by Nate Finn

“Why does a church need a security team??” That question is mostly asked incredulously when people visit one of our campuses and see a team of usually large guys wearing polo shirts in the lobby, the children’s ministry, and the sanctuary.

Security within our church can be a misunderstood concept. Many people believe that security does not belong in the church. On the one hand, there are people who say it unnecessarily heightens a perception of threat, and on the other, people say it means we’re not trusting in the sovereignty of God (to protect his church). We also recognize there are people who are simply opposed to our church and the gospel of Jesus. As Pastor Mark said in the 2007 sermon, “Pain and Progress,” from the Nehemiah sermon series, “Not everybody in Seattle has the same agenda as we do. Our goal is to read the Bible and love Jesus. … That’s not the most popular agenda in Seattle.” We get that, and the fact that people might oppose us is not what worries us. But here’s what we’re very committed to: people should be able to come to a Mars Hill Church service and worship in peace.

“If you are saying to yourself, ‘Aren’t they exaggerating this whole thing? I didn’t see or hear of anything,’ it is because our security teams are doing a fantastic job.”

Ultimately, the goal of the security teams is to protect the integrity of the service and how people are receiving the Word that’s being preached. Listening to a sermon can be a big experience—the Holy Spirit can be speaking to someone—and if there’s a disturbance, that moment can be broken.

Like the Israelites in Nehemiah’s day, we not only have the right to worship the God of the Bible but we have the obligation to provide a safe environment to those who want to attend Mars Hill and worship God freely. The First Amendment grants us the right to peaceably assemble, after all. (And, yes, it grants that right to those who’d oppose us to peaceably assemble and voice that opposition as well, and that’s fine, though as a private organization, we have the right to not permit that to happen on our property.)

The same people who opposed the Israelites are the same kind of people we experience today. However, the men and women you see with the security shirts are not there to intimidate but to protect the body from those trying to disrupt or cause harm. And yes, serious crimes do happen on church properties across the nation and they aren’t just petty crimes. Pastors have been killed and churches have been vandalized, robbed, and burnt to the ground. This information is not being used as a scare tactic. We just don’t want to be naïve and not be cognizant of what happens every week.

That said, our campuses experience vandalism, burglary, and theft as often as once a week. On Sundays, we keep watch on the premises, mostly in an effort to deter any potential threats by being proactive not just reactive. If you are saying to yourself, “Aren’t they exaggerating this whole thing? I didn’t see or hear of anything,” it is because our security teams are doing a fantastic job mitigating threats we see regularly throughout the year.

Children’s Ministry

One of our biggest priorities on Sundays is to keep our kids safe while they learn about Jesus each week. Similarly, we want parents to be able to learn about Jesus while they sit in the service, and part of this is that they need to be able to trust in the children’s ministry when they drop their kids off and know the kids will be safe and protected during that time.

There are, on average, five to six threats to the children’s ministries at our Mars Hill campuses per year. Security team members are present throughout the children’s ministry for two reasons. One reason is to mitigate serious threats, and the other is for accountability of our children’s ministry volunteers.

Lobbies and sanctuary

In addition, security team members keep watch in the lobbies and sanctuary. Ever wonder why there are two security team members who sit at the front of the sanctuaries while Pastor Mark preaches? Because several years ago, a man charged the stage with a large knife while Pastor Mark was preaching. In general, there is a higher potential of threats when the sermon topic is on spiritual warfare. There have been subsequent threats, and sometimes the threats vary by campus location and service time.

SPD

And lastly, at the Downtown Seattle and Ballard campuses, you will see uniformed Seattle police officers at the services. These officers are on duty and paid, though the shifts they work at the church are ones for which they’ve volunteered to take overtime hours, so they’re not being taken out of the normal police rotation to be stationed at our campuses. The strategy behind the uniformed police officer is primarily as a deterrent, but it’s also so that we can have more of an immediate response if there were an actual incident.

Guards along the wall

God called Nehemiah to build a wall and now God has called Mars Hill to build cities within the cities. God told Nehemiah to place guards along the wall to protect his people and the work, and we must place guards within our walls to protect God’s people and the work of sharing the Gospel. In order to provide the proper safety and security for our campuses, we need men who are able-bodied, have a heart to protect our children and families, and a desire to step up and volunteer a portion of their time to the Security Ministry. This ministry not only provides a valuable service to the church, but also is an opportunity for spiritual growth and community building for people who share common interests.

