Insurance is one of those responsibilities that’s easy to set once and forget, especially for a volunteer board or a small church office juggling a dozen other priorities. But a policy purchased three or five years ago may no longer reflect your organization’s current reality — different staff, different programs, a renovated building, new activities — which is exactly why an annual review, even a brief one, is worth building into your calendar.
Start with the basics: has your building’s replacement cost kept pace with construction costs, which have risen significantly in Montana in recent years, and does your property coverage limit still reflect what it would actually cost to rebuild today. Underinsurance on paper, discovered only after a major loss, is one of the most painful and preventable gaps a church can have.
Next, walk through your activities and ask what’s changed: a new preschool or daycare program, a camp or retreat center that’s expanded its offerings, a new rental income stream from renting out unused space, or a mission trip program that’s grown. Each of these can shift what coverage you actually need, and carriers generally want to know about material changes in operations regardless of whether you think to mention them.
Round out the review with a few standing questions: is your D&O coverage limit still adequate given your current budget and board size, does your cyber coverage reflect how you currently process donations and store data, and are your workers’ comp classifications still accurate for your current staff and volunteer structure. None of this needs to take more than an hour with your agent once a year, and it’s consistently one of the highest-value conversations a church board can have.
Action Items
- Bring a list of anything that’s changed since last renewal (staff, programs, building, rentals).
- Walk through your D&O, cyber, and workers’ comp classifications specifically, not just property and GL.
This post is for general informational purposes only and isn’t legal or insurance advice — every organization’s needs are different, so please talk with a licensed insurance professional for a full review of your specific situation.
