To better serve churches in the Greater New Jersey Conference, GNJ has moved its property insurance from United Fire Group (Mercer) to Church Mutual.
Church Mutual is the leading insurer of worship centers and related organizations in the U.S. and will cover the conference with lower premiums and provide greater coverage’s.
The move was instigated as a result of rising costs. Over the last two years, several expensive property claims were paid on behalf of a number of Greater New Jersey churches resulting in rising premiums over the years and a significant increase in premiums for churches under our former provider and policy with Mercer.
“Insurance claims need to be made carefully because they affect all of our churches,” said Alexa Taylor, GNJ’s Benefits Services Manager. “When someone has a claim that’s expensive, it affects everyone under that policy. We encourage churches to make good choices so that increases in premium are kept to a minimum.”
“Church Mutual’s motto is to take a proactive approach as opposed to a reactive approach on risk management,” said GNJ Property Manager, Alex Mayer. “They’re a fantastic choice, and they have a lot of useful tools and resources GNJ churches can take advantage of and utilize.”
With churches at risk for water damage from burst pipes, Church Mutual is taking preventative measures by providing churches with free wall mounted devices to monitor temperatures and sense moisture that can send alerts to church leaders via a cell phone app.
“What I am so pleased about is that we’ve been talking about educating congregations and church leadership on how to make the most out of property insurance management,” said Barbara Gruezke, GNJ’s Insurance Administrator. She encourages church leaders to read the weekly GNJ Digest e-newsletter for updates, and FAQ’s regarding property insurance, workplace accidents and liability claims.
“We have a unified policy for all of our churches because we want every church to have the same coverage,” stated Gruezke.
Church Mutual provides self-inspection safety checklist booklets for worship centers and related facilities. The booklets are designed to help prevent or reduce property, liability, theft, workers’ compensation and vehicle losses. They encourage churches and organizations to screen job applicants, current employees and volunteers, especially those who interact with children, the elderly or other vulnerable populations to promote safer, more secure environments while avoiding high direct and indirect costs arising from criminal or harmful behavior.
Additionally, Church Mutual’s Risk Control Consulting and Research Center carefully researches individual questions and offers solutions to meet the unique needs of churches and organizations. Their website offers safety resources to help churches protect their properties by taking precautionary measures to avoid financial and emotional distress. Resources include brochures, posters, checklists, videos, articles and webinars covering a wide range of topic areas, each carefully selected to meet the unique needs of churches.
Visit www.churchmutual.com for more information.