Questions Every Church Should Ask Before Signing an Insurance Policy
Most church boards approve insurance renewals without really evaluating them. The premium number lands in the budget. The board confirms the program. The policy continues for another year. Nobody asks the questions that would reveal whether the program actually fits the church, whether the broker is actively managing it, or whether the carrier still wants the account.
The questions below are the ones we wish every church would ask, whether they are renewing with the current broker, evaluating a new one, or just making sure the current program reflects how the church actually operates. None of these require an insurance background. All of them surface real information.
Questions about coverage
The first set of questions surfaces whether the policy actually covers what the church does. Most coverage gaps are not exotic; they are programs that have grown past what the policy was originally sized for.
What programs are listed on our current application? If the broker cannot list them quickly, the application is out of date. Every program the church runs (preschool, youth ministry, recovery groups, food pantry, community garden, coffee shop, sports league, summer camp) should be on the application. Programs that are not listed create coverage disputes at claim time.
What is our abuse and molestation sublimit, and how does it compare to similar churches? The sublimit should scale with the children's ministry, not stay at the same number it was eight years ago. If the broker has not had this conversation in the last three years, it has not been managed.
What is our employment practices liability limit, and what events trigger coverage? EPL claims are rising at growing churches. The broker should be able to explain the trigger language and the limit in plain English.
What does our directors and officers policy actually cover for the board? Board members are personally exposed on governance decisions. The D&O policy should cover defense, indemnity, and former board members. If the broker hedges on the definition of insured, the policy is narrower than it should be.
What is our cyber liability coverage and does it include both first-party and third-party? First-party covers notification, credit monitoring, and recovery costs after a breach. Third-party covers regulatory defense and lawsuits. Many cheap cyber policies cover only one. Massachusetts Ch. 93H WISP requirements add specific exposure.
What is our ordinance and law sublimit? For older Massachusetts buildings, this is one of the most consequential coverage items. The sublimit should reflect the cost of bringing the building into 2026 code after a partial loss. We cover the details in our ordinance and law post.
Questions about pricing
The second set surfaces whether the premium reflects the actual risk and whether the broker is actively shopping the market.
Did you shop the market this year, and what other carriers quoted us? A good broker quietly shops the market every renewal cycle, even when the current program is competitive. If the answer is no, the church has no idea whether the current premium is competitive.
What is driving our premium increase this year? The broker should be able to explain the increase in terms of specific underwriting factors: property exposure changes, program growth, claims history, market conditions. If the answer is generic ("rates are up across the industry"), the broker did not actually engage with the renewal.
What would it take to reduce our premium 10 percent next year? A good broker has specific answers: governance documentation, replacement cost appraisal, claims narrative, program-specific endorsements. If the answer is nonspecific, the broker is administering the policy, not managing the program.
How does our premium compare to similar Massachusetts churches? The broker should have a sense of where the program sits in the market. If they cannot give even a rough range, they do not write enough Massachusetts churches to benchmark.
What is our deductible structure and does it fit our reserves? A church with thin reserves taking a high deductible to save premium is gambling on the claim not happening. The broker should have thought about the deductible in the context of the church's financial position.
Questions about the broker
The third set surfaces whether the broker is actually providing value or just collecting commission on autopilot.
How many churches do you currently write? Specialist church brokers have substantial church books. Generalists have a handful. The number matters because depth comes from volume. A broker with five churches in their book is structurally different from a broker with fifty.
Which carriers do you place church business with? A specialist names six to ten carriers across the religious-specialty market. A generalist names two or three preferred markets. The breadth of placement options directly affects pricing competitiveness.
What is your process when a claim is being denied? A specialist has stories about claim advocacy. A generalist hands the file back to the carrier. The difference matters when something actually goes wrong.
What questions would you ask about our church that our current broker has not? A specialist asks about governance documentation, program inventory, attendance trend, employee handbook, background check policy, abuse prevention training, and Massachusetts-specific exposures. A generalist asks for the loss runs.
How do you stay current on Massachusetts-specific church exposures? Ch. 93H WISP, Ch. 138 dram-shop, Ch. 149 wage-and-hour, MA Building Code historic preservation, denominational program pricing. A Massachusetts specialist tracks these. A national broker often does not. We cover the topic in detail in our post on choosing a broker.
