The building is open to the public most days, and the exposure is the people in it.

Abuse and molestation

Allegations arising from youth ministry, pastoral counselling, childcare and any program serving minors.

Without it — Excluded from general liability, uninsurable retroactively, and the claim that closes congregations.

General liability and property

The sanctuary, halls and grounds, plus injury to members, visitors and program participants.

Without it — A building the public enters weekly, often with stairs, kitchens and an aging structure.

Pastoral professional liability

Counselling and spiritual advice — claims that the guidance itself caused harm.

Without it — Counselling is a professional service whoever provides it, and general liability does not reach it.

Directors and officers

Claims against the board, elders or trustees over governance, employment and finances.

Without it — Employment disputes with clergy and staff are the commonest D&O claim a congregation sees.

Workers compensation — including volunteers

Paid staff, and volunteers elected onto the policy where the state allows it.

Without it — An injured volunteer with no comp claim sues the congregation instead.

Crime and fidelity

Theft of offerings, building funds and accounts by staff, volunteers or board members.

Without it — Cash counted by rotating volunteers with almost no segregation of duties is the textbook exposure.

Hired and non-owned auto

Volunteers driving their own cars for the congregation — youth trips, visitation, collections.

Without it — Personal auto policies exclude the trip, and the congregation is the party with assets.

Why is abuse coverage handled separately?

Because general liability excludes it, and because of how it is written. Abuse cover is almost always claims-made rather than occurrence, which means it responds to claims MADE while the policy is in force — so a lapse does not just stop cover going forward, it can strand allegations about the past. That matters enormously here: these allegations surface years or decades after the conduct, often when a child reaches adulthood, and several states have reopened limitation periods for exactly that reason. Keep the policy continuous and keep the retroactive date, because a new policy with a new retroactive date leaves the whole prior history uninsured.

We are small and mostly volunteer. Do we still need D&O?

Yes, and the commonest claim is not what people expect. It is not a misappropriation scandal, it is an employment dispute — a dismissed staff member, a pastor’s contract, a harassment complaint. Those are brought against the board as individuals, volunteer status is not immunity, and the defense costs start whether or not the claim has merit. It is also a recruitment question: capable trustees ask whether the congregation carries it before agreeing to serve.

Does our policy cover the school or daycare we run?

Not automatically, and this is a frequent and expensive gap. A preschool, daycare, school or after-school program is a separate operation with its own exposure, its own class code and usually its own abuse rating, and a congregation policy written for worship does not silently extend to it. The same is true of a food program, a shelter, a counselling center or a thrift store. Tell us everything the organization actually runs — the answer is almost always broader than the person filling in the form first says.

Cover for childcare operations