Church Liability Insurance for Religious Organizations
You have made your church a home that is filled with people that we consider to be our family members. No matter if your church only has 25 church members or you have 5,000 members, all churches need general liability insurance.
As the coverage specifies it is “general” in the nature of the insurance coverage. This means it is one of the broadest of coverages that a church can obtain. While it is broad in nature it does not include all of the coverages that a church needs to have in place.
This is where as your church insurance agent, we include additional coverage enhancements to broaden your insurance coverage even further.
What is included in
General Liability Insurance Coverages
A general liability insurance policy helps protect your church from a broad range of potential losses. The two main types of insurance coverages includes bodily injury and property damage.
Here are a few examples of some possible claims dealing with these two coverages.
Bodily injury:
While someone was visiting your church, they tripped and fell and injured themselves. This person ended up in the hospital and needed surgery. They reach out to the church and state your church is responsible for their $175,000 medical bill along with their loss of income as a result of missing 16 weeks of work.
Property Damage:
Your church has several large trees in the parking lot and during a rainstorm, it falls over and hits a neighbor’s house that is adjacent to the churches property. They call the church and tell you that your church is responsible to fix their house.
What are the Typical General Liability Insurance limits?
When it comes to church insurance, the typical general liability insurance policy limits include the following.
- $1,000,000 Each Occurrence Limit
- $3,000,000 Aggregate Limit
- $1,000,000 Personal & Advertising Injury Limit
- $15,000 Medical Expense Limit (any one person)
- $3,000,000 Product Completed Operations Limit
- $1,000,000 Damage to Rented Premises Limit (each occurrence)
- $1,000,000 Employee Benefits Liability Insurance
There can be a lot of confusion surrounding the each occurrence limit and the aggregate limit. Many churches believe they are one in the same.
The each occurrence limit is the most the insurance policy will pay for a single incident. Where the Aggregate limit is the most the insurance company will pay over the policy term.
For instance, if there is a single claim for $1,250,000 the church insurance company will pay $1,000,000 and the church would be responsible for the remaining $250,000. This is unless your church has purchased an umbrella policy. The umbrella policy will cover your church for catastrophic liability claims that exceed your general liability insurance policy limits.
Another claims example would be, your church receives three separate claims for three different situations. Each of these three claims total $750,000 each. The total losses for the policy term equals $2,250,000. Because these are three separate occurrences the total of all three claims would be covered by the church insurance company as they are within both the occurrence limit and the aggregate limit.
Are there additional Church Liability Insurance Coverages that we need?
Your general liability insurance policy provides some pretty extensive insurance coverages. However, as a church you have additional liabilities that are not covered a general liability policy on its’ own.
This is where having an insurance agent that specializes in churches becomes very important. We have access to church insurance companies that offer additional coverage enhancements, that goes above and beyond a traditional general liability insurance policy. These policies that are tailored for churches are called commercial package policies.
A commercial package policy, layers on additional coverages within the coverage form, in order to broaden the general liability insurance policy that frequently have exclusions that would remove the needed coverages a church needs.
The additional insurance coverages that can be added to your church insurance policy are the following:
Directors and Officers Insurance
Protects your churches board members for the financial decisions they make on behalf of the church organization.
Pastoral Counseling Insurance Coverage
Protects your Pastor for the sermons they provide to their church, along with unpaid counseling services provided to their members.
Counseling Insurance
Provides coverage for paid counseling services offered by the church from a licensed clinician such as a Marriage and Family Therapist.
Abuse and Molestation Insurance Coverage
Provides insurance protection to churches in the event of an actual or alleged sexual misconduct involving a church organization. It’s important to have the proper background checks in place, to protect our kids and church.
Religious Expressions Insurance Coverage
Provides insurance coverage for churches for their deeply held religious beliefs. One of these beliefs is related to same-sex marriage.
Crime Insurance
Provides protection of monies while inside and/or outside the church.
Group Life Insurance
Offering employees a group life insurance policy help ease the minds of your employes in the event they unexpectedly pass away. Life insurance offered by your church brings additional security to their families.
