Commercial general liability insurance is the most common type of policy purchased by churches, religious institutes, and several other nonprofit organizations. It covers a variety of damages and is often used in conjunction with a reliable umbrella insurance policy for small to mid-tier organizations. The administration of a church can perform their duties with more confidence if a church insurance policy insures their religious organization. Here are some of the claims that are covered by commercial general liability insurance.

1. Property Claims

A commercial general liability insurance policy insures all the architectural aspects of church property. In case of any damage, the church insurance company will compensate the management for the cost of repair or replacement of the church building and business personal property. The walls, roof, bathrooms, kitchen, and other areas of the property are secured under this policy.  These policies that include property coverage under the general liability insurance coverage, are referred to as commercial package insurance policies.  This is because they include 2 or more layers of insurance policies contained within a single church package policy.  This comes with an advantage to churches, as the coverages are typically included with deep discounts.

2. Injury Liability

Churches with a large number of visitors often experience accidents. If a church staff member or a visitor gets injured on the church property, the commercial general liability insurance policy will cover the incident. In case of a lawsuit, the insurance provider will pay for covered damages related to injury. The church liability insurance company will also pay for the medical treatment for injuries incurred on the property.  Employees are typically excluded from the church liability insurance, as they are covered by the churches workers’ compensation insurance policy.

3. Copyright Claims

Copyright infringement issues involve the unauthorized use of patented music, literature, logos, or slogans. These types of lawsuits can drain the financial resources of any religious organization. If a church accidentally commits a copyrighting mistake, their commercial general liability insurance policy, may provide the needed protection from any financial repercussions.  It is important for churches to obtain the needed permissions, when publishing copyright protected materials without the required permissions.  Another common area where churches violate this law are movie nights.  Most movies are copyright protected and require organization to pay an additional fee, when a group of people come together in a public setting.

4. Cost of a Legal Battle

Lawsuits against churches have gotten very common around the United States. Most of these religious establishments, cannot afford to pay for the legal fees involved in these proceedings. Some have to close down the church and sell the real estate property to pay for the damages, while many sell church belongings such as vehicles to compensate.  Many times this happens as a result of churches running into financial difficulties, which leads to their insurance policy being cancelled for the lack of payment. Do to the lack of coverage being in place, when a claim happens the church is now 100% reliable.

If a church administration has to go to court as a defendant, their commercial general liability insurance provider, will afford all the expenses during this process.  It is important for churches to have the needed insurance coverage in place, from a church property insurance company who is well known for taking care of the churches they insure.

Integrity Now Insurance offers a wide range of property and liability insurance plans to churches around the US. The ministry insurance coverages include products that can be customized according to the needs of each client, and provide dependable coverage in the case of any legal complications. When you are looking for insurance for churches, we would love to be your church insurance brokers.  Please pick up the phone and Request for a quote today and make your religious ministry safe from lawsuits.