Mike sat at his desk, staring at the envelope. It was the same time every year, but this year felt different. The finance committee meeting was in two days, and the budget was already stretched thin. The youth ministry needed a new van. The AC unit in the fellowship hall was making a noise that sounded expensive.
He slid his letter opener under the flap and pulled out the insurance renewal. He scanned past the cover letter, his eyes hunting for the bottom line. When he found the premium summary, his stomach dropped. It wasn't just an increase. It was a spike.
Forty percent.
That wasn't just a line item change. That was almost the youth pastor’s salary.
Mike picked up the phone. He called Bob. Bob is a good guy. He has been a member of the church for fifteen years. He sits three rows back on the left side every Sunday. He is an insurance agent for one of the big national brands, the kind with the catchy jingles on TV. Bob had handled the church’s insurance policy since before Mike became the pastor.
Bob answered on the second ring, his voice warm and familiar. He asked about Mike’s kids. He asked how the sermon prep was going. Mike cut through the pleasantries. He needs to know why the premium has exploded.
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Then Bob gave the answer Mike feared. He talked about "the market." He used vague terms like "global reinsurance costs." When Mike pressed him for a solution, Bob hesitated. He suggested raising the deductible on the property insurance to an amount the church didn't have in savings. He suggested cutting coverage on the liability insurance.
Mike realized in that moment that Bob didn't know. He wasn't hiding the answer. He simply didn't have it. Bob is a friend, and he is a nice guy. He knows how to sell a policy, but he doesn't know how to engineer a solution for a complex religious organization facing a financial crisis.
Mike hung up the phone feeling a profound sense of isolation. He looked at the budget spreadsheet on his screen. The numbers didn't lie. He needs an expert.
The Problem with "Nice" in a Hard Market
This is the reality for thousands in church leadership across Texas right now. The Texas church property insurance market has been a disaster the last few years. Weather events are more frequent and more severe. Claim costs are higher. In this environment, the agent who specializes in home and auto policies is out of his depth.
Most insurance agents are generalists. They spend their days insuring trucks, cars, and homes. They are good people, but they are often not prepared when it comes to the complex risk management needs of Texas churches.
Insuring a church is not like insuring a house. While both require property and liability coverage, churches have to mind more complicated scenarios than just general liability.
- You have professional liability for pastor's doing counseling.
- You have sexual abuse and molestation insurance and protocols for children's ministry workers.
- You have directors and officers (D&O) insurance for your board.
- You have cyber liability with online giving platforms.
- You can have property values spread across multiple church buildings with different ages and construction types.
When you trust a generalist with this responsibility, you are gambling with the stewardship of the church. You are hoping they understand the nuances of commercial contract law.
This is why True Texas Church Insurance exists. It is built on a completely different foundation. It is built on competence.
When you write the book on Texas Church Insurance, you have to understand the it's and out's of church property coverage along with church liability insurance. With Insurance For Texans, it is about the Math, the Teacher, and the Advocate.
1. The Actuary Advantage: The Stewardship of Math
Most insurance agents hate math. They went into sales because they like people, not spreadsheets. Ron Wadley, the owner of Insurance For Texans, is different. He isn't just an agent. He has a background in the actuary sciences.
Actuaries are the mathematicians of the insurance world. They are the people in the back room who calculate risk probabilities, analyze loss data, and set the rates for the insurance providers. They understand the mechanical gears that turn inside the policy to produce the insurance premiums.
Having an agency owner with this background changes the entire conversation. When Pastor Mike calls with a forty percent increase, we don't just blame "the market."
We look at the data. We understand the wind and hail models for your zip code. We look at the construction of your roof compared to other methods. We understand the mathematical mechanisms driving the rate increase.
This matters because it moves us from guessing to customizing insurance policies. When you understand what drives your premium, a church leader can make adjustments to property and liability coverage that is meaningful to your future. That is stewardship.
The Teacher Mindset: Empowering the Committee
The culture of an organization is defined by its leadership. At Insurance For Texans, our DNA is heavily influenced by former teachers who use those skills to help Texas churches understand how their insurance policy works. This background shifts our focus from "selling you" to "educating the client."
Think about the difference between a salesperson and a teacher. A salesperson often hides the fine print because they are afraid it will kill the deal. A teacher explains the fine print because they want you to pass the test. In insurance, the test is the claim.
We want you to know what you are buying. We created the concept of "True Texas Church Insurance" to shine a light on the hidden traps in the industry. We want your finance committee to understand what a "Roof Sublimit" is before they sign the policy. We want them to know the difference between "Replacement Cost" and "Actual Cash Value." We want them to understand the implications of Employment Practices Liability coverage.
Trust is built on transparency. You can trust us because we are willing to teach you the rules of the game so that you aren't surprised when the referee blows the whistle.
Niche Authority and Advocacy: The Specialist
You can judge the capability of a church insurance advisor by the complexity of the risks they handle. If an agency mostly sells car insurance rather than church insurance policies, they likely don't have access to the best protection plans.
Insurance For Texans specializes in Texas Church Insurance and complex risks. We handle high-value properties, complicated liability protection, and multi-campus Christian ministries. We understand the unique pressures of a deacon board and the vulnerability of a pastor.
But beyond our expertise, there is the issue of loyalty. This is the "Advocate" piece of the equation.
Many agents are "captive." This means they work for a single insurance company that advertises on television a lot. They are contractually required to sell that brand. Their loyalty, legally and financially, is to that company. If that company denies your claim or raises your rate, that agent has no other option for you. They can only sell what is on their shelf.
Insurance For Texans is an Independent Agency. We do not work for a specific insurance brand. We work for you, the Texas church. We have access to virtually every major carrier in the Texas market.
This gives us the ultimate power of advocacy. If a carrier turns hostile during a claim, we fight them. If a carrier raises rates unfairly at renewal, we fire them. We can move your church's portfolio to a different carrier without you losing your relationship with us. We sit on your side of the table, not the insurance company's side.
The Trust Equation For Church Insurance Protection
The trust equation is simple. A generic, non-specialized agent brings a sales background and likely doesn't understand why you need sexual abuse and molestation liability insurance for you children's ministry. Insurance For Texans brings a deep understanding and teaching background with loyalty to your church.
Mike learned this the hard way. He realized that competence is a necessity. He didn't need someone to ask about the picnic. He needed someone to save the budget and great protection plans.
If you prefer honesty over a cheap quote, our experienced church insurance agents will shoot you straight with risk management and proper coverage.
We are the agency for pastors and finance committees who want to understand exactly what they are buying. We are for church leadership who know that true stewardship requires looking at the detailed numbers and making the right decisions to protect the future of the ministry.
Don't wait for the renewal envelope to ruin your week. Work with a team that understands the math, teaches the details, and fights for your church.
Click the button to get the right property policy for your church so that you can have The Promise of Certainty.