Church Insurance

There are three options to protect your buildings, personal property, and more from Damage–our basic form, broad form and special form. The Special Form offers the most complete coverage. This comprehensive insurance policy is our most popular package and it includes coverage for all causes of loss that are not specifically excluded.

Coverage includes congregation members, employees (including ministers), officials and volunteers acting on behalf of the church. This coverage protects the church’s legal liability (subject to occurrence and aggregate limits):

• On all premises owned
• For activities conducted
• For your products, including food consumption at church activities
• For physical injury to another person; and,
• For personal and advertising injury (libel, slander and false arrest).

Medical Expenses — Pays all reasonable medical expenses regardless of liability (subject to occurrence and aggregate limits) for members, guests, volunteer workers and campers:

• First aid at time of accident;

• Necessary medical, surgical, X-ray and dental services;
• Ambulance service as needed;
• Emergency hospital treatment; and
• $10,000 for loss of life due to covered injury.

Primary Coverage applies to:

• Incidents occurring on or off premises; and
• The care of children while parents are attending church activities, including parent day out programs.
• Excess Coverage applies to:
• Church athletic activities and sports contests.

Restoring Disabled Workers — As an employer, your church is required to provide medical care to employees (at no cost to them) for all medical treatment related to a workplace injury. Oftentimes, the care must include medical/ vocational rehabilitation to restore the worker to their former physical condition and to return them to productive employment. Our policy covers the medical costs including: • First aid treatment

• Physicians’ services
• Nursing care
• Supplies and prescription drugs
• Surgical/hospital services
• Medical/vocational services
• Rehabilitation services

Directors and Officers coverage protects your directors, ministers, board members, officers, trustees and business administrators from liability claims that can arise during their service to your church.

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS COVERAGE PROTECTS YOUR CHURCH FROM:

• Rising Court Costs — Negligence, conflict of interest and misrepresentation are areas that lead to lawsuits. Defending these charges can cost your church thousands of dollars.
• Increasing Litigation — As grounds for bringing lawsuits expand, the number of people suing is increasing. Protective statutes often offer limited immunity.
• Decreasing Volunteers — As suits against directors and officers become more common, fewer people are willing to risk personal losses to serve your church. Knowing that your church has taken steps to protect their volunteers will help keep your congregation involved.
• Changing Attitudes — Most courts no longer recognize the legal doctrine of charitable immunity. While suits against directors and officers used to be uncommon, there is now a trend toward holding them personally liable for acts and decisions made while in office.

It is Spracklen’s goal to protect and make your church or ministry a safer place. In order to serve you best we provide

free access to SafeChurch. SafeChurch is a risk management website dedicated to helping churches assess and manage risks associated with ministry in today’s complex and legal environment. We also partner with The Kanakuk Child Protection Plan which is the most comprehensive child protection management plan in the country.

Safechurch offers in-depth information regarding church safety and security, such resources are listed below:

• More than 100 risk management resources, such as fact sheets, checklists, sample policies and procedures, articles and more.
• Monthly and weekly e-newsletters are packed full of timely information you need to know.
• Assessment tools provide your church with customized reports.
• More than 125 safety video files with helpful photos and descriptions of potential risks,
• as well as specific recommendations to help protect your church even further.
• Online video training courses were designed specifically for churches and can be easily accessed by church leaders and volunteers from the comfort of their own homes, at times most convenient for them.
• Members have exclusive access to affordable background check services.
• This is the most secure online way to discuss safety issues with others in your church community.

Liability and legal defense coverage for claims of Mental or Emotional Injury Protection for Faith-Based Discriminatory Acts

Unfortunately, mental or emotional injury liability claims can occur for a variety of reasons. Alleged discrimination stemming from religious communications or religious activities can lead to possible mental or emotional injury allegations.

GuideOne’s Religious Expression Coverage helps defend you against claims for mental or emotional injury arising from acts others deem discriminating. You can continue to follow your faith-based worship with confidence, knowing you are covered for staying true to your principles as defined by your House of Worship’s written policies, tenets, and doctrines.

• Any trustee or official, board member, council, deaconry or vestry are insureds for their duties pertaining to your House of Worship;
• Your volunteer workers, employees or members performing duties on your behalf are insured by these coverages;
• Generous indemnity limit of up to $1 million;
• Reimbursements for legal defense costs as the result of a covered civil proceeding, arbitration or alternative dispute resolution for covered damages including court costs, defense against injunctive relief actions and cost of appeal bonds (up to $150,000 each incident, $300,000 aggregate limit);
• Affordable flat rate premium; and

Available additional coverage with any House of Worship insurance policy.

• Protects the church from allegations of wrongful employment practices made by employees and prospective employees;
• Provides the church with added liability protection for employment􏰀related claims in which wrongful acts of employees, such as managers and supervisors, are alleged;
• Helps pay for the cost of a liability lawsuit, including court costs, legal defense fees, a settlement or judgment by the court; and
• Defends the church whether it’s negligent or not in a wide variety of employment practice situations.

Spracklen Insurance’s Umbrella Policy provides your church with an extra layer of liability coverage for additional financial protection. Umbrella coverage goes above and beyond general liability, automobile coverages, and the employers’ liability portion of a workers’ compensation policy.

How the Umbrella Policy Works

Your church can be sued for many reasons, whether or not the organization is at fault. Common causes of liability lawsuits include personal injuries, vehicle accidents, bodily injury and death.

Once a lawsuit has been filed against your church, you will have no choice but to hire an attorney for thousands of dollars and defend the church in a court of law.Hopefully your church or organization will prevail in court, however, if you are faced with a large judgment, an Umbrella Policy is vital for your protection.

An umbrella policy is an extremely beneficial policy to minimize the risk of large lawsuits which in some cases can be millions of dollars. Umbrella policies are necessary in order to protect your church or organization for the future by paying the remaining amount beyond your underlying policies coverage.