“But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.”

Nehemiah 4:7–9

“Opposition only comes to those who are doing something. There are many people out there who live their life without being criticized or attacked because they spend their time lying on the couch with their finger up their nose not doing anything. There is no reason to oppose such people. So if you are doing something, expect opposition and be encouraged because you are doing something.”

Nate Finn is the executive assistant to Pastor Dave Bruskas and a member of the Ballard campus.

If you need assistance in developing and implementing a church security ministry team or need security team enhancements, then contact Gideon Protective Services, Inc. to learn more about our Church Security Seminars or full Secure Church training program.  Call 888.305.6513 Ext. #3 or email info@gideonprotectiveservices.com.

On 8-29-10, Clay Sannar, 42, a lay bishop with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was doing administrative paperwork on Sunday between church services when a man came into the Visalia church and asked for a leader of the church.  After being directed to Sannar, the attacker shot and killed him.  After the shooting, a caller identified himself to police as the attacker. Police then responded and there was a confrontation with several shots exchanged.  The suspect was hit multiple times. He was taken to nearby Kaweah Delta Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.  No police personnel were injured. The suspect did not seem to know Sannar, and he was not a member of the church, and no one at the church recognized him.

It is not known yet whether or not that particular Mormon Church had a Church Security Ministry Team in place, or some other security awareness training.  My heart goes out to the entire congregation and to the family of Clay Sannar. 

We should learn from this tragedy so that this sort of act of violence will not happen again.  Unfortunately, I think it will only continue due to the fact that we live in a fallen world that is in a state of permanent moral decay.  We all think it will not happen to us, but we couldn’t be more wrong.  We must protect our flock.  I urge all church members of all faiths to ask their church administrators what security plans they have in place should the wolf come knocking on their door for a visit.  If your church has a security ministry team, great, keep it tuned up.  If it does not, implore your church administrators to seek out security consultants and implement a security team.  Learn what options are available.  There is a security plan that can be tailored to any church setting or function.   

If you have any questions about any of our services, such as Private Security Guards/ Patrol Services, Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Church Security Training, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicles, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services, Inc. for a free, confidential consultation.  You can find us on the web.  See all that Gideon can offer you.

Thankfully the suspect was apprehended by Law Enforcement.  I don’t know about you, but this irritates me.  A church, which is supposed to be a safe place, has a brutal attack on one of its own, by one of its own.  It should make you think twice about hiring employees and volunteers.  A Background Investigation must be conducted on everyone working in and around the Church, or any other business entity for that matter.  The suspect in this case was a known Felon.  I can understand that the Pastor wanted to help the suspect out be enabling him to work in a way to rebuild his work ethic and to possibly become a contributing member of society.  But let’s be real, the recidivism rate of Felons and Paroles is 65%- 85% conservatively.  If you’re going to hire a Felon to “help him out”, they must be supervised at all times, and never left alone with women or children.  This should not be allowed or tolerated.  Felons have to regain the trust of the community.  Felons must not be left alone, period! 

Security measures must be put in place from open to close, 7 days a week, including church missions and special outings.  My heart goes out to the victim.  This tragedy could have been prevented with proper security awareness training.  Teaching and learning security awareness training can go far.  Learning what to look for and what the proper response can save lives.  However, awareness training alone is not the only answer.  It must be part of a comprehensive security strategy.  Other security related items to consider would be surveillance equipment, changing the opening, closing, and day to day procedures, Verbal Judo, and some simple hand to hand self defense techniques to aid in an escape.  I know some will say that is paranoia and we do need to militarize churches.  I agree we do not need to militarize churches, but some security measures need to be put in place.  We continue to see the horrible results when we do nothing.  Do you want to be a victim?  Everyone should inquire as to their churches security plan (if they have one).  If they don’t, urge your Pastors/ Priests to engage a Security Consultant to implement some security measures and possibly a security team.

