Renewal season arrives the same way every year: an envelope, a number that is higher than last year's, and a board meeting where nobody is quite sure what to ask. It does not have to work that way. Congregations that treat renewal as a 90-day process instead of a 10-day scramble routinely land better terms — not because they negotiate harder, but because they arrive with better information.
Here is the checklist we walk our clients through.
90 days out: gather the facts
Underwriters price what they can see. A congregation that submits a thin application gets priced conservatively; one that documents its risk management gets credit for it.
- Current declarations pages for every policy: property, general liability, workers' compensation, abuse and molestation, directors and officers, commercial auto, umbrella, and cyber.
- Five years of loss runs from your current carrier. Ask in writing; carriers are required to provide them and they routinely take two weeks.
- Updated building values. Square footage, year built, roof age and type, construction class, sprinkler and alarm systems, and any renovation completed since the last renewal.
- Payroll by classification. Clergy, office, custodial, music, day care, and school staff are rated differently. Include part-time.
- Average weekly attendance and a list of programs: youth ministry, day care, school, food pantry, recovery groups, sports leagues, mission trips, camps.
- Vehicle schedule including vans, buses, and any vehicle titled to the organization.
75 days out: fix what an underwriter will ask about
Every item below either reduces your premium or removes a reason for a carrier to decline you.
- Confirm documented background checks for every employee and volunteer working with minors, plus a written two-adult rule.
- Update your facility-use agreement and start collecting certificates of insurance from outside groups.
- Verify your roof age. A roof over 20 years old is the single most common trigger for a wind-and-hail deductible increase or a coverage restriction.
- Check motor vehicle records for anyone who drives a church vehicle or transports members.
- Put dual approval in writing for any payment or banking change. Carriers increasingly ask, and it is the control that prevents funds-transfer fraud.
60 days out: decide whether to market the account
Staying put is a legitimate choice, but it should be a decision, not a default. Market the account if any of these are true:
- Your premium rose more than 10 percent without a claim.
- You have added a school, day care, or major program.
- You built, bought, or renovated.
- Your abuse and molestation limit is a sublimit inside general liability.
- You have never seen a competing quote.
An independent agency can approach the specialist church markets — Church Mutual, GuideOne, Brotherhood Mutual — and the strong standard carriers at the same time. Insist on an apples-to-apples comparison: same limits, same deductibles, same abuse terms. Premium differences mean nothing if the coverage underneath differs.
45 days out: review coverage, not just price
Ask your agent these five questions and write down the answers for the board minutes.
- Is the building insured to replacement cost, and when was the valuation last updated?
- Does the policy include ordinance and law coverage, and at what limit?
- What is the abuse and molestation limit, is it separate from general liability, and do defense costs erode it?
- Are volunteers covered for injury, and how?
- What would happen if someone wired funds after a fraudulent email?
30 days out: present to the board
Give the board a one-page summary: current premium, proposed premium, coverage changes, and the specific gaps being closed. Boards approve confidently when they see coverage described in plain English rather than a spreadsheet of limits.
10 days out: bind and document
Bind coverage, confirm effective dates, and store the new declarations pages where the next treasurer can find them. Then calendar the next renewal 90 days ahead of its date. That single calendar entry is what turns this from a scramble into a process.
The short version
Renewal outcomes are decided by preparation, not negotiation. Gather your documents early, fix the two or three things an underwriter will flag, get a real comparison at least every third year, and make the board's decision about coverage rather than price alone.
If you would like a second set of eyes, send us your declarations page. Our coverage review is free, takes about one business day, and if your current program is right for you, we will tell you that.
This article is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Coverage terms vary by policy, carrier, and state — talk with a licensed agent about your business.