"Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm
me talk of my ruin; all day long they plot deception."
(Psalm 38:12)
“Strangers are attacking me; ruthless men seek my life-- men without regard for God.” (Psalm 54:3)
Due to the rise in violence against places of worship in the United
States concern for the safety of worshipers has also risen. Of course, this is not new in the history of
the world. Christians have been the target of non-believers for over two
thousand years, and against the Jews for even longer. Ten percent of all mass shootings now happen
in church or on church-owned property. It is sad when we have to
even think about “security” in what used to be considered safe, sacred places
of worship and fellowship.
Tolerance and religious liberty are relatively new concepts in society. As freedom of religion was being established in Europe and North America, persecution continued in other parts of the world. Early on the influence of Great Britain and the United States was able to moderate this, fostering a greater degree of liberty in many countries. But now Judeo-Christian spiritual and social values have declined in acceptance as our societies have secularized and atheism has increased, and now, traditional resistance to Christianity across the globe has returned to violence.
There once was a time when criminals hesitated to break into a
church, let alone violently attack it but now they have become emboldened to
target places of worship, not just for theft, but for vandalism, arson, and
massacre. The Apostle Peter told us, “…do
not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something
strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12)
Since 2007 attacks on churches has accelerated, creating a growing
church safety movement. Churches all over the country have started new
church safety ministries, and labeled them with names such as the Safety
Patrol, Security Ministry, The Watchers, etc. Not surprising, this has led to looking at
other areas of safety in the church, including concerns about medical response,
disaster preparedness, theft prevention, child protection, etc. Yet there still remains concern for security,
such as responding to violence, calming disruptive persons, and unarmed
self-defense. Associated with these is
knowing and understanding the law dealing with use of force.
What is threat awareness?
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going
and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 27:12)
To see danger is to be aware of it. This does not mean just seeing a man walking
down the street with an AR-15 slung over his shoulder. We see the news every day. There is violence against churches quite
often, and for a variety of reasons such as, religious hatred, resentment,
domestic disputes, racism, etc. Because
we are aware of the danger, we should constantly be watchful and prepared to
protect ourselves, our loved ones and our friends.
One of the ways we should begin preparing is with a Risk
Assessment. An assessment is an inspection of a person, place, asset, process,
or program to evaluate the current condition of safety, security and
preparedness for an emergency. It considers risk sources, the nature of
threats and the potential for harm.
Ask yourself these questions, what are the risks of fire, flooding,
vehicular accidents with hazardous materials on your road, severe weather? Is the church property located in a risky part
of town? There are any number of risks
the church could reasonably expect with their situation and location. I would recommend doing Risk Assessments
annually.
I don’t believe that worship and security are mutually exclusive.
In fact, creating a sense of safety (for parents with their children on
your campus) and a sense of security for all congregants can actually enhance
worship. It says to our congregation that we care about them and allows
us all to focus on why we are really there—the worship of our Savior and
declaration of His gospel.
Be Safe!
Russ Sharrock
I have made available for FREE, to anyone interested, a series of
Do-it-Yourself forms that can printed for your use:
1) A Safety & Security Risk Assessment Form.
2) Church Emergency Plan Template
3) A General Fire Safety Checklist
4) A Bomb Threat Checklist
5) A Bomb Threat Distance Chart: Covers various types of
explosive devises to be referred to in an event of a bomb threat
evacuation. These are minimum distances to evacuate away from the area of
explosion.
These MS Word documents can be changed as necessary to fit your
church size and needs. I will be adding new forms as time allows.
For a copy of any of these FREE forms, or if you have any
questions, you can contact me at:
Integrity
Security Consulting
Russ
Sharrock
405-762-2471 | integrityseccon@hotmail.com
or message me on my FB account.
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