If you have any questions about how to implement a church security team ministry, need refresher training for an existing church security team, or you want to learn more about church security training, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.  Find out the many benefits to having a church security ministry team that benefit the church, church administrators, staff, and the congregation.

If you have any questions about any of our other services, such as Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  You can find us on the web.  See all that Gideon can offer you.

California- USA
An executive protection and private security guard firm local to Southern California has announced its newest nationwide church security training division.  Since church violence is on the rise like never seen before, churches are starting Church Security and Safety Teams.  “It is a sad state of affairs when Churches today have to even think about “security” at their places of worship.  Churches used to be thought of safe, sacred places that you could go to and your safety was all but guaranteed.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore” states President and CEO Grant Linhart of Gideon Protective Services, Inc. a Southern California based Executive Protection and Private Security Guard Firm.

Speaking further on church security training, Linhart states, “Violence that has steadily increased over the years doesn’t show any signs of slowing down as places of worship are seen as easy and “soft” targets.  Due to the fact society as we know it is in a state of decay, our churches and synagogues having become prey for the depraved and delusional, our churches must be defended and safeguarded”.

As reported by the Christian Security Network, risks are only going up for the faith-based community and are finally being reported and tracked.  The U.S. State Department now classifies faith-based organizations as one of the top five “at risk” groups in the world today.  The U.S. has seen tragic incidents of violence against Christian organizations and other incidents occurring on a frequent basis.

Some of the benefits of implementing a church security and safety team is reduced liability insurance rates and premiums, church specific SOP/ policy manual, initial and reoccurring training for security team staff, installation of a new or enhancing an existing security surveillance system, mitigation of emergency procedures, and control and monitoring of the children’s section of the church to name a few.

To learn more about church security training and the rise in violence towards churches, visit http://www.executive-protection-services.net/church-security/.

Gideon Protective Services, Inc (http://www.executive-protection-services.com/) is a full service executive protection and private security guard firm offering a wide array of security consulting services.  We bring the training component to your church, saving your congregation the hassle of traveling and extra training expenses.  We customize all of our security services to exactly what our client desires and deserves.

If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, Church Security Training, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net or our Church Security Training Website at http://www.churchsecurity-training.com.

• Be Balanced
• Be Knowledgeable
• Be Realistic
• Be Willing and Able

These challenges can be accomplished by training your Church Security Ministry Team members to be observant, assess each situation as no two are ever alike, and then act in response to the situation based on prior training and skill set.  Church Security Ministry Teams need to remember we are still representatives of our churches, and ultimately of God. We must act accordingly.  Let’s be perfectly clear.  We are not militarizing churches; simply put we are observing and assessing people and situations in hopes to be mindful, not fearful.

Having this preparation and training already established puts us in the driver’s seat should any emergency arise.  Church Security Ministry Teams will know how to react appropriately and mitigate those emergencies we have talked about in this prior blog.  Church Security Ministry Teams must always strive and never lose sight of serving with a purpose.  In simple terms; Church Security Ministry Teams must fend off the wolf if he comes to prey on the innocent, just like the sheepdog does with the flock its set to watch over.

Let’s go over a quick lesson in observation-
• Observe with a purpose
• Check and scan hands, waist, and then eyes
• Make eye contact
• Don’t forget to smile and greet fellow church members
• Use reasonable judgment
• There is not one profile that represents a threat, past church violence showed no discrimination
• Observe unusual behavior, clothing, and emotions
• Look for environmental safety or security hazards in the church buildings

Here is a food for thought scenario.

While in the lobby you see a man who attends your church walk angrily up to a car driven by his wife and begins to yell at her. He kicks at the door and picks up a rock and breaks the window.

What would you do?

If you have any questions about how to implement a church security team ministry, need refresher training for an existing church security team, or you want to learn more about church security training, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.comor our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net. Find out the many benefits to having a church security ministry team that benefit the church, church administrators, staff, and the congregation.

If you have questions about any of our other services, such as Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation. See all that Gideon can offer you.

