Website for the Insurance Board 
of the United Church of Christ

It's about being responsible trustees. . .

Many church boards do not pay enough attention to what their insurance coverages are. Are the youth on a trip in rented vans covered in case of an accident? And for how much? Is your church covered for slip and falls within the building and on the property outside your building? Do you have adequate liability insurance if someone sues your church because their child was molested in a church schoolroom?

Recently a church in another state decided how much insurance to purchase on their church building based on the amount of premium they wanted to pay. Two weeks later they had a major loss and discovered (surprise) that they didn’t insure their building to its replacement value. Now they don’t know if they can rebuild it.

The Ohio Conference, along with the other 38 conferences of the United Church of Christ, is one of the owners of the Insurance Board of the United Church of Christ (IBUCC), which provides property and liability insurance for local churches. The Ohio Conference does not receive any money from this relationship because, as an owner, we believe that all resources should be used to provide local churches with the best quality insurance possible and the most reasonable price for our congregations. Our IB program has over $5 billion in coverage in over 3500 congregations across the United States. Every Conference of the United Church of Christ is a participant, as well as over 80% of the Regional Offices of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ. The Insurance Board also insures the national offices of the United Church of Christ in Cleveland and the national offices of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ in Indianapolis.

Do you know what your insurance coverage is when you, as a member of the church, transport young people to a youth event? Is your pastor covered for professional liability under your church’s policy?

I encourage the trustees in every church to take a look at your insurance coverage and see if you think you are adequately covered. If you need help, you can contact the Ohio Conference Insurance Board representatives listed in the box on this page. They will help determine whether you are being good stewards of your property and the liability issues at your church.

A related issue that concerns me is the need for each church’s trustees to do an annual risk management audit of the church’s property. Many Boards of Trustees are not carrying out this important examination of church property. I have been in churches where the stairs are not well lighted and chemicals are kept in places where children can easily get access to them. We must always be safety conscious. Where are the fire extinguishers located in your church?

Check it out; you may save a life.