The term Best Practices is best
defined as ‘collected wisdom’ or, “I’ve stubbed my toes and stumbled
long enough to have learned a few things and want to spare you some of the
painful learning process.”
I’ve
been involved in military and private security contracting for almost 12 years including training
security teams in other countries. I’ve
been through large and small crises. I
don’t claim to have all of the answers, but I’ve learned a few things I would
like to share with you. I hope some of
this will be helpful to those just starting out, and those who have been at
this unique ministry for a while.
Here we go:
1) You can’t do everything, so don’t.
Weigh and prioritize everything. Most new security directors experience an
initial season of ‘hyper-awareness’ that can grind you to a halt before you even
get started. You see issues and
vulnerabilities everywhere. There seems
to be opposition to change in general and security is looked at with suspicion.
How can I do all that needs to be done? The answer is…you can’t do everything. You can’t address all of the vulnerabilities
and needs. I try and keep a list and take
the top 3 issues from that list and fight through those, then reset and repeat.
This is a marathon, not a sprint.
There are vulnerabilities, needs and
situations that will have to be placed on a ‘back-burner’ until the time is
right to address them. I don’t mean for
this to sound flippant, but unless you can identify which security issues you
cannot currently change, it will eat you up. Always move forward but be able to reach back
and work on something that has been on the shelf for a long time.
2) Be proactive in developing connections.
Walk around and meet with people, find out
what they are doing and what they need. This
has been called “management (leadership) by walking around.” You will never increase the effectiveness of
the security/safety ministry by issuing email edicts and directives or by being
invisible to the church staff and congregation. The greatest strength in your ministry is
people. The greatest weakness in your ministry is
people. You will never know which is
which unless you put effort into connecting with all the ministry teams in your
church and by being accessible overall.
Once you have earned people’s respect and
trust, they will begin to see you in a different light. You will be seen as
help and an asset to the church, rather than as a hindrance and burden. You have to overcome stereotypes and the only
way that can be accomplished is through relationships. Purchase good shoes and start walking around!
3) Invest in your volunteers and staff.
Give them freedom and responsibility
commensurate with their talents and gifts. Hold them accountable, but let them lead. People directly involved in the
security/safety ministry are your greatest asset and your greatest investment. The effort you invest in your people is directly
proportional to what you can expect from them.
Your primary, God-given role is to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, not to do it for them. Letting go and trusting someone else with the
great responsibility of protecting God’s people is a difficult, but necessary
step in growing and enhancing the effectiveness of the church security/safety
ministry.
4) Use email and social media to keep staff
and congregants informed.
Create relevant, concise security texts or
emails that are insightful, informative and humorous. We live in a technology-driven, connected
world. That’s a fact you must understand and leverage in your quest to protect
God’s House. Communication is an essential ingredient to security and safety
and you need to know how to use these tools to reach your ministry team and the
church staff in general.
Email and social media provide easy access to
get people’s attention. If you can create relevant, understandable and ‘catchy’
communications and reminders, you will be much more effective in preaching your
security/safety message. You will also create a lasting impression and people
will learn more about what it means to be safe and watchful.
5) Save yourself heartaches.
Learn the vision that the church leadership
has with regards to going forward with an intentional security and safety
program. Few of us will ever be given a
‘blank check’ and told to do or buy whatever we need to keep our church safe.
We work for someone else and are accountable to someone else.
That ‘someone else’ may not share your understanding or vision for a
church security/safety ministry.
It’s very important that you take the steps
needed to gain (and impart) an understanding of where implementing a church
security/safety ministry is going to take the church, and what it will take to
get there. If you are seeking to work in
the church security/safety venue, learning, up front, what the church wants and
needs could save you heartache later when you learn that you cannot or will not
be able to support the churches vision for their own security/safety ministry.
6) Choose and fight your battles with
leadership carefully.
You can’t win them all, so pick a security top
3 and press hard on them. Afterwards, pick the next top 3 and repeat. (See best practice number #1.) Remember, if
everything is important, nothing is. Have a personal list of priorities AND a
priority list that is presented to the church leadership.
Slapping a long, complicated list of
security/safety priorities down on the boss’s desk is a sure way to lose
approval, resourcing and the overall attention of decision-makers. Concise,
understandable and doable needs are much more likely to be addressed and
approved.
