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    Is Your Overnight Youth Event At Church Member Homes Covered?

    Posted by Amanda Minter on Jan 14, 2025 2:30:08 PM
    Amanda Minter

    Pastor Mark was helping his church in Lubbock prepare for their annual full weekend youth event. Traditionally they have had the kids do the overnight portion in church family's homes, but were changing things up this year. The kids were thrilled about the overnight activities planned at a nearby camp, and the leaders were ready to make it a meaningful experience.

    As Pastor Mark and the church leaders began to work through the logistics of this event, they pivoted to the camp after recent events in churches across Texas. As they were securing the campground, they were asked to provide special event insurance for the weekend.

    They realized they didn’t know if their church’s regular insurance policy was ready to cover this event type or event venue because they had never been asked about it before. If your church is planning an overnight event, you’re probably being asked these same things. They needed help in taking important steps to manage risks and keep their youth ministry protected. Here is a quick rundown that helped Pastor Mark.

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    Temporary or Short-Term Event Insurance Coverage

    Overnight youth events often involve off-site activities or locations that aren’t part of your church’s regular operations. That’s where temporary or short-term event insurance can help. These policies provide extra protection for one-time events, especially the type of events happening off-site or involving higher risks like water activities.

    For example, if your youth group is staying at a rented campground, your regular church insurance might not fully cover accidents or property damage that occurs there. A temporary event liability insurance policy can step in to fill that gap and give you peace of mind for the duration of the event.

    How to Use It: Before the event, talk to your church insurance agent about whether your regular policy covers off-site activities. If it doesn’t, ask about short-term options to protect your church during the event.

    Is Your Overnight Youth Event At Church Member Homes Covered?

    Waivers and Safety Procedures

    Having the right insurance is important, but taking steps to prevent problems is just as valuable. One way to do this is by creating a clear plan for safety and gathering signed waivers from parents.

    Parental Waivers: Every youth attending the event should have a signed waiver from a parent or guardian. This shows the church has communicated the risks involved and helps protect the church if something goes wrong.

    Safety Procedures To Have Regardless of Insurance Needs:

    • Background Checks: Make sure all volunteers and staff involved in the event have completed background checks.
    • Supervision Rules: Create guidelines for supervision, such as having two adults present at all times and clearly defining sleeping arrangements.
    • Emergency Plan: Have a plan for medical emergencies, including a first aid kit and a list of nearby hospitals or clinics.

    Most churches take this part of the equation for granted, but Pastor Mark quickly understood our desire to cut off potential risks before they happened. Too many churches as of late have been forced under financial hardships simply because they did not plan for the unthinkable. Sometimes, just a little bit of proactive work can prevent the next news story from happening at our own church.

    Liability Coverage

    Even with safety measures in place, accidents and incidents can still happen. That’s why liability coverage is a key part of protecting your church during overnight youth events. Understanding what kind of type of coverage you will need in each situation can help you have the right liability policies in place to protect your church from financial burdens.

    General Liability: Covers bodily injuries or property damage that occurs during the event to your participants. For example, if a youth slips and falls during a game or damages property at the event site, general liability helps cover the costs of medical bills and the repair or replacement of items.

    Abuse and Misconduct Liability: Unfortunately, allegations of misconduct can arise, even if they are unfounded. Abuse and molestation liability coverage helps cover legal defense and other costs related to these claims. This additional coverage usually has to be added as a separate endorsement to either your church insurance solution or your event liability insurance.

    Transportation Liability: Many youth events involve travel, whether in church-owned vans, rented vehicles, or personal cars driven by volunteers. Church auto insurance protects the church in case of accidents during transportation. If volunteers are using their own cars, adding non-owned auto liability coverage is a smart move.

    There are certainly additional protection available from a church liability standpoint, but we have found these three to be the most comprehensive coverage for a special event. An experienced church insurance agent will be able to help you understand how these fit into comprehensive coverage solutions for your church.

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    Working With A Church Insurance Specialist

    Planning for an overnight event can be a lot of work, but you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. Working with an experienced church insurance specialist can make a big difference. They understand the unique risks churches face and can help you find the right coverage for your needs whether this is a children overnight camp, senior adult retreat, or youth lock-in.

    At Insurance For Texans, we offer True Texas Church Insurance. This is a program built specifically for churches in Texas. It is completely customizable to your needs and ministry offerings. We’ve helped hundreds of churches across the state navigate challenges and protect their ministries, no matter the size or location.

    Click the button below to talk to a church insurance specialist today. Let’s make sure your next overnight youth event is protected, so you can focus on making it a memorable and meaningful experience for everyone involved.

     

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    Topics: liability, Church Insurance, event insurance