Business Income with Extra Expenses
In the event of a covered loss, this insurance coverage provides income to cover your church related to the loss of income. For instance, if your church building burns down and your offering decrease as a result this coverage would provide protection against that loss of income up to the policy limits.
Umbrella Policy
An umbrella policy can provide additional liability protection for churches, for those catastrophic events. When an injury exceeds your churches general liability insurance limits, an umbrella policy can offer additional insurance protection up to $5,000,000 or more.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Churches
Protects your employees and volunteer employees, in the event they get injured while working for your church.
Business Auto Insurance for Churches
If your church owns a van, bus, or any vehicle, you will need to have a church business auto insurance policy. If the vehicle is not in the name of your church, then it needs to be insured privately.
Group Health Insurance
Most churches who have 2 or more employees qualify for group health insurance. Depending on the size of your organization, your church may be required to provide group health insurance.
Group Dental & Vision Insurance –
These are just some of the most common additional insurance coverages a church should have in place. These additional layers of church insurance coverages, help broaden your overall protection for your church property and members.
Most insurance companies and insurance agent’s do not offer these types of coverages enhancements. Unfortunately, for these churches that are insured through these companies, once they file a claim, this is when they find themselves without the needed church insurance protection.
Why Choose an Independent Church Insurance Broker?
Since 2012, Integrity Now Insurance Brokers has specialized exclusively in church and religious organization insurance, serving more than 500 congregations nationwide. As an independent broker, we are not tied to any single carrier — we access specialty church insurance programs from GuideOne, Philadelphia Insurance, Glatfelter Insurance, USLI, and other top-rated carriers to find the right combination of coverage and cost for your congregation.
Captive agents at national carriers can only offer their own products. We shop across multiple specialty programs to build a complete commercial package designed for the specific liability exposures religious organizations face.
- Licensed independent broker serving churches since 2012
- Access to specialty programs from GuideOne, Philadelphia Insurance, Glatfelter & USLI
- Coverage packages tailored to congregation size, activities, and ministry focus
- Dedicated support throughout the claims process — not just at renewal
Call us at (877) 854-7396 or request a quote online to get started.
Church Liability Insurance — Frequently Asked Questions
Is general liability insurance required for churches?
Most states do not legally require churches to carry general liability insurance. However, many venues, event organizers, and lenders require proof of coverage before allowing church activities on their property. A single uninsured liability claim can threaten the financial stability of your entire ministry.
How much does church liability insurance cost?
Church liability insurance premiums vary based on congregation size, property owned, annual revenue, ministry activities (daycare, counseling, youth programs), and the coverage limits selected. Contact us for a quote specific to your church.
What is the difference between general liability and umbrella insurance for churches?
General liability covers third-party claims up to your policy limits. An umbrella policy activates when a claim exceeds those limits, providing an additional $5,000,000 or more in protection. For churches with significant facilities or youth programs, an umbrella policy is strongly recommended.
Does church liability insurance cover sexual abuse claims?
Standard general liability policies typically exclude sexual abuse and molestation claims. This coverage must be added separately — as an endorsement or through a specialty church insurance program. We strongly recommend this coverage for any church that works with children, youth, or vulnerable adults.
What is a commercial package policy for churches?
A commercial package policy bundles general liability with church-specific coverages — D&O, pastoral counseling, abuse and molestation, religious expression, and others — into a single program designed for the specific exposures religious organizations face.
Best in class Church Insurance Agent
Our church insurance agent’s are ready and waiting, to help your church obtain the correct general liability insurance package policy your church insurance needs. We strive to make the insurance process as quick and smooth as possible.
To get started, feel free to give us a call and/or fill out the contact form with any questions or queries you might have. Our church insurance experts will assist you throughout the entire process, providing unique insurance and risk management solutions for your Church.
Don’t wait any longer; take the first step toward having adequate church insurance protection today at an affordable price! Whether it’s for church general liability insurance or church property insurance, we’re just a phone call away. So feel free to reach out to us at any time for any queries or questions regarding our services.
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