Why churches must stand in the gap to break the cycle of child sexual abuse — and how insurance agents and carriers can help them stand strong
President
James Greene & Associates
Church Executive: You assert that the church insurance agent must reach the level of “indispensable trusted advisor.” How far away do you think the marketplace is right now?
Kurt Hetherington: The risk factors that affect churches are becoming more and more complicated: cyber liability, employment practices, security. But the No. 1 risk is child sexual abuse.
Complicating matters, who are we so often relying on in the Church? Volunteers. People who have the willingness and the heart but need training and resources.
As for where we are in the church insurance marketplace — aiming to be those indispensable trusted advisors — I can draw on my own firm’s experience. We insure more than 9,000 churches and related ministries, and here’s what I see: we’re way behind the curve.
Still, I’d rather light a candle than curse the darkness. We can be ‘one-stop shops’ that understand the risk and offer partnerships with vendors like MinistrySafe. We get that churches don’t have vice presidents of risk management, like large corporations do; we want to be that for them.
CE: As church executives vet their coverage options, what steps and questions do you suggest for determining the level of expertise the agent and agency bring to the table?
Hetherington: Well, these are tithe dollars they’re dealing with, which we understand. But if they’re interviewing their insurance agent and agency, it can’t just be: ‘Get me the cheapest price.’ It really needs to be geared towards gaining a better understanding of the agency: How many churches do you insure? What value-added resources — beyond the insurance policy — can you offer my church and my ministry? Can you help me develop a holistic approach to breaking the cycle of abuse and protecting the kids in our ministry?
This is especially important if point person at the church leaves. Here, the insurance agent has to be the catalyst acting as a true risk manager, not just an entity the comes in every year with a renewal package.
CE: You believe that a mindset shift is in order regarding child sexual abuse prevention in the Church, likening it, in some ways, to operating a cruise ship. Explain?
Hetherington: Everybody likes a cruise. It’s awesome. The four-color brochure will show you the pools, the beautiful Lido Deck, the sunshine, the waterslides, the putt-putt golf, the basketball courts, and so on.
What they’re not showing you is the engine room.
The passengers aren’t asking about the ship’s horsepower — and they shouldn’t, because that’s the crew’s job. Yet, when the cruise ship breaks down mid-trip, no one cares if the putt-putt course is open or if the water slide is broken. They’re thinking, get this engine started.
It’s the same mindset we have in the Church.
We want it to be welcoming. We want it to be warm. We’re thinking about lighting, seating, graphics, technology, audiovisual, having the coffee brewing in the morning — it’s all fantastic.
But we can’t be listless in the ocean, torpedoed by a lack of solid child protection policies and diligent, intentional efforts to break the cycle of sexual abuse. For the members, we’re not suggesting that these be front-and-center initiatives; even so, they’re absolutely fundamental to getting us all to the destination, and church leadership needs to take charge in the area of preventing sexual abuse in the Church.
CE: OK, so you aren’t saying churches should spotlight their sexual abuse prevention efforts in a big way. But you do recommend regular communication with the congregation about the ministry’s commitment to “standing in the gap.” How can they walk that line?
Hetherington: Well, for example, April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Can they, from the pulpit, pray for victims? Can they help members educate themselves?
I think many churches and church leaders feel uncomfortable discussing the issue. Here again, an insurance agent should have resources available to help with that message: brochures, printed materials and other resources that can be given to parents.
CE: As you survey the current landscape of sexual abuse coverage, what’s driving the ever-increasing premiums — and is there a role churches can play in helping to ‘right the ship’?
Hetherington: One of the biggest drivers is nuclear verdicts — those surpassing $10 million dollars. These rose to 135 in 2024; that’s a 52% increase over 2023. The sum of these verdicts was $31.3 billion, which is a 116% jump over the previous year. This uncertainty in the market stifles actuarially sound pricing models; we don’t know what the premium basis can be because we don’t know what the verdict could be.
Here, it’s essential for the Church to stand in the gap. The long-term solution is to break the cycle of abuse by being intentional and having strong risk management programs in place.
We’ve got to move out of the Lido Deck mindset and get back into the engine room. If we don’t, this coverage won’t be available. Ministry will suffer. We won’t be able to do things or reach people in the spaces where they need us the most because it becomes financially untenable.
Kurt Hetherington, CIC, CRM, CPIA began his insurance career with James Greene & Associates in 1994 and currently serves as President of the agency. He is also a Partner and Agency Director for Lightwell Insurance Advisors, overseeing operations in Texas, Iowa, New Mexico, and Missouri. Together, the alliance provides insurance and risk management solutions to more than 8,000 churches and ministry organizations across nine states. Hetherington earned the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 1997, the Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designation in 2009, and holds the Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA) designation from the Professional Insurance Agents Association. He is a past board member and former President of the Professional Insurance Agents of Arkansas (PIAAR), where the association recognized him with the Distinguished Service Award in 2025.
Additionally, he served on the board of the Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame and currently serves on the board of the Association of Christian Childcare Administrators. Kurt holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Liberty University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western Michigan University. He frequently speaks on risk management for ministries, presenting at conventions and workshops across the region.
— Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh
