About United Methodist Insurance
Thanks for visiting the United Methodist Insurance website.
We are a non-profit reinsurance company for conferences, local churches, and agencies of The United Methodist Church. United Methodist Insurance continues to fulfill the General Council on Finance and Administration’s Disciplinary responsibility to make property and liability insurance available to the United Methodist Connection in the United States. Today, we provide insurance for a large number of our conferences (their local churches) and general agencies.
Unique to United Methodist Insurance is a vision for ministry that was designed by United Methodists for the exclusive benefit of United Methodists. We strive to live out property and liability insurance not only as a business transaction but also as ministry and to orient the United Methodist Connection to the possibilities of both.
As a Business Transaction
United Methodist Insurance provides property and liability insurance (including workers compensation); retains risk (subject to federal and state regulation); transfers excess risk to top, A.M. Best rated carriers, and pays claims out of the premium collected. The “business” of United Methodist Insurance includes stabilizing the cost of insurance and ultimately reducing those costs by pooling United Methodist premium dollars. Through aggressive ministry protection (i.e., loss control), United Methodist Insurance works to create surplus and, thereby, produce a return on member investments over time.
As Ministry
United Methodist Insurance is committed to insuring all ministries (not just those that present the best risks) and providing limits sufficient to respond in the litigious environment in which the Church does its work. “Loss control” in the commercial insurance context is “ministry protection” for United Methodist Insurance. And, “ministry protection” means helping conferences, local churches, and agencies design and execute ministry that protects their limited resources and the people their ministries seek to serve.
United Methodist Insurance undertakes ministry protection in a way that is consistent with United Methodist polity, including highlighting the best practices of our general agencies, conferences, and local churches. Our template resources reflect the unique guidelines and mandates of The Book of Discipline. Our Ministry Protection Memos (MPMs) address risk management topics of interest to local churches. Monthly on-line webinars are a regular source of live-learning for the entire Connection, with local churches teaching local churches and industry and general church experts offering their insights. In-person training on vital risk management topics, including responding to sexual misconduct claims and implementing Safe Sanctuaries, is provided at no cost to members. All resources, including an archive of past webinars, are available to members through this website, with a sampling available to non-members.
As reflected by our name, United Methodist Insurance covenants with its members to enable ministry in all the ways and in all the places they are at work winning disciples for Christ for the transformation of the world. If you represent a local church whose annual conference is not yet a member of United Methodist Insurance, please ask your Conference Treasurer to contact us for information about becoming a part of this important ministry. If you or your annual conference is currently insured through United Methodist Insurance, we thank you for your confidence, trust, and partnership. Let us know how we can bring more resources and services to bear in support of your ministry.