Pros
Excellent call center providing world-class customer service and investments teams. Excellent on-boarding and training opportunities - offers a corporate university, with degree plans for every job role. The Brand Management team is very creative. The IT team is supportive. The facilities are well-maintained. Benefits include underground parking, 9/80 work week, 10% employer contributions + matching retirement dollars up to 5% more, employee medical & dental paid by company and free coffee & tea. Historically most people who work at GuideStone have a heart for ministry - serving non-profits, the "pastor at the crossroads". Employees love working at GuideStone, as evidenced by their tenure - some well over 40 years of service! New leadership at the C-suite level and above were hired starting in 2013 bringing fresh ideas. The Business & Marketing leader is visionary and meets with his staff regularly.
Cons
Insurance Operations is behind the times, but slowly implementing a new system and making strides toward a new service model. One Executive does not meet with his entire division (at all). The CEO and COO will not look past people with weight issues. Effective June 2016 the new HR leadership offered an "Employee Agreement", followed by a "Voluntary" Retirement Incentive (VRI) to 20+% of the staff. While the VRI it was "voluntary" for some who jumped on it right away, many others who delayed or rejected the VRI were later told "it would be in their best interest to take it because their position was being eliminated". Between 10-15% of the oldest and most tenured people (and all of their intellectual capital) left the organization and there were talks about "eliminating more positions". There is no longer balance between ministry and business. One senior leader said that if we just hired some more millennials we could get things done a lot faster. On 6/6/16, the CEO was heard saying we have been around 98 years and will be around for many more, "if we can remain solvent".