A church is a sacred place where people gather to worship and teach the word of God. It's also supposed to be a safe space for long-time members and newcomers.
However, as more churches face more false accusations or claims for inappropriate behavior, you must find ways to protect your ministry from legal trouble. And for this reason, you must understand and know which church liability insurance works best.
This article will discuss 13 different types of church liability insurance.
This church liability insurance works when your church is legally responsible for property damage or bodily injuries. Besides paying for the injured party's damages, it also covers defense costs for litigation. We recommend your ministry carries at least $1 million for general liability costs.
Directors’ and officers’ liability insurance covers the decisions made by your ministry's board, officers, or trustees. While several states protect volunteers of nonprofit organizations, we still recommend acquiring directors' and officers' liability.
This coverage is essential because you'll be handling expensive defense costs if someone files legal action against your board members.
Besides obtaining coverage for actual incidents, you must also acquire church liability insurance to defend your ministry against allegations. The defense costs can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, forcing your church into bankruptcy or liquidation, if needed, to pay the plaintiff.
We recommend acquiring a minimum of $250,000 for sexual misconduct liability. You should also reach higher limits if possible.
Garage liability insurance is a type of coverage targeted toward the automobile industry. This coverage works best if your church offers valet parking or automotive services. You also need this church liability insurance if your ministry accepts donated vehicles and sells or gives them away. The coverage amount depends on your church's activity.
Churches are supposed to be safe spaces for everyone. Unfortunately, agents see more claims in this church liability insurance coverage because of age or gender discrimination accusations. Employee practices liability protects your ministry from rising claims associated with your employees, such as discrimination or wrongful termination.
Employee benefits liability insurance protects against claims from an employer's error or omission about the benefits an employee should've received, such as retirement plans, group life, and group health plans.
Some church members may accuse your ministry's pastors and counselors of physical and/or emotional abuse. Counseling acts liability insurance coverage protects you from legal action against religious counseling.
While all states have their versions of employee compensation laws and coverage, workers’ compensation insurance usually covers all injured employees for negligent acts in job-related injuries.
You will also need foreign liability and foreign travel insurance if your members travel overseas. However, you must understand that your primary coverage may have limits or exclusions.
Medical payments liability insurance provides a goodwill payment to individuals injured on the property, regardless of who's at fault. It's usually limited to only $5,000.
All churches should have hired and non-owned auto liability insurance coverage because it protects rented automobiles and non-owned cars. If church members or employees use their vehicles, they'll have primary insurance, and it's only available after exhausting the primary coverage.
Your church must have business autos liability insurance whenever you own a ministry vehicle because it has the most significant exposure for loss. You must understand the limitations of this coverage. We recommend acquiring at least $1 million liability limits on your car policy.
Lastly, you should get excess liability insurance for your church in case the claims reach the coverage limits.
As more churches continue to face serious legal trouble, you must determine which church liability insurance plan works best for your ministry. It’s also best to consult your agent if you need to cover other aspects of your church.
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The main idea with higher deductibles is that it incentivizes you to take the proper actions to minimize the potential harm that may come to your property. As such, higher deductibles help you think about ways to sustainably prevent negative situations from forming and occurring within your property. That is why organizational leaders should take great care to implement proper security protocols. Your place of worship or care must comprehensively plan for crime and other property damage instances and minimize them from taking place.
These principles and tips will help you to minimize issues taking place on your property.
The best action is preventative and not reactive. Do your best to implement standards and protocols that minimize the potential situation that risks present to your church.
For instance, if you are cleaning the church, make sure to have signs that state you are cleaning. As such, you are indicating that cleaning is happening, and floors may be wet.
Further, you want to make sure that you have signs present around the facility that show people to be careful in a specific situation. Classic safety measures such as smoke detectors and safety systems, in general, will be crucial and necessary as well.
In addition, more nonprofit organizations are optimizing their buildings to make it accessible for disabled peoples. More organizations also endeavor to check their places frequently and make sure everything is up to par while also keeping emergency supplies like first aid kits on their premises.
There is quite a bit you can do to take a preventive strategy within your organization and minimize your potential liabilities. If you require further assistance with your insurance policies and would like to have more information about the steps you can take to improve your overall situation, reach out to us. We will be pleased to find the best solution for your needs and provide the insurance services that your church requires.
Make sure that your church is protected. Learn more about our insurance services for churches in Georgia, including umbrella liability, business automotive, and church packages to protect your organization. Contact us today to chat about how we can help your church obtain great coverage to safeguard your ministry.