Churches are places of peace, not war. Throughout history, places of worship have often been seen as a safe haven from the conflict that raged outside their walls. The English word “sanctuary” derives from a Latin term denoting a church or sacred place in which, by law, a fugitive was immune from arrest. Hence the church building became a sanctuary.

The image of a place of worship as a bastion of peace and safety, however, has been greatly diminished over the last decade. Shooting incidents from Texas, to Wisconsin, to Idaho have shocked our country and people of faith. In the last half of 2007 we heard about several well-publicized incidents involving church security. Three teens in Burleson, Texas were arrested for attempting to detonate a bomb at the Victory Family Church. Two teenagers in Westerville, Ohio were arrested for planning to bomb two local restaurants and St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. Three people were killed and five were injured in a shooting at the First Congregational Church of Neosho, Missouri. A man entered Parkview Christian church in Orland Park, Illinois carrying a briefcase he claimed contained a bomb. A bomb threat was sent by text message to the president of the Swedenborgian Church in Beacon Hill, Massachusetts.

How are churches to respond to the forces that threaten the safety of those who assemble inside sanctuary walls? Will churches be forced to install metal detectors to keep people safe? What should a church do to provide a safe environment for those to whom it ministers?

If we examine the words of Christ in Matthew chapter 10 we find a scriptural principle that can guide us in this matter. In Matthew 10:16 Jesus gave his disciples this piece of wisdom: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (English Standard Version).

The reasoning behind dealing with church security, and the methodology for making the church more secure, is summed up by that phrase in Matthew. Churches should not be fortresses (innocent as doves), but neither should they be easy targets for those who would do them harm (wise as serpents). There are at least three things churches can do to provide security: take preventative measures, prepare for a crisis, and remain vigilant.

The first step in any security endeavor is prevention. What can a church do to prevent a shooting, a bombing, or any other type of assault on its facilities or members? No prevention method can guarantee safety this side of Heaven; however, those intending to do harm typically choose an easy target. This is one reason why so many shootings happen at churches and schools rather than at police stations. Those who want to inflict damage go where people are not ready to fight back.

Here are three ways churches can begin efforts at prevention. First, a church needs a security team composed of qualified and trained individuals. A church security team should be composed of individuals who have been specifically trained for the job. GuideOne Insurance, a leading church insurer, suggests that every church should appoint a security director with clearly defined responsibilities—someone to act as the point person for all security concerns.

Before assembling a security team, a church should consult state regulations and guidelines for appointing or hiring security personnel.

Second, churches and para-church ministries must diligently perform background checks on those serving, and they must stay attentive to changes in their congregation and community. More than one church shooting incident over the past decade has stemmed from domestic issues involving someone in the congregation. A divorce or a child custody battle, especially if the minister or someone else in the congregation has counseled someone in the situation, can easily spill over into an incident of violence in the church.

Third, small environmental changes can be made to a church that will make it a safer place. If a sanctuary has 12 entrances, the odds are small that anyone, security team or otherwise, will notice suspicious activity. If, however, the church has been thoughtful enough to guide people through entrances that can be watched, any person acting suspicious can be observed and potential crises prevented. Something as simple as placing a literature table in a key location can move people in the direction you want them to go, making a worshipful environment a safer one.

Dwayne Bishop, a 24-year veteran of the Dallas, Texas police force and the founder of Congregation Security Incorporated points out that prevention efforts need to be a priority. “Almost all churches have security departments, but they are not putting their money into security. A multi-million dollar building with a five dollar security system just doesn’t add up. You have to be able to put money behind security and to support it. Churches are normally reactive instead of proactive.” The time to put money and effort into security is before anything happens.

After preventative measures have been undertaken, the next thing a ministry must do is to put procedures in place so that the church will be equipped to handle crises effectively. In the event that a security crisis happens, preparation can make a difference in how many people are affected by the crisis, and how severely.

Unlike schools, churches are almost completely unable to conduct emergency procedure drills. This is why it is important for churches to have done preparatory work ahead of time. If there is a disturbance, who will be in charge of an evacuation? Under what circumstances will the children’s ministry be locked down? What situations warrant calling local authorities, and who will make that call?

The answers to these questions cannot be asked in the middle of a situation or it may be too late. The responsibility for preparation must be delegated by the ministry’s leaders to the security team; from there the security team must make adequate use of the available ministers, ushers, and volunteers to delegate these responsibilities.

Bishop suggests that individual church members do their part by asking their security director if the church has an evacuation plan that is written down and has been practiced. He estimates that less than 50 percent of churches have made this basic preparation.

Once a church has done the work of prevention and preparation there is still one more element of church security left—persistence. Persistence has to do with a continual revision of matters of prevention and preparation, as well as maintaining a diligent posture. Churches that prepare a safety manual and leave it on a shelf to gather dust are not effectively protecting their members. The world and a small community can change very quickly. Volunteers come and go from most churches on a weekly basis, so the persistent church will continually do background checks on new volunteers, and not just those working with children. The community around the church can be improving or it can be in a state of decline. The state of that community affects the local crime rate, and churches must be sensitive to how that affects the safety and security of its members and property.

Nehemiah returned to the land of Israel to lead the people of Jerusalem to rebuild its broken-down walls. The work was off to a great start when threats against the builders reached the ears of Nehemiah. His response, found in chapter four, was to station men at the exposed places along the wall. Each one was stationed alongside his family with swords, spears, and bows. While the construction was going on, half of the men were building and half of the men were stationed around the wall with weapons.

Taking up the task of church security finds its inspiration in the actions of those brave Jewish construction workers of ancient times. The threat to churches today is just as real as the eternal mission Jesus gave her before he ascended to Heaven. Unfortunately, our world is not a safe place, and in order for the church to carry out its work of evangelism, discipleship, and love, someone needs to be attentive to the threat so those doing the work of God can carry out their mission.

Taking up the task of church security does not require stationing guards at church entrances with machine guns. Taking up the task of church security requires that we deal seriously with a real threat by prevention, preparation, and persistence. |L

Aaron Sharp is a freelance writer in Dallas, Texas.

Based on more than two decades of experience, Dwayne Bishop, founder of Congregational Security Inc., suggests several things churches can do when they invest in resources or deal with a security company.

GuideOne Center for Risk Management
https://https://www.guideone.com/SafetyResources/Churches/churchindex.htm

Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company
http://www.brotherhoodmutual.com/safetycentral/articles/navart31.htm

Congregational Security Inc.
Dallas, TX
http://www.congregationalsecurityinc.com/

Church Security Services
Bakersfield, CA
http://www.churchsecurityservices.com/