Churchshoppers.com Match People to Churches

Website Requests Unconventional Help From Christian Churches

Churches have traditionally been known for helping others. Churchshoppers.com, an on-line business dedicated to church growth and the spreading of the gospel, is asking for help in a non-conventional way. They are not looking for a hand-out, counseling or spiritual advice. What they need is information.

Churchshoppers.com was created to help people looking for a church, because of relocation or need for change, narrow down the search to churches that best fit their spiritual compatibility.

Churchshopper's owner Chad Olson, knows this well. Being a church-attendee all of his life, he has seen the struggle that many families go through in finding a home church that will not only meet their needs but allow for their own unique gifts and talents to be developed and used.

"In the course of our research we've asked hundreds of people how they go about finding a church and we've concluded that people have a spiritual temperament," Olson said. "Certain churches seem to fit their groove better than others. This Web site helps people find the right church in a shorter period of time."

Churchshoppers launched on-line in March and currently has over 103,500 nationwide churches in their database. The majority of these listings contain basic contact information only. This is where the help from churches is needed. Churches are invited to create a profile with comprehensive information that helps searchers get a good feel for a church's culture. This service is available absolutely free to churches. Churches have an opportunity to build a premium profile that allows them to include images, audio and video clips for a small fee if so desired. During the month of August, the premium profile is also being offered for free through the use of a promotional code available on the website.

"We want to give people looking for a church the best help possible, but we can only do that if churches build their profile and provide the detailed information. No catches here...we just want to provide great and thorough service to those using our site to find a church. Of course, we believe we will see those churches building their profiles grow and flourish as well!"

Churches have several options on how to build their profiles. Creating it on-line at Churchshoppers.com, Market Your Church, allows them to enter their own information, including an"In your own words" section to personally convey the vision of their church. Churches can also do a telephone with a Churchshoppers representative or print out a written template to be filled out and faxed in at their convenience.

"Finding the right home church is one of the most important decisions you can make. We believe the place of worship needs to inspire, encourage, challenge as well as utilize the unique gifts and talents one has to offer. That's why we created Churchshoppers," he said

Compliance and Your Church's Insurance Policy?

CALL 1-866-579-7475 TO REVIEW YOUR CHURCH SAFETY/SECURITY PROGRAM, ASK FOR OPHELIA LIVINGSTON.
Do You Know What Is Covered?

Edward started his Saturday just like he did every Saturday: he went to the church to get ready for his participation in the church Children Ministry’s outreach. But, this Saturday was different. It was his turn to do a run in the church van to pick up some of the children. Because Edward did not have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), the children's pastor clearly instructed Edward not to transport more than 14 children at any one time. "That will keep us in compliance," thought the children's pastor, who remembered that the law does not let an individual transport more than 15 people in one vehicle. He wanted to make sure that Edward stayed within his legal limitation.

The Church Made Every Effort To Comply With The Law

Edward gladly complied, making three runs without any problems. However, on his fourth and final run, with 7 excited children riding in the van, Edward ran a red light in his hurry to get back to the church on time...which resulted in an accident that injured three of the children! The children's pastor visited the three children while they were in the emergency room and had a time of prayer with them and their parents. Between the three children, there were two broken arms, one broken leg that required surgery, and a bill of $120,000.00. The church filed a claim with the church insurance company and the insurance company paid it. Whew! That was close.

Was The Driver Negligent?

The church was very supportive of Edward and understood that he was trying to serve the church by picking up the children. He still could not figure out how he ran the red light. He just did not see it. Seconds earlier he saw a text message come in and briefly looked at his phone to see whom it was from. Before he knew it, he was in an accident.

The Driver (Edward) Gets Sued

Three months after the insurance company paid the claim; Edward got a letter from the church's insurance company letting him know that they wanted him to reimburse them the $120,000.00 for his gross negligence. They also stated that they would sue him in court if he did not agree to their terms for repayment of the claim. Confused and completely surprised by this, Edward first took it to his pastor. But he, too, was bewildered by the lawsuit against Edward, and so the pastor took it to the church attorney, asking, "Can our insurance company sue one of our members for the claim that the church filed?" Unfortunately for Edward, insurance companies have the right to seek reimbursement from the person or entity legally responsible for an accident after they have paid out money on behalf of the church. This is known as Subrogation. Webster definition of subrogation is “If one person performs a duty of another, they are then "equitable subrogated" to the rights of the person owed the duty”. The most common form of subrogation is when an insurance company pays a claim caused by the negligence of another. Who would have thought that the same company that is supposed to protect the church, sues one of its members?

Get The Right People Listed As Insured Under The Church Policy

After inspecting the church insurance policy, they noticed that the policy covered the acts of the board of directors and employees but it did not cover volunteers and members. Getting the members and volunteers of the church listed as insured is not automatic. In fact, you have to specifically request it. Since Edward was not listed as insured on the church policy, he was not protected from being sued by the church's insurance company.

Get An Insurance Policy and Cover The Right People

The number of churches and ministries that do not have an insurance policy of any kind is a surprise in itself. Though many pastors know of the real possibilities that exist in today's litigious society, they see insurance as an expense that brings no benefit. As a risk management consultant, I see it differently. It is an asset, because it protects the wealth and prosperity of the church. When getting a general liability insurance policy, make sure that the policy covers the board of directors, employees, and church volunteers, including members. This is very important. Incidents like the one Edward went through are frequent. The church was diligent to make sure they complied with the law, but it failed to spend adequate time reviewing its insurance policy to make sure the right people were covered.

Many Different Types Of Church Insurance

Did you know that there are over 30 different types of liability insurance? That does not include property, theft, missions' travel, fire, key man and many more. Getting the right policy is absolutely important. We have added the topic of church insurance to our seminars because getting the right insurance policy is a must. Have you spent time lately thinking about insurance for the church? You may have felt intimidated by the number of policies that exist. With the right information, you will be able to get the right policy that provides maximum coverage at the best price. Call today and schedule your risk management seminar.  1-866-579-7475!

Woman Attacked and Raped at OKC Church

 CALL 1-866-579-7475 TO REVIEW YOUR CHURCH SAFETY/SECURITY PROGRAM, ASK FOR OPHELIA LIVINGSTON.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An Oklahoma City woman is attacked and raped at a local church. Luckily, within just a few hours, police were able to make an arrest. The accused rapist is 30-year-old Antwine Walker. The crime took place at Britton Baptist Church near Britton and Western. The suspect occasionally worked at the church doing odd jobs. Police say that made it easy for employees to ID him.
The alleged rape victim told police she was ambushed and assaulted just seconds after arriving for work early Tuesday.

"The suspect actually followed her to the back of the building, threw some kind of rope around her neck and proceeded to choke her and rape and sodomize her in the building," said Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow.

Walker remains behind bars at the county jail.

Walker has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for burglary and violating a victim's protective order.

The church pastor says he knew of Walker's criminal past but wanted to give him a chance to go straight.

No one at the church wanted to go on camera to talk about the crime.