Church Insurance- 4 Important Things You Need To Cover

Author: Warren Micek

Criminals seem to have chosen churches as "soft target'' in last few years. It is evident by increasing number of cases of theft, vandalism, and robbery in church premises. Also, churches are considered as a safe and secure place by criminals on the run due to it being a religious and non-profit organization. The reality is that churches are not immune from all the risks that are related with other commercial entities and Church Property Insurance is designed to safeguard church's legal and financial interests in the event of any damage or losses.

Knowing how to properly insure your church will give you a much needed confidence that any unforeseen event will not mark the end of your ministry. This articles mentions four things every church insurance policy should have. Read on to know more about it.

  1. The fact is that there is no church in the states that is not susceptible against legal action from its members, guests, and other individuals. The basic church insurance coverage has two parts- if someone claims they were injured and if someone claims their property was damaged. A general liability policy provides protection against claims of bodily injury by providing insurance for a covered claim of physical injury. The second aspect of this policy is coverage for accusations of property damage. This can happen when the landlord accuses church of damaging the leased building.
  2. Every church owns some kind of property which is necessary to insure. Church building, pews, musical instruments, and other items belonging to church and placed inside the church premises come under church property. Building Insurance For Churches provides insurance cover from events like fire or wind which can cause partial or complete damage to church's building. This policy also includes all the items that are present inside the church and should be covered under a separate limit.
  3. Any profit or non-profit organization that works with children is prone to accusations of sexual abuse of children. An accusation can be made without any solid evidence that any wrongdoing ever occurred or not. And the church has no other option but to defend itself. Accusations of sexual abuse require a separate policy and no church can afford to be without such insurance policy.
  4. Many ministries offer counseling for church members and many of them have counselors on staff. Allegations made against church counselors are not covered under general liability program and require a separate policy. As is the case with the accusations of sexual abuse, the councelor need not have to done anything wrong to face legal action. By ensuring that your church is covered, you will have a peace of mind that you are defended from such accusations.
  5. Every church employs a number of employees who perform a variety of tasks related with church operations. They are paid salary for their services and if they get injured while performing church duties, it becomes the sole responsibility of church to pay for medical expenses of the employee. Workers compensation insurance coverage compensates for medical expenses and financial loss in event of any injury to worker due to which he has to remain absent from the duty.