Helping church leaders, pastors, and administrators understand the basics of Texas Church insurance and how they can mitigate risk while maximizing the reach of their mission.
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Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans discusses bundling insurance products for nonprofit ministries that are operated by Texas Churches. Wadley explains that many church general liability policies were written for limited church activities and may not cover expanded community programs. He notes that risks increase when outreach programs are separate 501(c)(3) entities because they are not covered by the church’s insurance policy. Wadley recommends creating a custom insurance bundle that coordinates property, general liability, commercial auto, and leadership protections while explicitly nam
Host Ron Wadley addresses Texas small church leaders facing steep insurance renewal increases. He explains that storm losses and rising costs have shaken Texas property and casualty insurance, prompting carriers to exit, raise rates, and tighten underwriting. This has left small congregations feeling abandoned. Wadley notes a shift in the 2026 market as new insurers enter Texas. They are selective and reward churches that document risk management. He also recommends strategic policy structures—such as higher wind and hail deductibles and tools like hail buy-down policies—to reduce premiums. Co
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why Texas church finance committees should look beyond lower premiums and focus on total cost of risk. Using a story of Steven, a Fort Worth church leader tempted by a friend’s 15% insurance savings, the episode highlights questions about reduced limits, changed roof coverage, and hidden deductibles. Wadley notes the Texas church insurance market is shifting with some carriers reducing church property coverage or leaving the state all together. And there are newer companies who compete on price. He warns that cheaper policies may have hidden lan
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why comparing church insurance proposals in Texas for 2026 can paralyze finance committees. He illustrated this concept by using the story of Len, who is a church finance chair comparing three insurance quotes. Wadley notes the market now has more carrier options and competition, but policies may hide reduced protection in fine print. Quotes often differ because agents use different processes, carriers, and coverage forms, including admitted versus non-admitted surplus lines carriers. He highlights three common “gotchas” to check: roof coverage
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains the two core pillars of church insurance for Texas churches: structural property protection and comprehensive liability coverage. Using the story of Leslie, a Waco church leader seeking insurance to secure a bank loan for a new building, the episode breaks down key terms and needs. Property insurance protects buildings and church personal property from perils like fire, storms, theft, and vandalism. Ron also discusses the differences between replacement cost value and actual cash value. Liability coverage includes general liability for on-premis
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why a Texas church’s existing insurance typically does not automatically cover a church-run private school. Operating five days a week and working with students adds liability exposures that churches don’t typically face. Using the example of Beth, a new headmaster preparing an Austin church campus for a school, the episode outlines the specialized coverage a private school needs. Wadley recommends a standalone private school insurance policy and adding the church as an additional insured. This protects the church from school-related claims whil
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains that small Texas churches can face the same costly lawsuits as large churches. They also often have greater exposure due to heavy reliance on volunteers and fewer formal policies. Through the example of Amy, a children’s ministry director near Lubbock, the episode highlights how legal defense costs don’t depend on church size or budget. Wadley outlines key coverages in a customized church liability plan: general liability for on-site injuries and property damage, pastoral liability for counseling-related claims, abuse and molestation liability,
Host Ron Wadley concludes a church safety series by explaining how to build a hospitality-first safety team for Texas churches. He contrasted an armed, reaction-focused model with a safety ministry centered on welcoming, observing, and protecting. He recounts an Austin-area incident where safety team member Stacy calmly de-escalated an angry man during a Sunday morning service. Wadley discusses how churches must train volunteers to recognize common disruptions and use protocol-driven verbal de-escalation. He notes insurers ask about and value documented de-escalation training and require clear
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains that forming an armed volunteer security team changes a Texas church’s financial future because it changes the church’s risk profile. An armed safety team may not be covered by a standard general liability policy. Using a board-meeting story from an Abilene church, he highlights how some policies include firearms exclusions, strict limits on security activities, or require extensive underwriting before covering an organized safety ministry. Once a church designates members as security personnel with posts, procedures, or badges, insurers want to
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans examines what qualifications volunteer church security members actually need in Texas. He illustrates this with a Lubbock church where a passionate armed volunteer with a known temper was declined to serve on the team. Through a formal screening process of background checks, references, and character standards, they found this person to be unsuitable for the team. The episode stresses that temperament, deescalation skills, and calm judgment matter most for church safety team volunteers. Most incidents involve disputes, disruptive visitors, domestic confl
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans closes a five-part church safety series by explaining Texas Senate Bill 694 and why churches can still face major costs without proper insurance. He describes a Fort Worth church incident where volunteer security members with licenses to carry stopped an armed threat, but a stray bullet injured a first-time visitor who later sued for negligence. Although the court dismissed the civil case under SB 694’s civil immunity protections, the church still incurred $80,000 in attorney’s fees, which their insurer denied due to a firearms exclusion in the general l
Host Ron Wadley continues part four of a five-part church safety series, addressing how Texas churches can train an armed volunteer safety team without excessive costs or insurance problems. Using a story about Phil who heads his church’s security team, the episode contrasts an expensive private tactical academy with an alternative partnership between Insurance for Texans and the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA). Wadley argues a Texas License to Carry course is inadequate for church security needs because it lacks coordinated team skills and de-escalation training. While the U
