{"id":3816,"date":"2021-05-11T08:23:13","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T08:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/?p=3816"},"modified":"2021-04-27T15:27:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T15:27:42","slug":"does-your-church-need-a-church-security-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ammoman.com\/blog\/does-your-church-need-a-church-security-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Your Church Need A Church Security Plan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Creating A Church Security Plan\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

Our churches and holy places are special places that are devoted to spiritual improvement. They\u2019re supposed to be a place of refuge from the worries of the world, where people of every tribe and tongue can find the peace they need. Too often, however, that quest for peace is shattered by violence that can affect everyone inside the church. A church security plan can help prevent this sort of thing from happening, or at the very least, de-escalate and mitigate the effects of violence in a house of worship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some of the numbers, and have them drive our church security plan. According to the Faith-Based Security Network, <\/span>there were 1772 deadly force incidents<\/span><\/a> in or near a church in America from January of 1999 to March of 2018. Estimates for the number of churches in America are hard to pin down, but <\/span>380,000 seems to be a good estimate<\/span><\/a>. Those numbers mean that there is a half-percent chance your church will suffer a violent encounter in a twenty year period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Church Security Plan Should Be Grounded In Reality<\/span><\/h2>\n

This seems well and good, until you also consider two things: The first is that violent crime is up<\/a> (way up) since 2018. The second thing is that, in the words of noted firearms trainer Tom Givens, the odds of a violent encounter might be low, but the stakes are quite literally mortal. All of a sudden, having a church security plan makes a lot more sense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A church is a place of worship and peace. Except when it’s not.<\/p><\/div>\n

The question then becomes, why should a church have a security plan at all? Aren\u2019t places of worship supposed to trust in a higher power for their needs? The answer to that question will depend on your faith background, but let me offer up two examples from the Old Testament, a source that is shared with everyone from a Judeo-Christian background.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first is from the Book Of Proverbs, chapter 27, verse 12 (NASB): \u201cA prudent person sees evil and hides himself; But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second comes from the book of Nehemiah, where the nation of Israel is rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. In chapter 4, verse 16 says that, \u201cAnd from that day on, half of my servants carried on the work while half of them kept hold of the spears, the shields, the bows, and the coats of mail,\u201d (NASB). Given these two verses, (and a host of others), we can assume that preparing for a violent attack isn\u2019t completely out of the question for a pious churchgoer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Peace Or Strength Is A False Choice<\/span><\/h3>\n

However, that doesn\u2019t mean we should turn our churches into fortresses. A good church security plan balances the need for people to worship in a relaxed and open manner with the need to keep worshippers safe from harm. A security plan should never interfere with the church\u2019s goal of fostering spiritual growth. As a result, the more that things can stay in the background and work seamlessly, the more buy-in you\u2019ll have from churchgoers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the big takeaways from my <\/span>home defense class<\/span><\/a> was the need to create a layered defense around your home. The first layer, like cameras and security personnel, should detect a potential problem. The second layer should deter that problem from getting into your home or place of worship. The third layer should defend the sanctuary and stop and attack with an appropriate amount of force.<\/span><\/p>\n

How this applies to your church will vary. Each church is unique. The neighborhood surrounding a church can dramatically affect the security needs of a church. In addition to this, how the church itself is located on the property inst can affect how easy it is to access. Churches with older parishioners may have different first aid needs than a church with a lot of children. Each church, then, should come up with a security plan that works for their own needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hallways facilitate movement of worshippers as well as bad guys<\/p><\/div>\n

Based on what I learned in a recent church security class I took from Strategos International, there are some general guidelines you can follow:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Basics Of A Church Security Plan<\/span><\/h3>\n