Church Insurance
Church Insurance
Dear Trustees, Treasurers, Finance Chairs and Pastors:
It is essential that churches carry adequate Property & Casualty insurance on their buildings, vehicles and operations. This is because one uninsured incident can result in significant financial costs and potentially, the closure of a church's doors. Being adequately insured is probably the single-most important action a church can take to protect it's assets, its people and its ministry from unforeseen events.
When it comes to Property & Casualty insurance, every church should obtain coverage directly from an insurer or through an agent. It is important that those policies meet the minimum insurance requirements set by the Conference (see attached). Please note that an Umbrella policy is required if the church operates a preschool. In addition, the General Church recommends an Umbrella policy for any church with over 500 members.
Listed below are some tips as it relates to insurance:
- Make sure your policy includes adequate coverage for "bonding" of those that handle money (required by The Book of Discipline). Bonding, or "fidelity" coverage is typically included in your package policy. In terms of how much coverage is needed, think about the volume of funds that flow through the church and the amount of money that could be misappropriated before being detected. Churches with robust internal controls, need a lower amount of coverage vs. those with lax financial controls.
- Make sure that your policy has updated and accurate values for the costs to rebuild church structures and replace contents. It is important that these values are periodically updated to reflect changes to structures and local costs of construction. If this hasn't been done in awhile, request a "site-visit" from your insurer to update such values.
- Shop your insurance around every few years to ensure that your premiums are competitive in the marketplace.
- Permanently retain insurance policies, even if expired. This is especially important for certain claims (such as sexual molestation), which can surface years or decades after your policy has expired.
- Report claims to your insurer immediately. Many insurers have time-limits for reporting beyond which they will not service a claim.
Listed below are some agents/insurers that area churches are using for Property & Casualty insurance. This is not a complete listing and I do not recommend one over the other. Each church should undertake its own due-diligence when selecting an agent or insurer.
Also, please note that Workers Compensation insurance continues to be provided by the Conference to all churches and church-controlled preschools. Participation in the group policy is required; therefore churches and church-controlled preschools should not purchase this coverage directly.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely, Ross
Church Mutual Insurance Company
Queensbury, NY 12804
Territories: NY & CT
1-800-554-2642 menu option 1 (you will be put in touch with the rep that handles your geographic area)
Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services
Kevin Barry
Territories: NY & CT
914-697-6033
kevin_barry@ajg.com
National Church Group
Territories: NY & CT
ncginsurance.com
1-800-456-6624 ext 407
Beth Allesandra
Feehan Insurance Agency
Matt Feehan
Territories: NY & CT
mattf@feehaninsurance.com
845-278-7070
www.ministryinsured.com
Territories: NY & CT
Stuart Walker
swalker@emerywebb.com
800-942-5818 ext 1148
Fred Morris Agency
Coram, NY 11727
Territories: NY
Phone: 631-403-4452
fmgroup27@yahoo.com
Thom Ianniccari, CPIA
Allan Twitty Insurance Agency
Bronxville, NY 10708
Territories: NY & CT
Direct Number (914) 715.2991
thom4insurance@gmail.com
Nicolas Estevez
Inter City Agency, Inc.
Territories: NY & CT
Lake Success, NY 11042
Phone: 718.279.7719
nick.estevez@intercityagency.com