• In 2009 there were 29 church shootings
• Increase in societal pressures due to the economy (Domestic Violence, loss of income, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of God in people’s lives, etc.)
• Mostly Single Shooters
• Typically several firearms
• Large amounts of ammunition (co 1,000+)‏
• Specific Grudge or general hatred of Christians
• Shooting lasts for 3 to 10 minutes
• Most commit suicide
• Police are largely irrelevant to the outcome (this is because the avg. response time is 5-10 minutes)

OK, so there is some church violence. But the Bible surely doesn’t advocate defending yourself, does it? Lets examine one of several passages that support self defense.

• Nehemiah 4:17-19.  ¹⁷Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other hand held a weapon.  ¹⁸Everyone of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.  And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me.

What does the security ministry team do when there isn’t any violent crime occurring? 

• Mitigate emergency and non-emergency situations (if and when they arise until the professionals arrive)
• Patrolling the facility inside and outside
• Assisting visitors with directions or questions
• Securing the preschool and nursery areas, lost parent/children issues
• Requesting and co-ordination of medical emergencies
• Clearing the parking lot, doors, and crowd for approaching EMS Units
• Escorting the offering from pickup to deposit into the safe or other safe location
• Special escorts
• Coordinate building evacuation

It all comes down to being the eyes and ears for the church reference security of all church members.  There will be rare instances, but sometimes there will be, a call to action.  Security Ministry Team members must serve with grace, a humble heart, and be mindful, not fearful.  Besides the church security ministry team be integrated into the church operations and providing a valuable service to its members, there is another huge administration/ financial benefit to having a security ministry team.  Insurance companies that know and see the value of having trained, on site church security ministry teams, offer a break/ discount to the churches insurance premiums for the churches active roll in lowering their overall liability exposure.

Follow along on next week’s church security blog to learn more about church security training.

If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, Church Security, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, or someone you know, feel free to call 888.305.6513 or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A woman has died following a shooting at a local church late Wednesday afternoon.  Police spokesman Ray Bunk said the woman and her husband were attending a counseling session at the Calvary Lutheran Church at 2415 S. 320th St. when the man pulled out a gun and shot her several times just before 6 p.m.  Bunk said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the shooting took place during or just after the counseling session, but the suspected shooter called 911 afterward and waited for police and medics to arrive.  “We’re unsure how many witnesses we have,” Bunk said. “Right now, (we don’t know) how many were in the room or even in the area. We’re identifying and interviewing all those witnesses.  “The 38-year-old Lakewood woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she died. Her name has not been released.  The 42-year-old Lakewood man has been taken into custody.

Members of the congregation gathering for a scheduled soup supper, a Lenten tradition on Wednesdays, learned of the tragedy as they arrived at the church.  Many grew teary-eyed over the incident at their place of worship.  “It was really scary to drive up and not know…we knew everybody was getting ready for the soup supper,” said Sandra Cook.  Church members said a daycare inside the church was operating at the time of the shooting, sending parents on a frantic search for their little ones.  “The church is a place of hope, and to someone driven to this degree, this extreme…we just pray for everybody that was inside the building that was connected with this thing,” said Stan Stenersen.

Yet another church shooting has taken place, this time during a counseling session.  Church security isn’t just for church on Saturdays and Sundays.  Church security is needed for all events that may take place at the church or an off site event.  As violence continues to escalate in churches of all faiths, a complete and comprehensive church security plan must be implemented to train church administrators, counselors, and staff on warning signs of imminent violence and to have some kind of a response plan in place should any amount of violence unfold right in front of you or your church members, and to mitigate other church emergencies that arise.

Church security ministry teams are not just for the physical security of the church and its members.  They are an integral part of the day to day operations of any size church gathering.  Church security team ministry members are part of the parking lot crews, door greeters, children’s wing, ushers, and building maintenance personnel to name a few.  Whatever the incident, large or small, the security ministry team facilitates the mitigation of the emergency, protects the children’s wing and congregation, provides crowd control and emergency medical services (etc) until the professionals arrive.

If you have any questions about how to implement a church security team ministry, need refresher training for an existing church security team, or you want to learn more about church security training, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.  Find out the many benefits to having a church security ministry team that benefit the church, church administrators, staff, and the congregation.

