Health share plans with no statement of faith

If you’ve started applying for a health share plan and hit a question asking you to affirm a religious belief system, you’ve run into a statement of faith — and it’s worth understanding exactly what it commits you to before you either sign it or rule the whole category out.

What Is a Statement of Faith, Exactly?

A statement of faith is a formal declaration of religious belief that some health share organizations require as a condition of membership. It typically asks you to affirm belief in a specific set of religious doctrines and in some cases to commit to practices such as regular church attendance or a pastoral reference letter.

This isn’t a formality you can skim past. On plans that require one, it’s a real eligibility gate — not signing it, or not being able to sign it honestly, means you can’t join.

Which Health Share Plans Require a Statement of Faith?

Requirements vary by organization, and they change, so always confirm directly on a plan’s current enrollment page. As a general pattern in the industry:

• Medi-Share requires a Christian statement of faith as part of enrollment.
• Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) requires both a statement of faith and evidence of regular church attendance.
• Samaritan Ministries requires a statement of faith and church attendance verification, along with a pastoral or church leader reference.
• A number of smaller, denomination-specific ministries have similarly strict religious membership tests, sometimes including doctrinal restrictions on what types of care are shareable.

Secular plans — including MPB Health — don’t have this requirement. Instead, you agree to general membership and lifestyle guidelines (for example, not using illegal drugs), with nothing about religious belief.

How to Tell If a Plan Requires a Statement of Faith (Before You Apply)

You shouldn’t have to get partway through an application to find out. Check for these signals up front:

1. Search the plan’s FAQ or membership guidelines page for “statement of faith” or “statement of beliefs.” If the phrase appears, it’s a faith-based plan.
2. Look for mentions of church attendance, pastoral references, or denominational affiliation in the eligibility requirements.
3. Check whether any procedures are excluded from sharing on religious or doctrinal grounds — this is a common secondary marker of a faith-based plan, separate from the statement of faith itself.
4. If none of the above appear anywhere in the enrollment materials, the plan is very likely secular but it’s still worth confirming directly with the provider before you commit, since terminology and requirements do shift over time.

What You Agree to Instead on a Secular Plan

Removing the religious requirement doesn’t mean a plan has no membership standards at all. Secular health share plans still typically ask members to agree to general guidelines covering things like:

• Not using illegal drugs
• Providing accurate health information at enrollment
• Following the plan’s published guidelines for what is and isn’t an eligible medical expense

The distinction isn’t “no rules vs. rules” — it’s whether those rules are religious in nature or not.

If you still have questions or need a more complete list of secular vs religious health shares, please see the complete guide to non-religious health sharing.