7) Be patient
Acceptance of change comes very slowly in
church culture. Convenience is a driving
force in US culture and in our church culture. Do not underestimate the effect that change
has on people’s perception of a threat to “…not do things the way we use to
around here.”
The implementation of a church security/safety
ministry and security/safety plans are perceived as driving change and
thwarting convenience. Only patient, long-term effort will bring
about the changes necessary to create a safe and secure church environment.
8) Be Persistent
Don’t worry about being repetitive—that’s how
people learn. The frustrated parent says
to their children, “How many times do I have to tell you not to…” We all know
the answer is many, many times. The wise parent is persistent, knowing that
their persistence will pay off in the end.
As an agent of change in the church,
you must realize and embrace persistence as a key factor in shaping our place
of worship and fellowship into a safe church. Remember, we are teaching and equipping the
saints to do the work of ministry. It
takes time.
9) Learn from your mistakes.
Own up to your mistakes and make any necessary
changes—always remain flexible. Few of us get everything completely right the
first time. Some of us are still trying to figure things out! Circumstances
occur that are beyond your control and yet somehow you are still responsible
for the outcome. Unforeseen circumstances in the security world can have
drastic repercussions.
Any truly viable and successful
security/safety effort in the church is going to have to be a living and
changing entity. Admit mistakes, stop doing what doesn’t work and make
adjustments as you move forward. Allow yourself to be transparent and
accountable to those above you.
10) Use the tools at hand to create a safer environment.
Don’t wait for the people, tools and funds to
be ‘just right.’ Start now. Assess the
resources around you and get busy protecting God’s people. Remember Gideon, who accomplished so much with
so little. This is not a typical job;
it’s a calling and a ministry and operates under different rules. Start now.
11) Develop networks with local law
enforcement, private security, and fire departments.
It’s up to you to be clever and leverage
whatever resources are available in order to protect your church. Local police
and fire appreciate watchful and involved members of the community. Your church
is an important part of the community. Invite local police, private security, and
fire personnel to come to your church and visit, do a walk-thru and offer them
the opportunity to train at your church. After all, they may be called to respond to an
emergency at your church and “familiar territory” is easier to navigate than
the unknown.
The police should know that you have a
security/safety ministry and know who the people are, as well as what they are
trained to do. This will help eliminate
unfortunate ‘blue-on-blue’ incidents that can occur during emergencies. Relationships and friendships with fire,
private security, and police personnel are also a way of the church giving back
to those who work hard to keep us safe every day.
12) Establish training standards for security
personnel that equip and protect security staff and volunteers.
Make the standards realistic and maintainable. You want to make sure they read and
understand your policies and procedures.
Take care of those people that God has entrusted to your care! One of the ways to do this is to make sure
that they are trained and equipped to do what you are asking them to do.
Finally, Security is a collective
responsibility. Show people the benefit of viewing the world through
a sheepdog’s eyes. The average person
may not understand why we think the way we do. Our own families may not even understand our
vigilance. Wouldn’t your job be easier
if the rest of the church staff and congregation were as watchful and
protective as you are? The answer is
yes! Worshipers MUST be security
conscious; try to know their members, recognize strange faces and report
suspicious behavior to members of the security team.
Make it one of your goals to multiply the
effectiveness of the security/safety ministry by creating an entire church full
of “watchmen on the walls.” (See Isaiah 62:6)
Be safe!
Russ Sharrock
I have developed and made available to anyone interested, for FREE, a series of Security & safety forms that can
be printed for your use:
1) A Safety & Security Risk Assessment Form
2) Church Security Plan Template
3) Church Emergency Plan Template
4) A General Fire Safety Checklist
5) A Bomb Threat Checklist
6) A Bomb Threat Distance Chart: Includes various types of
explosive devises and to be referred to in an event of a bomb threat
evacuation. These are minimum distances to evacuate away from the area of
explosion.
7) Facility Lockdown Checklist
These MS Word documents can be adapted as necessary to fit your
church size and needs. I will be adding new forms as time allows.
For a FREE copy of any or all of
these forms, or if you have any questions, you can contact me at:
Integrity
Security Consulting
Russ
Sharrock
405-762-2471
| integrityseccon@hotmail.com
I will not be posting throughout the entire holiday time. There will be one post on Christmas day and
one post on New Year’s Day. I will
resume posting full-time again after January 5th.
God bless you! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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