An Independent Agency Serving the Local Church With Personal, Prompt, Professional Service
Meet Skip Gibbs
The Church Insurance Man
Meet Steve Gibbs
President of Gibbs & Associates
Meet Erika Gibbs
Business Manager
Erika graduated with honors from Pensacola Christian College with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education in 2005. One month later, she and Steve Gibbs were married in her home town in Wisconsin.
After moving to Georgia, Erika was hired by a financial advisory firm. Erika spent 10 years there, serving first as a Customer Service Representative and then as the firm's Agent Services Rep. Later she became the firm's Compliance Manager and Auditor, after obtaining her series 7, 66, and 24 securities licenses.
Erika is honored to be a part of the family business. She heads the Service Team for Gibbs & Associates and manages operations and marketing. Erika enjoys volunteering at their local church with Steve and spending time with their four children.
Meet Chris Barnett
Associate Agent
Chris joined our team in 2021 as a Customer Service Representative and was quickly promoted to Associate Agent. His creative approach to problem-solving makes him Steve's right-hand man. The two met in middle school and have been close friends ever since.
Chris met his wife at Gwinnett Technical College where he graduated with a degree in Commercial Photography. He enjoys assisting her on the weekends with their photography business. Chris has worked as a carpenter for 20+ years, including building and installing custom cabinetry for almost a decade. His attention to detail and fun-loving personality make him a customer favourite. He is grateful to be working with a like-minded team as we serve churches.
Chris and his wife have four beautiful daughters. He plays the bass in his local church’s worship band and enjoys helping out in the Student Ministry.
Meet Andrea Gibbs
Service Representative
Andy is Steve's baby sister. He begged her to join Gibbs & Associates in 2021 as our first Service Representative, and we are eternally grateful she agreed. Andy inherited her strong work ethic from her father, Skip, and her sweet personality from her momma. She is friendly and approachable, making her a pleasure to work with.
After 14 years in the wholesale mortgage industry, Andy is thrilled to be part of a faith-based, family-oriented company. Having grown up in church, serving churches and people of faith feels like coming home. Her background working with FHA and VA loans as a government insurer prepared her well for processing insurance policies and managing policy renewals for our clients.
Andy enjoys painting, jewelry making, and other creative pursuits. She and Yeti, her energetic white husky, can often be found playing in the yard and going for long walks.
Meet Derek Millholland
Independent Agent
Derek came to Gibbs & Associates in March of 2023 and immediately hit the road with Steve meeting with churches to get them the proper insurance coverage for the best price. Being an independent agent combines both his love for traveling to new places and meeting new people.
Derek and Steve met in middle school at a local church and have been friends ever since.
Derek brings experience from previous jobs in finance, HVAC and the Military. Serving from 2014-2018, Derek was a part of the legendary 82nd Airborne in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. With over 20 jumps and 1 deployment to Afghanistan, he is always grateful for what the Army instilled in him.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Derek now lives in Sugar Hill with his cat AWOL. In his free time he can be found practicing guitar, attending his local church, or near the race track watching the fastest cars in the world.
Meet Bruce Wilkes
Independent Agent
Bruce graduated from Oglethorpe University in 1997 with a B.A. in sociology and a minor in psychology. After attending Southeastern seminary for a year he began a career in student ministry, serving churches in Georgia, Kentucky, and Mississippi for 17 years. Bruce met Steve at a county wide gathering for youth pastors. They worked together from 2015-2019 at the CLC (Christian Learning Center) at a local high school.
Bruce is passionate about ministry and loves helping churches serve their communities. During his time as a student and discipleship pastor, he developed a thorough understanding of the practical and financial challenges churches face. His role as an independent agent gives him the opportunity to help local churches continue to be good stewards of the money and resources that God has entrusted to them.
Bruce and his wife met in college and were married in 1999. They are blessed to have a daughter and son-in-law who live close by. In addition to spending time with family, he enjoys biking, great coffee and a variety of digital media.
Preventing Theft Is Paramount
The main idea with higher deductibles is that it incentivizes you to take the proper actions to minimize the potential harm that may come to your property. As such, higher deductibles help you think about ways to sustainably prevent negative situations from forming and occurring within your property. That is why organizational leaders should take great care to implement proper security protocols. Your place of worship or care must comprehensively plan for crime and other property damage instances and minimize them from taking place.
- Watch the entrances. The first and simple step is to minimize the entry points into your church or other facilities. You want to make sure that there are just a few places to enter and exit to minimize hassles on your end.
- Document those who come and go. It is best to understand who is coming and going within your church or other facilities. The more information you have, the better it is for you in adverse situations.
- Have trusted volunteers who roam the facility during large gatherings. You want to make sure that you have a cohort of trustworthy who hover around different key areas during large gatherings and celebrations to enforce security standards in a relaxed manner.
- Minimize cash concentration on-premises. There's a saying that you should not tempt fate. That is a genuine possibility if you keep a concentrated portion of cash within your facility. Those who seek to conduct an extraction operation will have more incentives to perform a heist on your property.
- Provide regular access to trustworthy people. Everyone shouldn't have regular entrance access. Keep your life simple by providing limited access during off-hours.
These principles and tips will help you to minimize issues taking place on your property.
Common Church Theft and Vandalism Risks
Creating A Secure Environment For Parishioners
General Liability Coverage for Churches
Preventing Liability Risks in Churches
The best action is preventative and not reactive. Do your best to implement standards and protocols that minimize the potential situation that risks present to your church.
For instance, if you are cleaning the church, make sure to have signs that state you are cleaning. As such, you are indicating that cleaning is happening, and floors may be wet.
Further, you want to make sure that you have signs present around the facility that show people to be careful in a specific situation. Classic safety measures such as smoke detectors and safety systems, in general, will be crucial and necessary as well.
In addition, more nonprofit organizations are optimizing their buildings to make it accessible for disabled peoples. More organizations also endeavor to check their places frequently and make sure everything is up to par while also keeping emergency supplies like first aid kits on their premises.
There is quite a bit you can do to take a preventive strategy within your organization and minimize your potential liabilities. If you require further assistance with your insurance policies and would like to have more information about the steps you can take to improve your overall situation, reach out to us. We will be pleased to find the best solution for your needs and provide the insurance services that your church requires.
Insurance Packages for Churches In Georgia
Make sure that your church is protected. Learn more about our insurance services for churches in Georgia, including umbrella liability, business automotive, and church packages to protect your organization. Contact us today to chat about how we can help your church obtain great coverage to safeguard your ministry.
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