Frequently Asked Questions for Employers

Employee eligibility
In order to apply for GuideStone’s life and health products, employees must be considered “eligible.”  An “eligible employee” is:

• A paid employee of a church, agency or institution affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (or other organization currently participating with GuideStone); and
• Working 20 or more hours per week.

Employees of multiple SBC employers will still be eligible if the hours worked per week with the multiple employers total 20 or more.

To maintain eligibility, employees must continue to meet the above requirements. Failure to do so could render an employee ineligible for GuideStone’s life and health products.

Student eligibility
Students at participating Southern Baptist seminaries are also eligible for certain life and health products.

First-time employment
If you are currently attending, have attended or have graduated from an approved seminary or Bible college and become employed with a Southern Baptist employer, you are eligible to enroll in a medical plan only, without underwriting, if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You apply within 60 days of your full-time (20 hours or more per week) employment date with a Southern Baptist employer.
• Your employment begins no later than 12 months after the date you last attended or graduated from a seminary or Bible college.
• You must not have previously made application for participation through underwriting with the Personal Plans and been rejected for yourself or a dependent.

Coverage will be effective on your hire date or the first day after meeting your employer's eligibility or waiting period.

Dependent eligibility
An employee must have coverage in order for a dependent to also be covered on a GuideStone plan. Eligible dependents include:

• The employee's spouse.
• Children age 26 and under who are dependent on the employee for support and maintenance are eligible for medical.
• Unmarried children under age 25 who are dependent on the employee for support and maintenance are eligible for dental and life.
• An unmarried child (over age 25) who is covered under the employee and is incapacitated. (Review Plan Booklets for more information on incapacitated children.)

Children are not required to maintain student status in order to remain eligible for GuideStone coverage.

Life, medical and disability plans require evidence of insurability—also known as evidence of good health—and will be effective on the date of approval by GuideStone's underwriters. This process can take up to eight weeks while required information is collected and reviewed.

Dental, accidental death and dismemberment, and/or personal accident coverage are effective the day the application is received by GuideStone, regardless of underwriting requirements for life, medical and disability coverage.

All the employees at a given employer who have insurance with GuideStone are listed on one itemized bill.  Bills are sent to the employer's billing address monthly.  GuideStone bills one month in advance for insurance.  For example, an employer will receive a bill for February coverage at the beginning of January. 

Because of the advance payment policy, several months of charges for a new insurance enrollee may appear on your first bill for that individual. For example, the billing for a new employee could happen as follows:

• Jan. 10: You receive your regular advance bill for February coverage (for all your existing employees).
• Feb. 9: You receive your regular advance bill for March coverage (for all your existing employees).
• Feb. 11: A new employee has been approved for coverage with GuideStone.
• Mar. 11: You receive your regular advance bill for April coverage, which includes charges for your new employee's February, March and April. 

Payments arriving after the 1st of the month may not be reflected on the following month’s bill. Retirement contributions and insurance payments cannot be combined and sent to the same billing address.

All the employees at a given employer who have insurance with GuideStone are listed on one itemized bill.  Bills are sent to the employer's billing address monthly.  GuideStone bills one month in advance for insurance.  For example, an employer will receive a bill for February coverage at the beginning of January. 

Because of the advance payment policy, several months of charges for a new insurance enrollee may appear on your first bill for that individual. For example, the billing for a new employee could happen as follows:

• Jan. 10: You receive your regular advance bill for February coverage (for all your existing employees).
• Feb. 9: You receive your regular advance bill for March coverage (for all your existing employees).
• Feb. 11: A new employee has been added to the coverage with GuideStone.
• Mar. 11: You receive your regular advance bill for April coverage, which includes charges for your new employee's February, March and April coverages. 

Payments arriving after the 1st of the month may not be reflected on the following month’s bill. Retirement contributions and insurance payments cannot be combined and sent to the same billing address.

If you are an employer with more than 10 employees, questions about Group Plans administration are answered for you here. Click here to access these tools.