Questions about the relationship
The fourth set surfaces whether the broker is showing up the way a good broker should.
How often do you proactively reach out to discuss our program? Annual renewal is the baseline. Specialist brokers reach out when something changes that affects the church: a new program launches, a claim hits, market conditions shift, a new endorsement becomes available. If the only contact is the renewal email, the broker is not actively managing.
When a new program launches at our church, what is your involvement? A good broker is in the conversation before the program launches, not after. Programs added without broker notification create coverage gaps and renewal surprises.
How do you handle the annual policy review with our board? A specialist walks the board through coverage, sublimits, gaps, and operational risk in concrete terms. A generalist presents the premium summary and asks for the renewal signature.
What records do you maintain on our church? Application history, claims history, governance documentation, building updates, program inventory, and prior quotes all should be in a file the broker can reference. If the broker is starting from scratch every renewal, the church is not being managed.
Questions about what happens at claim time
The fifth set is the most important set, because it surfaces what actually happens when something goes wrong.
What is your process when our church reports a claim? A specialist has a documented process: who to call, what to do, what to document, who manages the carrier conversation. A generalist tells you to call the carrier directly.
How do you advocate for the church inside the carrier on a contested claim? A specialist has relationships at the carrier and a track record of shaping how claims resolve. A generalist hands the file to the adjuster.
What is the longest claim you have resolved for a church client? The answer reveals whether the broker stays involved or just opens the file and moves on.
How do you handle the renewal after a claim? A specialist has a documented approach to managing carrier perception after a loss, including loss-control improvements and claims narrative. A generalist passes through whatever the carrier offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What questions should a church board ask the insurance broker at renewal?
Ask about coverage (what programs are listed, sublimits on A&M, EPL, D&O, cyber, ordinance and law), pricing (did you shop the market, what drives the increase), the broker (how many churches, which carriers, claim advocacy track record), and the claim process (what happens when something goes wrong). The answers reveal whether the broker is managing the program or just processing it.
How do I know if my church insurance broker is a specialist?
Specialists have substantial church books (typically 50+ churches), placement appointments with six to ten religious-specialty carriers, documented experience with claim advocacy, and current knowledge of state-specific exposures. Generalists have a handful of churches, two or three carrier appointments, and ask for the loss runs rather than the program inventory.
How often should we review our church insurance policy?
The policy should be reviewed annually at renewal, but the program should be examined comprehensively every three years at minimum, including replacement cost appraisal, sublimit review against current programs, governance documentation refresh, and broker comparison. Many churches go five or seven years between comprehensive reviews and accumulate coverage drift in that time.
What is the most important question to ask before signing a church insurance policy?
Probably: "What is our abuse and molestation sublimit and does it scale with our current children's ministry?" The A&M coverage is where the most consequential coverage gaps live, and the sublimit is what determines whether a claim falls inside coverage or becomes a personal exposure for the board.
Should our church get multiple quotes every renewal?
Not necessarily, but the broker should be shopping the market every renewal whether or not the church plans to switch. If the current program is competitive, the broker can confirm that with a market check. If it is not, the church has the option to move. The point is that the church should never be in a position of not knowing where the program sits in the market.
What if our broker cannot answer these questions?
That is the answer. A broker who cannot answer specific coverage, pricing, and process questions is not actively managing the program. The next step is to interview specialist church brokers and run a real comparison at the next renewal. Switching brokers is straightforward via a broker of record letter and does not affect the existing policy mid-term.
If you would like a second opinion on whether your current broker and program actually fit your church, contact us for a free church risk assessment. We work with growing congregations across Massachusetts and the US to build insurance programs designed around how ministry actually works, not how insurers prefer to categorize it.
Contact Hale Street Insurance at 978.712.0111 or [email protected] for a free church insurance review. You can also visit our church insurance page or request a quote to get started.
Jake Lubinski is the founder of Hale Street Insurance and a licensed insurance broker with years of church board and stewardship experience. That time inside church operations gave him a clear view of how congregations end up carrying coverage that does not actually reflect how they operate. Based in Boxford, MA he works with churches throughout Massachusetts and the US to build insurance and risk programs designed around how ministry actually operates. Reach Jake at [email protected] or 978.712.0111.
Related reading: How to Choose a Church Insurance Broker in MA | How to Switch Church Insurance Providers | Church Insurance in Plain English | Annual Review Checklist
