Does buying church insurance represent a lack of faith in God?
We can’t ignore the risks of passivity or presumption.
By Fritz Hahn
This might sound like a silly question to some. But to many, it’s a very real one: Does buying church insurance represent a lack of faith in God?
Some devout and sincere church members agonize over this question. Similar souls wrestle with the idea of church security training and the presence of security at a church. “If we believe God is our protector,” the thinking goes, “then the presence of church security shows our faith is weak.”
Let’s begin with a couple of caveats.
1. These are serious questions worthy of in-depth exploration – more time than we have here.
2. We aren’t theologians, but we are fellow believers doing our best to make sense of life and fulfill our divine calling.
With that said, let’s dive in.
The problem of compartmentalization
Sincere people who believe insurance represents a lack of faith often unwittingly compartmentalize their lives into spiritual and sacred categories. What does that mean? Something like this: Going to church is sacred. Going to work is secular.
But most people, when pressed, would acknowledge that all of life is spiritual. There is no division. God cares about it all.
Once we recognize this false distinction, it becomes clear that we preemptively seek to minimize many risks in life:
We lock our doors.
We wear our seat belts.
We’re careful what environments we allow ourselves or children to enter.
We take cover during a thunderstorm, tornado or earthquake.
We install smoke and fire alarms.
We can also take it a step further:
Many of us have full-coverage auto insurance.
All of us are legally required to have liability auto insurance.
Most people with home loans are required to have home owners’ insurance.
Many of us get an annual medical checkup.
Many of us have medical, dental, vision or life insurance.
Can a person trust God and affirm the validity of those options? We believe the answer is a resounding “Yes!” In the personal, practical areas of life we believe risk reduction is compatible with trust in God.
How then, is it different when it comes to insurance for churches?
The foundation must be secure
No matter what denominational background you subscribe to, a foundational tenet of faith is a belief in the goodness, sovereignty and provision of God. Anyone considering purchasing church insurance should hold this worldview. Why? Insurance is never meant to be a replacement for faith and trust in God. Rather, it’s an expression of it.
Our view, and we admit our bias, is that the purchase of insurance is an expression of competent, wise and forward-thinking leadership on the part of a church.
We live in a world that is fallen. That means:
People start fires (arson).
Nature starts fires (lightning strike or drought).
Earthquakes damage buildings.
People hit the accelerator instead of the brake and drive through the wall of the sanctuary.
Sometimes wolves infiltrate the sheep pen and harm vulnerable people.
Sometimes people hostile to the church file vindictive lawsuits for the sole purpose of persecuting.
These things can and do happen daily. When we weigh the cost of responding to them without insurance, it can be devastating to a church or Christian school. It could mean closing the doors.
If your church vanished, it would matter – to your members, extended families, your community and even missionaries you support in foreign nations.
As stakeholders in the legacy of ministry, minimizing risk and maximizing protection are acts of good will – not a lack of belief. It’s acknowledging we still live on earth. In Heaven, insurance won’t be necessary. But we’re not there yet.
We’ll be candid: Budgets are limited. You can’t insure for every eventuality. And insurance coverage can’t solve all problems. When a building burns down, insurance helps to make the best of a bad situation. But the building is still lost (until it’s rebuilt).
We encourage churches and nonprofits not to view insuranceas a crutch for those of little faith. Rather, it’s a tarp on a stormy night, a check when the food pantry is lean and the hammer and nails when it’s time to rebuild.
Thank you for your service to our communities. And for the privilege of serving you.
Fritz Hahn is the founder of Ministry Pacific, a brokerage representing more than 1,000 churches in the Western United States.
FRITZ HAHN