Veterans of the Cross
Veterans of the Cross assists retired Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod church workers, as well as their surviving spouses and dependent children, who are confronted by a financial crisis that forces them to choose between equally vital, basic human needs.
The program was created in 1920, when the Lutheran Laymen's League established an endowment fund to help care for the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of retired servants of the Church who had enrolled in the old, low-benefit pension plan. These elderly workers often had staggering medical expenses that consumed precious financial resources, leaving less for life’s essentials.
Today, some retirees still require additional assistance from their Synod. Because of a lifetime of service in small or struggling congregations that were unable to afford full-time salaries, these workers received a lower overall benefits contribution into their Concordia Plan Services retirement account.
Veterans of the Cross supplements these low or inadequate pensions to help retired workers and surviving spouses secure necessities, such as medications, food and basic utilities.
The average monthly support is between $500 and $1,000. Veterans of the Cross stipends are approved annually and continue as long as need is demonstrated.
Veterans of the Cross is funded by designated donor contributions and income from a special endowment fund. Funding in Veterans of the Cross is restricted to aiding retired workers and widowed spouses only. To help active workers in crisis, please consider supporting Soldiers of the Cross.
The LCMS Office of National Mission administers the program through a special partnership with Concordia Plan Services. Information about specific beneficiaries is confidential, and privacy is respected.
Concerned for a retired LCMS church worker?
To refer a rostered church worker to the program, please contact your district president. Information about specific beneficiaries is confidential, and privacy is respected.
Resources
Contact Veterans of the Cross
For information about the application or pastoral care process, please contact the LCMS Church Information Center:
