“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on
the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not
as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the
heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
I've written about Risk Assessment in the past but this time I would like to look at the topic on a deeper level. Risk Assessment is evaluating persons and situations, and determining
the credibility and seriousness of a potential threat, as well as the
probability that the threat could cause disruptions, including violence. This is both preventative and
preparatory. Proverbs 27:23 says that we are to "Be sure you know the
condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds…"
When a person is determined to be at risk for disruptive behavior,
there may be an opportunity to help that person through intervention. More than protecting the church, this becomes
a ministry to the people involved. If a
situation within the congregation is likely to develop into violent disruption,
it may be possible to take steps to correct it before it's too late. This is
also an opportunity for ministry.
Risk Assessment also considers people outside the church's immediate
circle if they are potential threats to the security and safety of the flock. Church members may know of someone outside who
is considering the church as a target for some kind of crime, whether simple
vandalism, arson, or threats against the congregation itself, and they may tell
church leadership about it. People in
the community may report potential threats, and notification can also come from
law enforcement.
Whatever the source, a possible threat should be taken seriously
enough for the Risk Assessment Team to discuss it. They should consider how serious the threat
is, and at what level. Since the
person(s) or the situation is outside the church, our intervention is almost
always not an option. Therefore the Team
has to decide on what the best way is to protect the church. This includes
means of identifying the persons constituting the threat so that Security Team
members and others can be on the lookout for them. Law enforcement may be asked to assist if the
threat is of a serious crime (especially if deadly force or arson).
This brings us to the definition of a Risk Assessment team. Except for military and law enforcement
agencies, threat assessment teams have not been regular features until
recently. In a way they are similar to
weather forecasting staff at the National Weather Service, but the data
considered are not ocean temperatures and jet streams. More specifically, a threat assessment team is
a group of people that organize to identify, evaluate, and address threats or
potential threats to security. Now, many
schools and businesses have their own risk assessment teams. This is mostly
because of the rise in mass killings and workplace/school violence
Establishing such a team requires careful planning and a methodical
approach. The members of a threat
assessment team in a church would include pastoral and lay staff, and some ministry
leaders, as well as the Church Safety & Security Director. If the church has a Christian school it might
include teachers and school health personnel.
Assessing risks requires an understanding of the church community,
ability to identify vulnerabilities, knowledge of current threats, and
creativity to predict new threats. If
certain professionals are in the congregation, for example, a social worker, a psychologist,
or a law enforcement officer, one or more of them may be included. A small church might not have a formal threat
assessment team, but a few congregational leaders can act as one. All threat assessment discussions are
confidential.
Persons not on the assessment team should be told only what they
need to know to protect the church. Even
then, this should be confidential. We do
not want to foster gossip, and we do not want to give the bad guys any
leverage. Although the team may meet
regularly, they can share information with each other apart from a meeting. Special meetings may be called to address
urgent situations. The intention of the
team is not to wait until there is a disaster to consider warning signs.
Persons may exhibit several things characterizing them as potential risks for disruptive behavior. The
Canadian Center of Occupational Health and Safety [1] identified
certain behavior patterns to be discussed by a Risk Assessment Team:
1) History of violence
2) Threatening behavior
3) Intimidating behavior
4) Increase in personal stress
5) Negative personality traits
6) Changes in mood or behavior
There are several points under each of these patterns to consider. The Canadian document is geared toward
preventing workplace violence, but several of the items apply to preventing
violent disruptions in churches. Here is
a sample of questions related to these patterns:
History of Violence
We need personal knowledge of a subject's history of violence to
answer these questions. Here are three
questions that can help:
1) Does the person have a fascination with incidents of violence?
2) Has the person committed violent acts before?
3) Evidence of earlier violent behavior.
Threatening Behavior
One thing a church can do is let members know they can
confidentially inform leaders of threats made to them. If that kind of threat is brought in,
encourage them to go to the police or let the church do it. Actual threats should be taken very seriously.
Here are three questions to consider:
1) Does the person hold a grudge against the church or someone in the
church?
2) Has the person made a threat (verbal or written) to hurt somebody?
3) Have the threats been escalating?
Intimidating Behavior
Two kinds of violent disruptions are aggressive and defensive. Intimidating behavior often indicates an
aggressive person. However, a defensive
person may try to appear intimidating to deter a perceived threat. Here are four indicators, the first two are
key:
1) Is the person
argumentative or uncooperative?
2) Does the
person displays unwarranted anger?
3) Is the person impulsive
or easily frustrated?
4) Does the person
challenges peers and authority figures?
Increase in Personal Stress
Many disruptors face increasing personal stress. The three
questions here are:
1) Is there a romantic obsession that is not reciprocated?
2) Are there serious family
or financial problems?
3) Has there been a recent job
loss or personal loss?
Negative Personality Traits
There are other stressors besides these.
Here is a deep-rooted point. Some of these negative traits may be just bad
habits. On the other hand, some of these
indicate or suggest personality disorders. It takes informed discretion to tell the
difference. Seven questions are:
1) Is the person
suspicious of others?
2) Does the
person believes he or she is entitled to something?
3) Cannot the
person take criticism?
4) Does the
person feels victimized?
5) Does the
person show a lack of concern for the safety or well-being of others?
6) Does this
person blame others for his problems or mistakes?
7) Does this
person express low self-esteem?
Responsible intervention may help someone with negative personality
traits. If the person at risk is
cooperative, they may overcome some of these shortcomings with counseling,
mentoring, and discipleship.
On the other hand, a sociopath or psychopath may appear to go along
for a while just to get through the process, then turn around and retaliate or
seek a more unsuspecting target. This is
one reason we should be willing to share this kind of information with another
church which is checking references.
Changes in Mood or Behavior
When a person's mood or behavior changes, it makes people wonder,
"Why? What happened?" Some
changes should make those responsible for safety and security think something
is going on. Just a few of these
questions are:
1) Has the person demonstrated extreme or bizarre behaviors?
2) Does the person have any irrational beliefs or ideas?
3) Does the person appear depressed?
4) Has the person drastically changed his or her belief system?
5) Does the person have a history of negative interpersonal
relationships?
6) Does the person see the church as a dysfunctional family?
7) Is the person struggling with controlled substances or alcohol?
8) Is the person suffering from serious family or financial problems?
As with the other points, consideration by a threat assessment team
may be a blessing for the person(s) concerned if it gets them needed help.
Assessing possible threats of violence against the church is a
safety & security tool churches should use. Knowing what threats we face not only enables
us to prevent violence or prepare for it; it also provides us the opportunity
for intervention. In some cases, this
could be considered verbal de-escalation before the disruptive situation.
Be safe!
[1] Canadian Center for Occupational
Health and Safety, "Violence in the workplace: Warning signs,"
October 6, 2014 [https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/violence_warning_signs.html].
Integrity Security Consulting
Russ Sharrock
405-762-2471 |
integrityseccon@hotmail.com
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
8) Child Protection Covenant
9) Church Emergency Management 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 copy of any of these FREE
forms, or if you have any questions, contact me and let me know what your needs
are.
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