Bill Proposes Allowing Weapons In Church  Garrett Bergquist (2010-02-22)

COLUMBIA, MO (KBIA) – A bill has been introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives that would allow concealed-carry permit holders to bring their weapons into churches. Current state law prohibits firearms inside churches.  Representative Cynthia Davis sponsored the bill. She says it addresses the problem of church shootings.

“We need a way, if people feel like they need to have like an usher protect the congregation, there’s no reason that we should say they can’t. Under the current law, until we fix it, it would prohibit security guards from being in a church. “Davis says her aim is to remove this regulatory power over churches.  Her bill, House Bill 1232, would allow individual churches to decide whether to permit concealed weapons.  But not everyone agrees. Ladd Everitt is the Director of Communications for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He says current concealed-carry background checks are too lax.  Everitt says this bill would bring mixed results.

“Do we want to continue to arm individuals and allow them to carry handguns in public, individuals who are clearly deranged, and who we should expect to do violence eventually, and then also arm their potential victims, and hope that at the end of the shootouts that occur, if the victim has a chance to fire back, that the quote-unquote good guy is left standing. “Everitt says it would be better for each state to perform more rigorous background checks on concealed-carry applicants.

The bill has yet to be assigned to a committee. No hearings are scheduled at this point. © Copyright 2010, KBIA

Apparently if you listen to Mr. Everitt he is implying self defense is not allowed in places of worship.  And if you are armed then you are “clearly deranged”.  You have to be kidding me right?  Reference his quote from above the answer is YES!  Of course we want the quote un-quote good guy left standing.  That is the point of self defense.  How can anyone act so cowardly as to want anything else but the good guy left standing.  Maybe he likes being a sheep and hoping the wolf will pass him by, but I for one will not let that happen.  Self defense is a right and it doesn’t matter whether your in church or not, period!  Churches need to protect their people and there is nothing wrong with good, hardworking, decent people arming themselves incase violence visits them at church or any other place for that matter.  I guess you can wait the standard 5-10 minute response time for the overworked Law Enforcement community to respond.  How long does it take a dirtbag to shoot and kill people anyway Mr. Everitt?  Let me tell you the answer-Less time than it takes the Police to get there.  If you want to be a sheepdog and not a lap dog, then get some training and protect yourself and those around you, including Mr. Everitt.

If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, your church, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.

“Why is it important to train and prepare for a situation we pray will never happen?  Having a firearm for personal protection is the right of every American and what we do with that right is up to the individual.  Some of us, depending on which state we live, chose to carry our firearm on our person or we chose to have a firearm in our residence to protect our families.  In either case, having a firearm gives us the ability to change the course of events in a situation in which we feel our life or the life of another is threatened.  The split second decision to protect your life or the life of another can come with lifelong consequences.  How do you train?  Shooting skills are tangible and will deteriorate with lack of practice and repetition.  We have a responsibility to our families and/or other people around us to maintain a very high level of training. Imagine saving the life of a family member or fellow American, because you have prepared and trained your body and mind for the worst possible scenario.  Now imagine reacting to a situation you have never thought of, or trained for…. Now you are on trial for murder, or in a civil court battle trying not to lose everything you have worked for in your life.  There are only three outcomes of a deadly force situation. 

1. You respond by engaging your training and using the tools and skills you have built for a positive outcome. 

2. You do nothing and live with whatever the result of someone else’s actions.

3. You respond without thought, never having trained or prepared your mind for such an event.”

What kind of gun owner are you?  Watch the video below and you will see what a responsible gun owner with proper mindset is like.  Refuse to be a victim!

Those of us at Gideon Protective Services could not be happier having someone of this caliber in our ranks.  The training program Gideon Protective Services and Mindsight Training are going to unveil will focus on Church Security and it will be released in the near future.   You can count on “top shelf” hand to hand, knife, firearms, and mental awareness training program that can be applied to everyone and can be include in all aspects of your daily lives. 

If you have any questions about Bodyguards, Executive Protection, Dignitary Protection, Security Consulting, Armored Vehicle, Safe Rooms, or Firearms Training for you, your superiors, your company, or someone you know, feel free to call or email Gideon Protective Services for a free, confidential consultation.  See what Gideon can do for you.  Check us out at http://www.executive-protection-services.com or our blog at http://www.executive-protection-services.net.