Last week I attended the United Church of Christ Insurance Board (IB) Agent meeting where IB agents from all over the country gathered for a few days to talk about ways to support the ministry of our churches through the valuable products of the Insurance Board.
I was reminded again about how important this ministry is for our churches. People think of insurance as a necessity, but I don’t know how often we think about it as a ministry. I know I didn’t think much about it until I became a member of the Board of Directors for the Insurance Board. My work on the Board and opportunities like I had last week to be part of the agent meeting made me realize just how important this ministry is.
The resources on the Insurance Board website and the ChurchWest website (ChurchWest is the Conference agent) is a key component of that support structure. There are HR resources, safety resources, resources for emergency planning and all kinds of other information that churches can turn to when they have questions or are looking for some help. IB often offers webinars on particular topics of which churches are asking for more information.
The insurance products themselves provide coverage that many other companies do not offer. We hear about churches opting out of their Insurance Board plan because they can save money with another plan. While that may be true, the important thing to consider is a comparison of coverage. Sometimes that cheaper insurance come with a loss of coverage that is really important for the protection of the church’s ministry and its building. Sometimes that cheaper insurance come with a hefty rate hike the next year that is unexpected and not the long-term savings the church was hoping for.
As those of us with Insurance Board coverage know well, there are rate increases on our plans too. From my seat at the Board table, I can tell you that the decisions about rate increases are never easy and always done with due diligence, both in making sure the program can keep going and protecting churches as much as possible from the effects of these increases.
I give thanks this day for the partnership that NCNC has with the Insurance Board and encourage you to reach out to Charlie Cutler (charlie@churchwest.com), our IB agent with Church West Insurance. He can talk about your coverage, offer you a quote if you are with another carrier, or just help you find the resources you may need to protect and enhance your ministry goals.
