Concordia Plan Services (CPS) manages benefits that improve and support the health and financial wellness of workers at ministries of the Synod so that they can focus on spreading the Word of God. Approximately 6,000 ministries, 29,000 workers, 45,000 retirees and beneficiaries, and 49,000 covered family members count on CPS to help them be well.
Mr. David Fiedler has served as president of the LCMS Foundation since 2013. Currently, 68 full-time employees serve the Foundation in various capacities.
Governance Direct oversight of the Foundation is provided by its board of trustees, which meets quarterly to review and monitor the performance and activity of the organization and to provide strategic direction. The Foundation board is made up of 13 trustees, 8 of whom are elected by the Synod member organizations described below. Two other trustees are elected by the Synod in convention. The remaining two trustees are the Synod President or his representative, and the chairman of the Board for National Mission or his representative. The Chief Financial Officer of the Synod is an ex officio nonvoting member of the board. The LCMS Foundation is also responsible to 55 member organizations, which represent, directly or indirectly, all the ministries of the church served by the Foundation. These member organizations include the 35 LCMS districts, the member institutions of the Concordia University System, our two seminaries, and auxiliaries such as the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. Once a year delegates from this group meet to elect trustees and vote on other official actions at the Foundation’s annual meeting.
Strategic Plan As the Foundation looks to the future, we seek to grow our impact on the Lutheran Church and its ability to share the Gospel. We continually review the needs of the Church and our Lutheran donors to determine how we can better serve the people and organizations of the Synod. We gather input from our board, our leadership team, our staff, and outside experts to identify areas where we can improve our work in this support of ministry. Thus, we have identified six key areas of focus over the next three years: • Improve message clarity and understanding.
- Increase awareness of, and preference for, the Foundation’s abilities to support ministries.
- Increase retention and realization of revocable gifts.
- Expand the ability of organizations and individuals to use our products and services.
- Lead collaboration across Synod entities.
- Maintain infrastructure vigilance to ensure a balance of purposeful growth and high standards of service.
As we enter the next triennium, the servants at the LCMS Foundation rejoice with the Church in the enormous blessings the Lord has bestowed upon the Synod and its ministries through these efforts. We look forward confidently by God’s grace to carrying on our service to the individuals and organizations of the Synod in the future as well. David Fiedler, President
Board of Trustees—Concordia Plans; Board of Directors—Concordia Plan Services
A. Responding to Church Worker Needs A.1. Strengthening Retirement The Concordia Retirement Plan (CRP) provides eligible workers with a monthly pension income benefit in retirement. On Jan. 1, 2027, the last of three annual CRP contribution increases will become effective. The prior two years of higher contributions have produced the desired impact of improving the CRP’s funding, which is on track to reach 100 percent funded status. In addition, for the year ending Dec. 31, 2025, CRP investments returned 14.6 percent, more than double the CRP’s long-term expected rate of return of 7.25 percent. Over the trailing 10-year period, the CRP has returned 9.6 percent, outperforming its investment benchmarks. This out performance has resulted in more than $180 million in additional gains above benchmark returns.
A.2. Focus on Worker Wellness At CPS our mission is “Serve ministries … care for workers … so that the Word of God spreads,” and we’re pleased to collaborate with others in the Synod with those same priorities. At the 2023 Synod convention, Resolution 1-06A was adopted, directing districts and the Council of Presidents to establish strategic plans to care for workers and their families. This resolution directed districts to utilize CPS resources, so we have partnered with 12 districts to do an in-depth analysis of their worker wellness metrics and learn about their district culture and available resources. Through this collaborative effort we’ve created a customized wellness plan for each partner district.
A.3. Expanded Mental Health Resources The mental health of our church workers is a significant concern that has only been amplified in recent years. At the 2023 Synod convention, Res. 1-07 was adopted, which encourages roster ed church workers to utilize the resources available through CPS. Those resources include an enhanced Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Through the EAP, Concordia Health Plan (CHP) members have access to expanded mental health care solutions, in person or digitally, to address challenges. In 2025 more than 6,100 EAP sessions helped CHP members as they addressed their mental health challenges.
