What Type of Insurance Do Churches Need?
Are you shopping for church insurance? If you are, make sure that you are not only getting the best price for the coverage that you need, but you are also getting what you need when it comes to coverage. Many churches are now covering almost all aspects of church insurance, in that post-accident forms are now being accepted in all faith denominations.
This page is covers everything you need to know about church insurance.
There are many types of church insurance policies available to individual and corporate religious organizations. Each policy has different benefits and drawbacks, so it is very important that you understand what you are getting yourself into before purchasing a policy. In this article, we are covering everything you need to know about church insurance. There are many types of coverage available, including accidental death benefit, fraud and theft, property damage liability, civil liability, hospital bills, professional indemnity, public liability and clergy and preaching expense coverage.
When it comes to accidental death benefit, most churches provide benefits to individuals who are killed in accidents while worshiping at their church. Accidental death insurance coverage helps the church pay costs associated with funeral and burial expenses, along with other funeral costs. As the author of this article points out, "In the past, this type of coverage was only provided by funeral homes and cremation facilities. Now, many funeral homes and religious organizations will provide this coverage on their own."
Fraud and theft are very serious problems, which almost always result in financial loss for the insured party. To protect itself against these issues, most churches need to provide some form of fraud insurance. In order to know if your church is one of the few that actually does have this coverage, check with your local insurance agent. Most churches will have an insurance policy that can be renewed or added to, upon your church's request.
Hummel Group can also help you understand the fine print of your policy and tell you what you need to do to get the most coverage for your dollar. They can also help you decide what type of fraud protection is best for your church.
Property damage liability is probably the most overlooked insurance policy in many churches. According to the Insurance Information Institute, "There are times when people bring property into a church, but fail to take responsibility for it. These cases usually result in either a settlement or judgment." Most churches only have liability coverage that involves a few different types of lawsuits, like slander, malicious prosecution, and others.
Professional indemnity insurance is required for all churches that hold religious offices. The purpose of this coverage is to protect the rights of those in the clergy and church officials. According to the Insurance Information Institute, "cleric liability insurance can be very expensive because it covers three major areas: professional negligence, breach of trust, and advertising." Professional indemnity insurance is not mandatory, but many churches choose to have it just in case something happens. If you are considering adding a professional to your ministry, check to see if he or she has the proper training for the job. Check out this post that has expounded on the topic:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/insurance.