What is and is not covered for lost offerings?
The onset of the COVID-19 virus has forced churches around the country to find new and creative ways to engage with their parishioners. Although many churches are hard at work bringing their services to an online platform or drive-in format, it is difficult to replace the fellowship of an in-person service. Some churches have experienced a decline in offerings as a result of this strange time, and it may cause people to wonder—can my property insurance help with this?
In some cases, property insurance does cover loss of income, but in general that coverage is only triggered by a direct physical loss to the covered property. For example, if a church burns down and services cannot be held, your Loss of Business Income coverage may reimburse the church for a decrease in offerings as parishioners are not able to come to church. If, however, a snowstorm or other weather event prevented parishioners from attending services for a period of time, but did not cause damage to the church’s property, the insurance policy would not provide a reimbursement of lost offerings.
There may be other scenarios in which your policy can assist you, as well, such as limited coverage for theft of offerings. When in doubt, your best course of action is to contact your agent or carrier directly for guidance on this topic, as they will be able to walk you through the ins and outs of your coverage.
When you are covered by UMIP, we will be there when you need us. Churches have unique needs. As a part of the denomination, we understand the unique needs of United Methodist churches and their operations, which is reflected in our coverage options. Your ministry deserves outstanding insurance and UMIP works for you each day to help protect your church’s people, property, and finances.
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This content has been prepared by United Methodist Insurance Company (UMI) for informational purposes only. No article or document may accurately contemplate all possible scenarios or church resources. As such, this information is meant to foster discussion by the individual church and its members to develop a plan tailored to its own circumstances. UMI is providing this information with no warranties or guarantees of any kind and it should not be viewed as legal, financial, or other professional advice. All liability is expressly disclaimed. Any claim examples described herein are general in nature, may or may not be based on actual claims, and are for informational purposes only. Any coverage available for a claim is determined from the facts and circumstances of the claim as well as the terms and conditions of any applicable policy, including any exclusions or deductibles. In the event of a conflict with the content herein, the terms and conditions of any issued policy will control. Individual coverage may vary and may not be available in all states.
The commercial insurance coverages for United Methodist Insurance are sold and serviced directly or indirectly by Sovereign Insurance Agency (CA Lic. No. 0B01380) ("Sovereign") and underwritten by various available insurance markets. Sovereign pays United Methodist Insurance a royalty for the use of its intellectual property.
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