September 3, 2025
Samaritan Ministries International announces Founder Ted Pittenger’s retirement from Board of Directors
PEORIA, Ill. — Today, Samaritan Ministries International (samaritanministries.org) announced that Founder Ted Pittenger has retired from the Board of Directors.
Mr. Pittenger served as Samaritan’s CEO from its founding in 1994 until September 2021 and has served as a Director for 34 years.
Mr. Pittenger commented, “It has been an honor to serve on Samaritan’s Board of Directors. I am grateful for what God has done through this ministry over the past three decades, the faithfulness of the hundreds of thousands of Samaritan members, and the dedicated and talented individuals I’ve had the privilege to serve.
Our mission has always been to redeem health care by helping the Body of Christ love one another by practicing authentic Biblical community through sharing one another’s health care burdens. By God’s grace, we’ve been doing that for all these years, and I’m excited to see God continue to redeem health care through Samaritan Ministries.”
Jim Taggart, Chairman of the Board, commented, “Samaritan Ministries is sincerely grateful for Ted’s visionary leadership, foundational contributions, and personal sacrifices in establishing and advancing the ministry. Ted remains a committed supporter of SMI and its mission, and Samaritan remains deeply appreciative of his enduring legacy and faithful service.”
Since its founding in 1994, Samaritan Ministries International has helped tens of thousands of families and individuals enjoy health care freedom by allowing them to choose medical providers and treatments at reasonable cost and without network restrictions while following a biblical pattern of caring for one another’s medical needs.
Accredited by the Healthcare Sharing Accreditation Board, Samaritan has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau,and serves more than 250,000 members across almost 80,000 households.
Samaritan Ministries is not health insurance. Government exchange-based health insurance requires signups to occur only during open enrollment periods unless one qualifies for a special enrollment period due to a “life event” such as losing coverage, getting married, moving, or having a baby. In contrast, individuals can sign up with Samaritan Ministries at any time.
Samaritan Ministries members are exempt from insurance coverage mandates and penalties in those states that have them (i.e., California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.).
Samaritan Ministries health care sharing offers many advantages, including:
- No network restrictions. Samaritan members have the freedom of choice for their health care provider, hospital, and pharmacy that works best for them.
- The unique direct-sharing approach does more than just help members financially; it also encourages a biblical community based on prayer. Due to member efforts, monthly shares are hundreds of dollars less per month than health insurance premiums.
To understand how health care sharing is not insurance, and to understand the differences from insurance, prospective members are required to review Samaritan Ministries’ guidelines before joining Samaritan.
To learn more about Samaritan Ministries International, visit the Samaritan website at www.samaritanministries.org, or follow the ministry on Facebook, Instagram or X.
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To interview a representative from Samaritan Ministries International, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Richard Jefferson, rjefferson@hamiltonstrategies.com.
