ORLANDO, Florida — GuideStone Financial Resources emphasized an enhanced commitment to helping ministers start well, stay well and finish well, highlighted by a new financial discipleship initiative. The news was shared as part of GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck’s annual report to messengers at the 2026 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting in regular session June 9 at the Orange County Convention Center.

At the center of that focus is the Ministers Financial Foundations Program, a three-year pilot underway in partnership with the Kentucky and Tennessee Baptist conventions. Designed for ministers who are 40 years old and younger, the program combines financial coaching, practical tools and matching grants to build long-term financial health.

“We want to see every servant of Christ finish well,” Dilbeck said. “But to finish well, we need to start well.”

A pilot program showing early success

The Foundations Program seeks to address a persistent challenge in ministry, Dilbeck noted: pastors entering mid-career with debt, limited savings and financial strain that can impact their families and long-term effectiveness.

Participants and their spouses receive:

• Personal financial coaching
• Budgeting and financial wellness tools
• Matching grants for debt reduction and retirement contributions

About 110 ministers are participating in the pilot, with early results indicating meaningful progress:

• 66% have increased retirement contributions
• 84% of participating churches have increased contributions

“These early steps will have a significant long-term impact on each family’s future,” Dilbeck said.

Dilbeck shared the story of a Tennessee pastor in his late 20s who began contributing to retirement for the first time. His church also provided increased support along with a GuideStone matching grant. The pastor said he and his wife now clearly understand their finances as a result of their participation.

While the full program benefits are limited to pilot participants, Dilbeck noted that many of the same education, coaching resources and financial guidance are already available to ministers nationwide through GuideStone’s website.

Helping ministers stay well

GuideStone leaders also urged ministers in the middle years of their ministry to remain intentional about financial stewardship.

“If you are in the middle stretch of your ministry, now is the time to consider increasing your retirement savings,” Dilbeck said. “Small changes can make a big difference over time.”

The enterprise continues to provide retirement planning, insurance coverage, investment guidance and account reviews designed to help pastors maintain financial health across their ministry years.

GuideStone is also emphasizing compensation advocacy, recognizing that many pastors are hesitant to initiate conversations about salary and benefits with church leadership.

To address that need, GuideStone recently released a free resource, “A Pastor’s Guide: How to Advocate for Salary and Benefits to Your Church Committee,” available at GuideStone.org/pastorsguide, offering practical language, biblical framing and step-by-step guidance to help pastors navigate those conversations with clarity and confidence.

Finishing well

GuideStone leaders said these efforts ultimately point toward a larger goal: helping ministers and their families finish well after a lifetime of service.

That commitment is expressed not only through retirement readiness initiatives, but also through Mission:Dignity, GuideStone’s longstanding ministry providing financial support to retired Southern Baptist ministers, workers and their widows in times of need.

Through Mission:Dignity, GuideStone delivers monthly assistance and essential support to thousands who have served faithfully, helping ensure they are cared for with dignity in retirement.

For more information on Mission:Dignity, to make a donation, apply for assistance or to refer someone in need, visit MissionDignity.org.

“We honor your calling. We care about you and your family. We count it a privilege to support your ministry by helping enhance your financial security and resilience,” Dilbeck said.

Linking these efforts together, Dilbeck emphasized the importance of strengthening financial health at every stage of ministry — from starting well, to staying well, to finishing well.