What is Risk Management?
Did you know that risk management is the practice and mindset of identifying and analyzing loss exposures and taking steps to minimize the financial impact of those risks on your congregation?
It is essentially the continual process of making and carrying out decisions that will minimize the adverse effects of unplanned losses to your congregation and proactively establishing meaningful programs and processes to protect your congregational assets from loss due to fortuitous events.
It includes the following general process:
- Identification, analysis and evaluation of exposures to accidental loss to your congregation involving personnel, property and financial assets.
- Use of a well designed insurance program including the use of loss control/prevention and safety concepts as provided below by links to Church Mutual Insurance Company to minimize or eliminate risks. This includes use of such measures as well written congregational audit guidelines and misconduct policies and procedures.
- Implementation of chosen techniques through a focus on safety and loss prevention and close coordination of loss prevention services provided by Church Mutual Insurance Company.
- Minimize the impact of loss through proactive claims management and continuity planning should there be a loss or catastrophe.
- Monitoring of the results to ensure that your congregation operations are safely managed and that your losses are kept to a minimum or better yet, altogether eliminated.
When it comes to matters of protecting your congregation assets such as personnel, building(s) and financial assets, you as a pastor or congregational decision maker are in a very real way also a risk manager every day of the year because risk management is an excellent approach to protecting your ongoing ministry. You are the key !
There are many ways in which Church Mutual Insurance gives special protection to religious ministries. Included are 11 Protection Series booklets and a special adult misconduct booklet. They provide hundreds of helpful tips to safeguard your church and congregation from the inherent risks you face.
Preventing and reducing injuries at your facility and damage to your property requires an ongoing effort. Church Mutual Insurance Company provides numerous items that address a variety of loss control techniques to assist you. Risk Reporter is a quarterly risk management newsletter designed to inform you about risk exposures as well as the procedures you can follow to control those risks.
Insuring Your Ministry: Points to Consider (brochure) 
Preparing for Disaster: a Guide for Lutheran Congregations from Lutheran Disaster Response
An ELCA Congregation Discovers That Having a Disaster Plan Works from ELCA News Service, July 24, 2008
Visit the Department of Homeland Security Web site for information regarding emergency preparedness.
ELCA-Endorsed Property and Liability Insurance Program (brochure)
Congregational Audit Guide from the ELCA Office of the Treasurer
Questions and Answers About the ELCA Endorsed Property and Liability Insurance Program
Important New Resource : Church Mutual Insurance Company's Sample Child and Youth Abuse Prevention Program for Religious Organizations
Do you have questions, concerns, problems?
If you are an eligible ELCA congregation and are encountering any difficulties concerning the ELCA Endorsed Property and Liability Insurance Program, please contact the following for assistance:
Risk Manager
Office of the Secretary
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
8765 W. Higgins Road
Chicago, Illinois 60631
Telephone: 800.638.3522 ext. 2403
Fax: 773.380.2977
Important for Florida ELCA congregations only:
If you are a Florida ELCA congregation and have questions, comments or problems, please link to this document entitled
Florida ELCA Quote Request Process for assistance