Faith, Stewardship, & Insurance: Protecting Texas Churches

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans discusses bundling insurance products for nonprofit ministries that are operated by Texas Churches. Wadley explains that many church general liability policies were written for limited church activities and may not cover expanded community programs. He notes that risks increase when outreach programs are separate 501(c)(3) entities because they are not cover...

Host Ron Wadley addresses Texas small church leaders facing steep insurance renewal increases. He explains that storm losses and rising costs have shaken Texas property and casualty insurance, prompting carriers to exit, raise rates, and tighten underwriting. This has left small congregations feeling abandoned. Wadley notes a shift in the 2026 market as new insurers enter Texas. They are selective...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why Texas church finance committees should look beyond lower premiums and focus on total cost of risk. Using a story of Steven, a Fort Worth church leader tempted by a friend’s 15% insurance savings, the episode highlights questions about reduced limits, changed roof coverage, and hidden deductibles. Wadley notes the Texas church insurance market is...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why comparing church insurance proposals in Texas for 2026 can paralyze finance committees. He illustrated this concept by using the story of Len, who is a church finance chair comparing three insurance quotes. Wadley notes the market now has more carrier options and competition, but policies may hide reduced protection in fine print. Quotes often d...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains the two core pillars of church insurance for Texas churches: structural property protection and comprehensive liability coverage. Using the story of Leslie, a Waco church leader seeking insurance to secure a bank loan for a new building, the episode breaks down key terms and needs. Property insurance protects buildings and church personal property f...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why a Texas church’s existing insurance typically does not automatically cover a church-run private school. Operating five days a week and working with students adds liability exposures that churches don’t typically face. Using the example of Beth, a new headmaster preparing an Austin church campus for a school, the episode outlines the specialized...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains that small Texas churches can face the same costly lawsuits as large churches. They also often have greater exposure due to heavy reliance on volunteers and fewer formal policies. Through the example of Amy, a children’s ministry director near Lubbock, the episode highlights how legal defense costs don’t depend on church size or budget. Wadley outli...

Host Ron Wadley concludes a church safety series by explaining how to build a hospitality-first safety team for Texas churches. He contrasted an armed, reaction-focused model with a safety ministry centered on welcoming, observing, and protecting. He recounts an Austin-area incident where safety team member Stacy calmly de-escalated an angry man during a Sunday morning service. Wadley discusses ho...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains that forming an armed volunteer security team changes a Texas church’s financial future because it changes the church’s risk profile. An armed safety team may not be covered by a standard general liability policy. Using a board-meeting story from an Abilene church, he highlights how some policies include firearms exclusions, strict limits on securit...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans examines what qualifications volunteer church security members actually need in Texas. He illustrates this with a Lubbock church where a passionate armed volunteer with a known temper was declined to serve on the team. Through a formal screening process of background checks, references, and character standards, they found this person to be unsuitable for the...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans closes a five-part church safety series by explaining Texas Senate Bill 694 and why churches can still face major costs without proper insurance. He describes a Fort Worth church incident where volunteer security members with licenses to carry stopped an armed threat, but a stray bullet injured a first-time visitor who later sued for negligence. Although the...

Host Ron Wadley continues part four of a five-part church safety series, addressing how Texas churches can train an armed volunteer safety team without excessive costs or insurance problems. Using a story about Phil who heads his church’s security team, the episode contrasts an expensive private tactical academy with an alternative partnership between Insurance for Texans and the United States Con...

Host Ron Wadley continues a church safety series by warning Texas churches about firearms exclusions hidden in standard commercial general liability policies. He recounts a scenario at a mid-sized Abilene church where a licensed volunteer security team member’s handgun accidentally discharged in the parking lot, damaging a visiting family’s minivan. The church’s claim was denied because the policy...

Host Ron Wadley focuses this episode of his church safety series on the critical minutes after an active threat is neutralized. He uses the story of a church in Northwest San Antonio as an example. Wadley argues many volunteer teams prepare for confrontation but not post-event medical response. He also emphasizes drilled protocols for law enforcement arrival to prevent mistaken-identity shootings,...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans launches a five-part church safety series. In this episode, he explains why informal security teams put Texas churches at risk. Using the story of Mary’s Waco church, he describes how a church with trusted armed volunteers but no written procedures, training logs, or use-of-force policies was non-renewed by its insurer for unmanaged risk. He notes underwrite...

Host Ron Wadley explains how Texas church leaders can be misled by cheap online insurance quotes in 2026. He says that stable or lower premiums often hide reduced property and liability protection. He warns that algorithms don’t account for ministry activities or key safeguards like safety manuals, child protection protocols, and facility use agreements. Some platforms route churches to non-admitt...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains how church leaders should choose an insurance advisor. He uses a story about executive pastor David Miller in Tyler who receives a renewal with a flat premium and realizes it may hide dangerous coverage gaps. Wadley argues the best broker is a dedicated Texas church insurance specialist, not a generic local agent or fast online quote. Churches face...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains how Texas church leaders can build a comprehensive insurance plan to avoid dangerous coverage assumptions. He shares a rural East Texas church case where a board let a trusted leader run a preschool in a church building. They assumed that her business policy protected the church, and did not buy their own liability coverage or ensure they were named...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains the tension Texas church finance committees face between rising premiums and deductible exposure. He uses the story of a church in Temple, TX to illustrate this issue. He clarifies that premiums represent what insurers charge to assume part of a church’s financial risk, and that skyrocketing Texas catastrophe and liability losses have driven prices...

Host Ron Wadley warns Texas pastors and church leaders that fast, question-free insurance quotes are a dangerous sign that no one is doing the work needed to protect a church’s mission. He explains that churches have people-driven exposures that make them unlike typical commercial buildings. He also discusses how mostly identical churches can still have vastly different liability risks. Wadley say...

Host Ron Wadley closes the special series from his book, The Promise of Certainty, by tying together Texas-specific risk realities, the 12 essential church coverages, and a three-part framework to help leaders use insurance as a proactive leadership tool rather than just another bill. He urges church leaders to use the 12 coverages as a checklist in conversations with their insurance agent, identi...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans concludes a series on essential church coverages by focusing on key person life insurance. This is for mission-critical leaders, especially senior pastors whose loss can trigger emotional and financial disruption for churches. He explains that key leader life insurance provides a financial safety net so a church can grieve, stabilize its budget, and search f...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance for Texans explains why Texas churches should evaluate flood insurance. Most property policies exclude damage from flood waters. FEMA defines a flood as water covering two or more acres of normally dry land or affecting two or more properties, often from overflowing rivers, storm surge, or rapid runoff. He warns that standard property and windstorm policies do not cove...

Host Ron Wadley explains that although workers’ compensation is technically optional in Texas, churches with employees should treat it as essential protection for both staff and the ministry. He notes that workers’ comp covers medical expenses, lost wages, and other injury-related costs for church employees while also limiting a church’s exposure to lawsuits. He highlights common church workplace...

Host Ron Wadley of Insurance For Texans continues the series from his book, the Promise of Certainty, by highlighting overlooked risks in church events and mission trips. He explains that standard Texas liability policies may exclude special events unless endorsed and often exclude bounce houses/inflatables. These exclusions make accidents like falls, food poisoning, or trip-and-fall incidents pot...