Shareboard: Where ministry lay leaders connect, learn and share
You want to provide ministry lay leaders the support they need to help the ministry thrive and fulfill its purpose. But knowing the challenges and having solutions are not one in the same. Lay leaders benefit from connecting with those who serve in similar roles to learn and share through experience and expertise.
They can make those connections through Shareboard – a new online LCMS community where ministry lay leaders can reach out, ask questions and share information – including best practices and experiences – to help support one another nationwide. And there’s no cost to use Shareboard.
Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up …
– 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Shareboard provides lay leaders a valuable resource by helping them connect with others in similar ministry roles across the Synod to ask and answer questions, as well as discuss topics around:
Human resources issues.
Supporting ministry workers.
Ministry finances.
Board mentorship and training.
Fundraising and development.
And anything important to you!
Tell lay leaders about Shareboard and encourage them to visit ConcordiaPlans.org/Shareboard. Also, let them know about our March 23 webinar! We’ll demonstrate how individuals can use Shareboard to enhance the service and support of their ministries.
Thank you for being part of Concordia Plans. As your ministry partner and an advocate for your workers, we’re committed to continually improving your CPS experience. One step on this journey is updating our Member Portal to be a more simplified, intuitive and streamlined experience.
And based on your feedback, CPS is equally dedicated to improving processes and procedures for ministries – to improve YOUR CPS experience. We want to make doing business with us as easy as possible by providing each ministry the right level of personal service and customized support to get things done in a way that works for your organization.
More information related to these improvements will be released in the coming weeks.
2023 Group-Term Life Insurance information
If your ministry participates in the Concordia Disability and Survivor Plan, you were sent a mailing that includes your 2023 Group-Term Life Report and instructions for tax and payroll reporting. This information applies to the 2023 tax year (not 2022), but now is the time to start.
As we continue to update processes to better serve our ministries, we’ll be making a change to how we share Group Term Life reports. Starting in June, your monthly payroll deductions report will include a line item for imputed income for your workers to help your ministry more accurately adjust payroll deductions for this taxable benefit. This means CPS will no longer send separate GTL reports. You will receive additional instructions on how this will impact you prior to the change.
One of the benefits your workers have when participating in the Concordia Retirement Savings Plan 403(b) is the availability of the ProManage PROgram™. ProManage analyzes your workers’ financial risk profiles and then determines the appropriate investment mix. They look at the worker’s Concordia Retirement Plan (pension) data, CRSP 403(b) account balance, Social Security benefit estimate, salary and age.
About once a year, ProManage will analyze workers’ accounts and develop an updated allocation to reflect current data and their current view of the financial markets.
This year the rebalance will take place March 31. ProManage coordinates everything directly with Fidelity and no action will be required by your workers. CRSP members enrolled in the ProManage PROgram™ will be sent a letter from Fidelity to let them know about the rebalance.
Upcoming member communications
Here’s a snapshot of the emails we’ll send your workers this month (they may also receive additional communications from our vendors):
Wellness Webinar
Health and Wellness Educator Kelly Menke is holding a “Navigating Your Wellness Benefits” webinar March 16 at 10 a.m. CST.
Mental Health
Sleep is important for maintaining good mental and physical health. We’re sharing tips for getting good sleep during National Sleep Awareness Week, March 13-19.
BeFine Financial App Survey
BeFine app users will be asked to complete a survey to help us better understand how their experience with the app assisted with their financial wellness journey.