John Murphy on premiums
From A Conversation About Insurance with John Murphy | Leadership Luncheon · · Golden Triangle Baptist Network
“The premiums have been driven up to a point to where this can make sense for us to create our own program and if we can cut down on the expenses to run the program then we can actually create a little bit of margin to start saving some money for churches.”
On , John Murphy, President of Claims at The Progressive Corporation, spoke about premiums during A Conversation About Insurance with John Murphy | Leadership Luncheon on Golden Triangle Baptist Network.
About John Murphy
John Murphy, President of Claims at Progressive, participated in a March 2025 leadership luncheon focused on church insurance availability. He stated that the reinsurance marketplace has become "very nervous" about churches and faith-based entities in the United States, citing large buildings and concerns about sexual abuse and molestation as contributing factors. Murphy noted that major church insurers such as Church Mutual, GuideOne, and Brotherhood Mutual are becoming more selective about which churches they insure, and he observed that premiums have been driven up significantly. Murphy discussed the creation of a self-insurance program by the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT), describing it as "effectively a new insurance company" where churches pool their dollars to pay claims. He said the program aims to drive affordability and has applied for a nonprofit ruling from the IRS to avoid corporate income taxes. Murphy advised churches to maintain relationships with multiple agents and to ask about which markets those agents will approach.