Host Ron Wadley continues a church safety series by warning Texas churches about firearms exclusions hidden in standard commercial general liability policies. He recounts a scenario at a mid-sized Abilene church where a licensed volunteer security team member’s handgun accidentally discharged in the parking lot, damaging a visiting family’s minivan. The church’s claim was denied because the policy excluded firearms used by non-law-enforcement personnel. Wadley explains that CGL coverage is built for common accidents like slips and falls, not injuries from weapon discharges. He contrasts armed
Host Ron Wadley focuses this episode of his church safety series on the critical minutes after an active threat is neutralized. He uses the story of a church in Northwest San Antonio as an example. Wadley argues many volunteer teams prepare for confrontation but not post-event medical response. He also emphasizes drilled protocols for law enforcement arrival to prevent mistaken-identity shootings, congregation relocation and reunification, preserving the sanctuary as a crime scene, and maintaining documented plans and training to reduce negligent-security lawsuit risk. Connect with our church
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans launches a five-part church safety series. In this episode, he explains why informal security teams put Texas churches at risk. Using the story of Mary’s Waco church, he describes how a church with trusted armed volunteers but no written procedures, training logs, or use-of-force policies was non-renewed by its insurer for unmanaged risk. He notes underwriters increasingly view unwritten volunteer security as a liability that can lead to lawsuits if situations are mishandled. Wadley argues churches must adopt a formal, written security plan with a standa
Host Ron Wadley explains how Texas church leaders can be misled by cheap online insurance quotes in 2026. He says that stable or lower premiums often hide reduced property and liability protection. He warns that algorithms don’t account for ministry activities or key safeguards like safety manuals, child protection protocols, and facility use agreements. Some platforms route churches to non-admitted carriers that are not backed by the Texas State Guarantee Fund. Wadley urges leaders to evaluate the total cost of risk by reviewing declarations pages, sub-limits, deductibles, and payout definiti
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains how church leaders should choose an insurance advisor. He uses a story about executive pastor David Miller in Tyler who receives a renewal with a flat premium and realizes it may hide dangerous coverage gaps. Wadley argues the best broker is a dedicated Texas church insurance specialist, not a generic local agent or fast online quote. Churches face distinct risks and need coverage such as pastoral professional liability, directors and officers, and employment practices liability. He emphasizes Texas-specific expertise for property valuation to a
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains how Texas church leaders can build a comprehensive insurance plan to avoid dangerous coverage assumptions. He shares a rural East Texas church case where a board let a trusted leader run a preschool in a church building. They assumed that her business policy protected the church, and did not buy their own liability coverage or ensure they were named as an additional insured. When the preschool policy lapsed for 18 days, a child was injured and the resulting lawsuit named the school, leader, pastor, and board. It forced the church to pay a $5,000
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains the tension Texas church finance committees face between rising premiums and deductible exposure. He uses the story of a church in Temple, TX to illustrate this issue. He clarifies that premiums represent what insurers charge to assume part of a church’s financial risk, and that skyrocketing Texas catastrophe and liability losses have driven prices up. Wadley warns that chasing low premiums often shifts risk back to churches through higher percentage wind/hail deductibles and reduced coverage, such as moving from replacement cost to actual cash
Host Ron Wadley warns Texas pastors and church leaders that fast, question-free insurance quotes are a dangerous sign that no one is doing the work needed to protect a church’s mission. He explains that churches have people-driven exposures that make them unlike typical commercial buildings. He also discusses how mostly identical churches can still have vastly different liability risks. Wadley says agents who focus only on basics don’t truly understand church risk. They may compete on price alone by quietly reducing coverage, lowering liability limits, adding restrictive exclusions, or switchi
Host Ron Wadley closes the special series from his book, The Promise of Certainty, by tying together Texas-specific risk realities, the 12 essential church coverages, and a three-part framework to help leaders use insurance as a proactive leadership tool rather than just another bill. He urges church leaders to use the 12 coverages as a checklist in conversations with their insurance agent, identify blind spots, and press for clarity to close gaps. Citing sobering disaster and premium impacts in Texas, he highlights the financial, emotional, and spiritual consequences when coverage fails. He a
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans concludes a series on essential church coverages by focusing on key person life insurance. This is for mission-critical leaders, especially senior pastors whose loss can trigger emotional and financial disruption for churches. He explains that key leader life insurance provides a financial safety net so a church can grieve, stabilize its budget, and search for a successor without immediate collapse, while also supporting the leader’s family. Wadley shares a personal story of his father, Pastor Rick, whose life insurance policy sustained his mother for ov
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why Texas churches should evaluate flood insurance. Most property policies exclude damage from flood waters. FEMA defines a flood as water covering two or more acres of normally dry land or affecting two or more properties, often from overflowing rivers, storm surge, or rapid runoff. He warns that standard property and windstorm policies do not cover these events. Churches near rivers, creeks, bayous, or low-lying areas can face catastrophic losses from stalled storms, with “500-year” floods occurring more than once per decade. He outlines five
Host Ron Wadley explains that although workers’ compensation is technically optional in Texas, churches with employees should treat it as essential protection for both staff and the ministry. He notes that workers’ comp covers medical expenses, lost wages, and other injury-related costs for church employees while also limiting a church’s exposure to lawsuits. He highlights common church workplace injuries and warns that even minor incidents can become major disputes without coverage. He recommends four safeguards: carry workers’ comp insurance, train staff on safe lifting and hazard awareness,
Host Ron Wadley of Insurance For Texans continues the series from his book, the Promise of Certainty, by highlighting overlooked risks in church events and mission trips. He explains that standard Texas liability policies may exclude special events unless endorsed and often exclude bounce houses/inflatables. These exclusions make accidents like falls, food poisoning, or trip-and-fall incidents potentially costly. He recommends adding special event coverage, requiring vendor insurance and additional insured status, documenting safety measures, using trained volunteers in high-risk areas, and re
