Texas Church Insurance And Volunteer Security Teams Under SB 694

TRIGGER WARNING: Although the opening story of this article is entirely fictional and used only to illustrate a point, it deals with the themes of gun violence, church violence and mass shootings.

It is a Sunday morning just like any other at a thriving neighborhood church in Fort Worth. Children are laughing on their way to Sunday school, parents are dropping off toddlers to their classrooms and volunteers are getting ready for the children by setting up crafts and snacks.

There is also the typical symphony of voices in the lobby as people are catching up, milling about and filling their coffee cups before the service starts. The greeters are standing at the doors of the church offering words of welcome and smiles for all who cross the threshold of the building.

Paul is one of those front door greeters. He is also a dedicated member of the church’s volunteer security team. As he offers his hand to a new visitor to introduce himself, chaos erupts behind him.

A heavily armed and seemingly highly agitated individual bursts through the main doors. He is brandishing a weapon and yelling threats of violence. As he starts to raise his gun, members of the volunteer security team step into action.

With years of intensive emergency response drills under their belt and countless rehearsals of their security protocols, Paul and another volunteer take swift action. Both men have valid licenses to carry a handgun. They act quickly to neutralize the threat before the attacker can harm anyone in the crowded lobby.

It was a textbook take down. A terrifying situation resolved with heroic precision. The congregation was shaken but incredibly grateful. The volunteer security services had worked exactly as designed.

Months later, through a grand jury process, the criminal court quickly cleared the heroic security team members of wrongdoing. The law validated their right to personal protection and defense of life on private property.

But the true legal aftermath was just beginning to unfold in civil court.

What is the Legal Aftermath of Neutralizing a Threat?

During the take down of the suspect, a stray bullet ricocheted off the lobby wall and struck a bystander. The victim happened to be a visitor attending the church for the very first time. While the injury wasn't life-threatening, it required extensive medical care. A few weeks after the criminal proceedings wrapped up, the church received a certified letter serving them with a negligence lawsuit.

Paul and the church leadership remained calm. They knew about Texas Senate Bill 694. It was a landmark Texas law designed to provide robust civil immunity to Volunteer Security Teams in these exact scenarios. Their legal team was confident that they would win the case. And after months of intense legal wrangling, the civil judge cited Senate Bill 694 and dismissed the case. The church was not found liable.

But the church's sense of relief did not last long. When the final invoice for legal representation arrived, the leadership was stunned. The bill for attorneys' fees was $80,000.

Worse yet, when they submitted the bill to their insurance carrier, the claim was flatly denied. Buried deep within the fine print of their generic general liability policy was a strict, absolute firearms exclusion. The very insurance coverage they assumed would fund their fight had left them financially wounded, forced to divert $80,000 directly out of their ministry budget.

What Does Texas Senate Bill 694 Actually Protect?

The story of Paul's church isn't an isolated incident. It's a cautionary tale playing out across places of religious worship all over Texas. Many church leaders believe that having civil immunity means they are completely untouchable, but a statute on the books is not a magical force field.

The Scope of SB 694 and SB 535

Passed to protect faith communities, Texas Senate Bill 694 grants civil immunity from damages involving volunteers and the churches they protect when responding to an active shooter or an imminent threat of serious bodily injury. This law works in tandem with SB 535, which clarifies that a handgun license holder can legally carry inside a church. This is provided the church hasn't explicitly banned firearms on their property under Texas Penal Code sections 30.06 and 30.07 via specific signage requirements.

The Catch: Liability vs. Litigation

Here is the harsh reality: immunity from liability is not the same thing as immunity from a lawsuit. Anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason. The text of Texas Senate Bill 694 will ultimately protect your church from having to pay a multi-million dollar cash judgment, but it cannot prevent a plaintiff's attorney from dragging you into court. Your church must still hire an attorney, file motions, respond to discovery, and show up at hearings to prove to a judge that you qualify for that immunity.

Immunity is the final destination, not the journey. You still have to pay your way through the expensive trial process to get there.

What is The Language of the Private Security Act?

When evaluating your institutional liability risks, your church must also navigate the state laws regarding private security. Rightly so, there is a high level of scrutiny around armed security and gun regulation all across the United States.

Fortunately, the Texas Attorney General's Office clarified how the Private Security Act (chapter 1702 of the Texas Occupations Code) applies to churches. The state confirmed that church security teams comprised entirely of unpaid volunteers do not have to register as licensed private security firms. Your ministry does not need a state-issued letter of authority to deploy an internal security plan, provided your security team members are not being compensated for their security services.

However, just because the state doesn't require you to hold a commercial license doesn't mean your insurance carrier feels the same way. If your agent hasn't explicitly reviewed these safety laws with you, your policy is likely riddled with gaps.

Why Do We Still Need Insurance Coverage for Our Security Team?

A robust liability policy is essential to pay for the legal defense costs that Texas Senate Bill 694 does not cover for religious organizations. Your church isn't just buying insurance for a potential settlement. You are buying it to fund the fight, even though you have civil immunity in these cases.

This is where the catastrophic failure occurred for Paul's church. They won the legal argument in court, but they still lost the financial battle. When their treasurer submitted the $80,000 in legal bills to their insurance company, the carrier simply pointed to a firearms or weapons exclusion in their general liability policy.

These exclusions are common in cheaper, generic policies that aren't tailored for the specific risks a church faces. The policy was designed to cover slips and falls, not the complex liabilities of armed volunteer security. The church had a policy, but it wasn't the right policy. They were left to pay that $80,000 directly from their ministry budget. The same money that was supposed to be for outreach, youth programs, and community support in Ft. Worth.

How Do You Ensure Your Ministry Isn't Blindsided by a Lawsuit?

As a church leader, you cannot simply assume you are covered. You cannot rely on a law to protect you from financial reality. You have to become a steward of your risk, and that means asking hard questions about your insurance policy before a crisis hits. You need to sit down with your agent and find the exact language in your policy.

Does your policy have a firearms exclusion? Does it specifically cover the actions of armed or unarmed volunteers on a security team? Does it provide "duty to defend," meaning the insurance company provides and pays for the lawyers from day one? And critically, are defense costs paid inside or outside the limits of your policy?

Paul’s church in Ft. Worth learned an $80,000 lesson.

They did the right thing by setting up a security team, training them and having security protocols in place. As a result, their volunteers acted heroically. They were even protected by state law. But a simple exclusion in their insurance policy, a few lines of text they were never aware of, created a financial crisis that could have been completely avoided.

True Texas Church Insurance

Don't let your ministry be the next cautionary tale. The peace of mind you're seeking doesn't come from a cheap policy or a misunderstanding of the law. It comes from having an expert review your real-world risks and designing a coverage plan that has no gaps. It's about ensuring that when you win in court, you don't forfeit your church's budget in the process.

At Insurance For Texans, we help churches like yours navigate these complex issues every day. We believe your budget should be used for forwarding your church's mission, not for funding unexpected legal battles. Let us perform a true Texas church risk assessment and give you the certainty you deserve.

If you're ready to have a clear, honest conversation about protecting your church's mission, click the button below.