B. Serving the Synod and Synod Ministries Our staff continually looks for new and better ways to serve and support ministries and workers. Examples include the following: • LCMS churches and schools are facing challenges with property and casualty insurance coverage renewals. To help meet these challenges, in 2024 CPS began exploring the creation of a captive reinsurance company to facilitate the offering of property and casualty insurance coverages to LCMS ministries. In 2025, the Commission on Constitutional Matters confirmed that the LCMS Board of Directors (BOD) can authorize and assign such an activity to CPS. In January 2026, the LCMS BOD approved CPS taking the next steps to commence operation of a captive reinsurance company to be named Concordia Risk Solutions (CRS). CPS expects CRS to receive a license to operate in the spring of 2026, and for CRS to commence operations soon thereafter. Operations are expected to begin with a small number of ministries and grow at a conservative, sustainable pace so CRS remains financially stable as it grows. • Through years of work to drive better health outcomes, meet CHP members’ needs, and limit costs, CPS was able to drive savings that are expected to reduce CHP expenses by more than $90 million over a three-year span.
- In light of economic volatility and uncertainty, CPS works closely with industry-leading consultants and advisors to manage expected investment risk and return dynamics over a long-term horizon while adhering to certain fundamental principles such as diversification, portfolio rebalancing, and liquidity management.
- Investment income for all Concordia Plans Trusts exceeded expectations in 2025 due to favorable market conditions and strong discipline in asset allocation. CRP returns are detailed above. CDSP assets returned +18.5 percent, while CHP assets returned +12.3 percent.
External Threats • C. Conclusion C.1. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Strengths The Concordia Plans are an organizational strength, each caring for Synod workers and their families. • The combination of the CRP pension and the Concordia Retirement Savings Plan 403(b) offers LCMS ministries and workers a level of financial stability they cannot achieve alone. Through shared participation, ministries pool resources to secure lifetime retirement income for workers, while empowering individual savings for retirement.
- The Concordia Disability and Survivor Plan (CDSP) is a comprehensive protection package, providing income replacement and life insurance benefits that safeguard workers and families. Recent changes have led to a decreased CDSP rate for most ministries.
- Through the collective purchasing power of participating ministries, CPS provides access to health plan options that would be out of reach for most individual employers. We are able to negotiate competitive rates without adding profit margins—delivering greater value to both ministries and workers.
Weaknesses • The cost of healthcare across the country is rising and subsequently the cost of the CHP is viewed by some ministries as a challenge. CPS is addressing this by balancing cost and health outcomes while focusing on resources to help manage health conditions, renegotiating contracts, managing our vendor partners, and consistently searching for the most effective and efficient way to provide care and support.
Opportunities • Actions taken by or within any of the three branches of the U.S. government can impact the legal and regulatory outlook for the Concordia Plans and those we serve. Our involvement with the Church Alliance helps CPS advocate on behalf of those we serve and allows CPS to manage those Plans as designed to meet the needs of LCMS ministries and workers, without undue governmental interference.
The changing demographics of the Synod and the closure of ministries is a potential threat to the Plans, but recent years have seen stability and growth in plan participation. Over the last triennium hundreds of members have joined the CHP, CRP, and CDSP with ministries adopting or rejoining the Plans after an absence. In addition, retention in the CHP and CRP were both in excess of 99 percent in 2025.
C.2. CPS and the Synod’s Objectives and Emphases CPS serves a critical role in fulfilling the Synod’s 10th formation objective: Directly aiding in the care of our church workers and their families. CPS has been charged with managing the Concordia Plans (the employee benefit plans of the LCMS) and providing other ancillary programs, including supplemental insurance and administrative services that serve ministry and church worker needs. CPS plays an important role in the fifth triennial mission and ministry emphasis by promoting and nurturing the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of pastors and professional church workers. CPS also is seeking to support the first emphasis of sustaining Lutheran churches through the establishment of a captive insurance company that is intended to provide relief to congregations and schools with their property and casualty insurance coverage.
C.3. Goals As a ministry partner, we want to be viewed as a trusted member of a ministry’s team, which brings valuable solutions to employee benefit and ministry business challenges. As a worker advocate, we want to not only be the source and resource for all matters related to the care of church workers and their families, but also to be these workers’ physical, emotional, and financial wellness champions. For more than 60 years, CPS has cared for LCMS workers and ministries through benefits designed specifically for church workers. As times change the Plans remain strong, stable, and sustainable through disciplined stewardship and the collective strength of thousands of participating ministries. Together, these Plans demonstrate our shared commitment to care for workers, strengthen ministries, and steward resources faithfully—showing that we are truly better together. James F. (Jim) Sanft, Chief Executive Officer