end of industry cost benchmarks, considering the older age of our members and where they live and work.
We take that same measured, thoughtful approach with the clergy retiree medical benefit. This is a discretionary benefit available to eligible participants in The Church Pension Fund Clergy Pension Plan, and that reality requires us to be especially disciplined in how we manage it. We closely monitor national retiree healthcare trends and regularly stress‑test the long‑term sustainability of the plan. We also evaluate plan design decisions with great care—so we can continue providing meaningful support to retirees without compromising the financial strength of The Church Pension Fund or the pension promises we are obligated to keep.
While adjustments are sometimes unavoidable given the broader healthcare environment, they are never made lightly. Our goal is to balance affordability, access, and long‑term stewardship—and retirees should know that the same rigor, attention, and sense of responsibility guide our decisions for retiree medical benefits as for the Denominational Health Plan. Resources such as Quantum Health (our healthcare navigator) and Cariloop (a caregiver support platform) help our active members and retirees, respectively, traverse a complex system, leading to improved outcomes and helping to avoid unnecessary costs.
We’re hearing clearly from clients that while they value the breadth of our coverage, affordability can be a challenge—especially for smaller churches. In response, we’re building in greater flexibility so institutions can adjust coverage levels and premiums to what works for them.
Looking ahead, Church Insurance will introduce a three-tier policy structure that gives clients more ways to balance protection and cost. The goal is to make coverage more accessible without compromising the strength of the protection that we offer.
Affordability—especially in healthcare—remains one of our biggest challenges and a top priority, particularly as costs are expected to keep rising. Our focus is on managing that pressure while continuing to offer meaningful benefits.
Across all our businesses, we’re working to simplify choices, improve efficiency, and deliver sustainable solutions. In publishing, 2025 marked an important inflection point, with higher‑profile titles, broader media visibility, and continued operational discipline positioning Church Publishing Incorporated for growth. In healthcare, that same long‑term focus applies across both active and retiree populations, where affordability and sustainability must be considered together.
It’s always a balance—but our goal is clear: Provide strong, sustainable value while keeping costs as manageable as possible for those who are serving the Church and when they retire.
Read the 2025 Denominational Health Plan Annual Report
Read Healthcare Affordability: Managing What We Can, Navigating What We Can't
