The recent attack on our nation’s capital was a shocking turn of events and it appeared the Capitol Police were not prepared. Our StreamingChurch.tv team has seen churches not take necessary steps to make sure volunteers and visitors are prepared for trouble.
Ponder the several questions below on the subject:
- How likely is it that a child in your nursery might be in the middle of a domestic dispute?
- Is it possible someone controlled by drugs or alcohol would see your church as a place to express their anger?
- Do you know what would happen if a member of your church had a medical emergency in the middle of a worship service?
- What would you do if a weather-related emergency required congregants to evacuate?
Most church leaders know they need to prepare for emergencies, but they keep putting it off. Here are some reasons every church needs a well-trained Safety and Security Team:
A congregational gathering is a vulnerable place.
We’ve seen evidence of that truth within the past few years. The nature of our work is to open our church doors to anyone. While this is a testament of our love for all God’s children, it also provides an easy way to get into an unprotected church building filled with an unprepared congregation. A Safety and Security team will put plans in place for all types of emergencies. A church ought to be as prepared as possible for everything from an injured church member to a heart attack victim to a weather threat to an armed intruder.
Our churches often have qualified people who can serve in these roles.
Often, police officers, firefighters, physicians, nurses, and EMT’s are sitting in our congregation. Putting them to work gives them purpose in the church and improves the church’s safety. These teams increase security in our preschool and children’s areas. Laypersons do a great job here, but trained personnel don’t hurt, either. We cannot go too far to protect the next generation.
Church parking lots are especially vulnerable to theft.
Left unwatched and unprotected, an empty car during a worship service is an invitation to theft—especially if expensive items are left on the seat.
A Safety and Security Team will ease the pastor’s mind.
Pastors deal with a lot of stress on Sundays. Knowing this team is in place helps ease at least one burden for church leaders. Should something tragic happen, a well prepared Safety and Security Team can guide through the chaos. Nothing is guaranteed if a tragedy happens, but this team should help the church respond immediately and wisely.
Several years ago we interviewed Vaughan Baker from Strategos International about church security. We plan to interview one of his team members soon on a future Church Solutions Podcast. You can listen here to the podcast we did in 2017, the information is still relevant. As always if we can help your church, please reach out to us at StreamingChurch.tv by email ([email protected]) or the live chat on our website.