About Us

Helping retirement-aged ministers
and their widows in need for more than 100 years.

Miguel and Piedad DeLuna

Served in Michigan, Nebraska and Texas for 25 years.

About Us

Helping retirement-aged ministers
and their widows in need for more than 100 years.

Mission:Dignity® honors retirement-aged Southern Baptist ministers, workers and widows struggling to meet basic needs through advocacy and financial assistance.

Mission:Dignity is the heart of GuideStone® and has been at the center of our work since we started more than 100 years ago.

Who is Mission:Dignity?

Sarah Jacks

Widow and poet, served alongside her husband, Dial, who pastored in South Carolina for more than 30 years.

Dignity for All Retirement-aged Southern Baptist Ministers, Workers and Widows

Much of the funding for our ministry comes from the direct gifts of individuals, groups and churches in our Southern Baptist family. Through these gifts, recipients can buy groceries, pay a utility bill, or get prescriptions and medical care.

It’s more than just the money. We are called to serve those who served us.

The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. (1 Tim. 5:17, CSB).

Hear from the Mission:Dignity Family

Now in retirement, many retirement-aged SBC ministers, workers and their widows face real financial need. Mission:Dignity helps them live with dignity. Hear about the direct impact of Mission:Dignity Sunday from a local pastor, state convention executive and Mission:Dignity recipient:

Carlton & Shelbie Hemphill

Served the Lord together for more than 31 years

Fast Facts

  • Mission:Dignity serves almost 2,800 individuals in need
  • 60% of Mission:Dignity recipients are ministerial widows
  • The average recipient has served 33 years in ministry
  • Over $11M is distributed to these recipients each year
  • 100% of every donation goes to those in need
Newsletters & Highlights

Frequently Asked Questions

You say that 100% of my gift goes to help people in need. How is this possible? Surely you have expenses to manage the program.

An established endowment funds the operating expenses of Mission:Dignity. This covers staff salaries, printing, postage and other expenses. Every dollar of current Mission:Dignity annual gifts is used for monthly distributions to retirement-age SBC ministers, workers and widows in need.

Can I designate the recipient of my gift?

For tax purposes, you cannot designate a recipient. If you know of someone who may need assistance, we’ll be glad to contact them and see if they might qualify for Mission:Dignity. Call us at 1-877-888-9409 with their name and address, and we’ll contact them.

Can I find out the name of the person I am helping?

Many of our recipients have given us permission to share their names by way of a prayer card. We will be glad to provide you with the name, address and birthday of a retirement-age pastor or widow so you can pray for and communicate with them. You may even find an opportunity for a service project or meeting a particular need if the person is local to your area.

How many people are currently helped by Mission:Dignity?

More than 2,800 individuals receive assistance each year. Approximately 60% of the recipients are widows. One out of four recipients is a pastor’s widow age 85 or older.

How much assistance is provided to recipients?

Individuals can qualify for $275 each month. Married couples are eligible for $375. For the neediest persons with at least 25 years of ministerial service and much lower (poverty-level) income limits, these amounts may be doubled to $550 and $750, respectively.

Mission:Dignity Contact Us

Contact Information: