Why Your Church Needs a Specialist Insurance Agency
Last updated: February 2026
What do generic insurance agents miss about church coverage?
Generic agents commonly miss four critical church insurance exposures: pastoral counseling liability, abuse and molestation coverage, volunteer injury gaps, and faith-based employment practices. These are the risks that lead to denied claims — and they're the first things a specialist checks.
A good commercial insurance agent can insure an office building, a restaurant, or a retail store. But churches create exposures that commercial policies weren't designed for — and most general agents haven't encountered. That's why carriers like Brotherhood Mutual exist — built exclusively for ministry.
Counseling liability
Pastors provide counseling that creates professional liability exposure. Commercial policies often exclude it entirely or bury it under a general professional liability sublimit.
Volunteer coverage gaps
Churches rely on hundreds of volunteers. Standard commercial policies may not extend liability or accident coverage to unpaid workers — leaving your most active members unprotected.
Abuse and molestation exposure
This is one of the most serious risks churches face. Generic carriers often exclude it entirely or offer inadequate limits with adjusters who've never handled a ministry claim.
Faith-based employment practices
Churches have legal protections for faith-based hiring — but those protections need to be reflected in your insurance. Commercial EPLI policies don't account for ministerial exception or religious freedom defense.
Should your church use a specialist insurance agent?
| Risk Area | Generic Commercial Agent | Ministry Specialist (MinistrySure) |
|---|---|---|
| Counseling liability | Often excluded or sublimited. May not cover pastoral counseling specifically. | Dedicated pastoral counseling liability built into the policy form. |
| Abuse & molestation | May exclude entirely or offer minimal limits. Claims handling team unfamiliar with ministry context. | Included with meaningful limits. Claims team experienced with ministry-specific situations. |
| Volunteer coverage | Volunteers may not be covered or only partially covered under standard forms. | Volunteer accident coverage and volunteer liability included or available. |
| Faith-based employment | No understanding of ministerial exception, faith-based hiring, or religious freedom defense. | Policy forms and claims handling account for faith-based employment practices. |
| Risk management | Generic commercial risk resources. Not applicable to church operations. | Ministry-specific safety resources, background check tools, and policy templates. |
| Claims experience | Adjusters handle commercial claims. Church situations are unfamiliar territory. | Adjusters have handled thousands of church property, liability, and staff claims. |
Counseling liability
Often excluded or sublimited. May not cover pastoral counseling specifically.
Dedicated pastoral counseling liability built into the policy form.
Abuse & molestation
May exclude entirely or offer minimal limits. Claims handling team unfamiliar with ministry context.
Included with meaningful limits. Claims team experienced with ministry-specific situations.
Volunteer coverage
Volunteers may not be covered or only partially covered under standard forms.
Volunteer accident coverage and volunteer liability included or available.
Faith-based employment
No understanding of ministerial exception, faith-based hiring, or religious freedom defense.
Policy forms and claims handling account for faith-based employment practices.
Risk management
Generic commercial risk resources. Not applicable to church operations.
Ministry-specific safety resources, background check tools, and policy templates.
Claims experience
Adjusters handle commercial claims. Church situations are unfamiliar territory.
Adjusters have handled thousands of church property, liability, and staff claims.
These gaps affect every type of ministry we serve — churches, Christian schools, and camps and retreat centers. Meet the MinistrySure team that focuses exclusively on closing them.
Why choose a specialist
We know what to look for
We've reviewed hundreds of church policies. We know the gaps generic agents miss — counseling, A&M, volunteer coverage, employment practices — because we see them every week.
Carriers built for ministry
We work with Brotherhood Mutual, Insurance Board, and other carriers whose entire operation is built around churches and ministries — not carriers who insure churches on the side.
Claims advocacy that understands context
When a claim involves a church situation — a counseling allegation, a board dispute, a volunteer injury — you need an advocate who understands the ministry context, not just the policy language.
Ministry is all we do
We don't insure restaurants, contractors, or retail stores. Every policy we write is for a church, school, or ministry. That focus means deeper expertise and better service.
Church insurance specialist — questions answered
Is church insurance different from commercial insurance? +
Yes — significantly. Churches face risks that commercial businesses don't: counseling liability, abuse and molestation exposure, volunteer injuries, mission trip accidents, and denominational governance requirements. A commercial policy template doesn't cover most of these.
What do general insurance agents miss about church coverage? +
Most general agents don't ask about pastoral counseling, background screening policies, armed security teams, or building valuations for sanctuary construction. These are the gaps that lead to denied claims — and they're the first things a specialist checks.
Do I need a specialist if my church is small? +
Size doesn't determine risk. A 100-member church with a youth program, a van, and a counseling pastor faces the same liability exposures as a megachurch. The difference is that a small church has less financial cushion to absorb an uncovered claim.
See what a specialist finds in your coverage
A coverage review starts with a conversation about your ministry — not a generic risk assessment adapted from a commercial template.