A History of Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company—1917–2007
Neither businessman Albert Neuenschwander nor his pastor, Aaron Souder, would have sought any historical limelight. They were practical, faithful men. As members of the Defenseless Mennonite Church,* they were just looking for a way to help fellow Mennonites protect themselves from property damages caused by fires and storms.
Now, more than 90 years later, their vision for an aid association lives on as Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company.
As we look back on the history of Brotherhood Mutual, we do so from a position of financial and market strength born out of the values that our founders instilled in the company from its beginning. National Underwriter magazine calls Brotherhood Mutual one of the 50 "champions" among property-casualty insurers, based on our financial performance over the past 12-year period. The company now insures more than 30,000 churches and related ministries and is licensed to do business in 31 states and the District of Columbia.
To mark our 90th anniversary in 2007, Brotherhood Mutual released a commemorative edition of the company’s history (PDF 912k). Entitled, The Brotherhood Way, this special publication includes a timetable of company history as well as details reflecting the character and events that shaped Brotherhood Mutual into a premier insurer of churches and related ministries. To download your copy of The Brotherhood Way, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
*In 1948, the Conference of the Defenseless Mennonite Church of North America changed its name to the Evangelical Mennonite Church. In 2003, the Evangelical Mennonite Church changed its name to the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches.