RCA - Consistory: Risk Assessment Checklist: Intro

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Introduction

To promote physical health, individuals are encouraged to undergo routine, periodic physical exams. Churches should do the same thing--not just regarding their physical condition, but regarding their "legal" condition as well. Like it or not, churches are engaged in legal relationships and commercial activities on a daily basis. They employ staff. They provide services to people of all ages and from all walks of life. In most instances they conduct many of their operations through corporations (typically not-for-profit corporations). As such, they are subject to applicable corporate laws and, along with their ministers, must comply with certain requirements in order to receive favorable tax treatment. For these and other reasons it is important that churches do things correctly. The consistory should make sure this happens.

One way a consistory can ensure things are done correctly is to subject the church periodically to a routine check-up. The checklist that follows is intended to help the consistory do so. It is by no means definitive or exhaustive. It should, however, be a good starting point, and hopefully will prompt additional ideas as you review it. Consistories are encouraged to use it periodically (perhaps annually) and to carefully consider how it can appropriately manage the various risks to which a church is exposed. If you believe your church would benefit from a more extensive review than what can be achieved using this resource, newsletters and comprehensive checklists are available online from insurance companies and some denominations. They include:

The “Administration Matters” e-newsletter from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which can be viewed or subscribed to at www.elca.org/administrationmatters.

The 24-page "Self-Inspection Safety Checklist" from the Safety Resources section of the Church Mutual Insurance Company website, www.churchmutual.com.

The "Local Church Self-Inspection Checklist" from the General Council on Finance and Administration of the United Methodist Church, www.gcfa.org/PDFs/LMIRMLCCList.pdf.

"Risk and Safety Assessments" from SafeChurch (which is affiliated with GuideOne Insurance) at www.safechurch.com/assessments.

Various checklists from Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, www.brotherhoodmutual.com/safetycentral.

This resource is provided for general information only. It is not intended to serve as legal, accounting, or tax advice. Each situation is unique. Moreover, the use of this resource or any similar resource that is provided through the RCA's website does not create an attorney-client relationship of any sort. For particular legal, accounting, tax, or other assistance or advice, consult with a competent professional who is licensed to practice and is knowledgeable about the laws and practices in your particular jurisdiction. Neither the General Synod, the General Synod Council, nor any other agency, assembly, or institution of the Reformed Church in America, nor any staff member of any of the foregoing, is responsible for any damage, liability, loss, injury, or other harm that may result from your use of this resource, whether from errors or omissions in the content of this resource or any other resource referenced in this resource, or from any other use.

In a number of instances the reader is referred to resources offered by third parties. Such referrals are not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of the resources, nor are they intended to imply that the accuracy of the resources has been verified. Rather, they are simply intended to direct the reader to materials that may be relevant to the particular topic.

This resource is an ongoing work in progress. As you use it, if additional issues come to mind that you believe should be addressed, please forward them to us at webservant@rca.org. Similarly, if you encounter resources that you consider useful and believe should be included in this checklist, please forward them to us as well.