What do we tell our congregation about security plans?

[@davidbryant5657]

Need to know. Enough so that the security team works properly

[@user-kt8yd6we4e]

I think a priority for the congregation is this. One, they need to know any planned escape routes or signals. Two, they need to be aware of information received about a threat so they may be alert. Some plans about your operation are probably best left to the team(s).

[@alabamaspinnymomma6738]

Also, those that conceal carry ideally should know the general plan enough to not get in the way of the security team, and to ideally know that they should only intervene when the situation happens near enough to them that they have a clear shot.

[@eliloriburkholder6536]

Remember, the body can't go where the mind has not gone. I teach active intruder response to a lot of venues, primarily in the education, medical, and LE fields. I often field the question with a concern that we may be teaching an intruder our protocol. My response is I'd rather teach everyone else how to respond and take a small risk that we are teaching the bad guy than teach no one and no one know how to respond in an event.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Great perspective, thank you for sharing with us!

[@alabamaspinnymomma6738]

I don’t think everyone needs all the details, but a general plan of what to do initially would be helpful. As well as some coordinating with and knowledge of who carries in the church, and to let the security team lead and not to shoot unless you happen to be in the right location to have a clear shot without endangering others.

[@troystyke7047]

Another thing the think about is if the church is live-streamed, coming up with a way to shut it off if there is an event.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Hey Troy, that is something to think about. Our cameras are focused on the stage and speaker, so there would not be much seen unless it happens on the stage. Thanks for sharing!

[@user-wz3hi6dd6i]

I'm on the safety and security team at Southcliff Baptist Church in Fort Worth Texas. When we formed over 10 years ago, during training, we were asked not to share that we even existed. After the West Freeway Chuch of Christ shooting that you referenced in 12/2019, we came out of the closet, were issued distinctive lanyards and group name tags, and our director held a meeting for the congregation during both services. That seemed to make our folks more comfortable, that we were being proactive in protecting them. We've never done an invitation for team members; instead existing members recommend folks we feel would be competent.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Wow Bill ! That is great information for the rest of us to read and think about. Love the lanyards idea and I like your method of recruiting! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@MackyGuyver]

Church security needs to be hi-vis, especially in the parking lot. The visible presents of security is the first and most effective first line of defense. Church leadership needs to dismiss the thought of offending or frightening their congregation by making Church security known. I agree and you don't have to necessarily have to disclose any active threat plans from the pulpit, but be transparent on the fact you have a security plan in place. Ask your local Police/Sheriff’s Office to stop by or roll the parking lot during services too 👍🏼

[@samamsterdam4301]

My Church has an Associate Pastor that's highly trained in martial arts. He's always right next to our Senior Pastor in plain clothes. I poke fun at him and tell him, "Your ministry is to make sure The Senior Pastor doesn't get his butt kicked!" We have an awesome security team but they are pretty mysterious in their operations. The Associate Pastor that knows Martial Arts is awesome at being able to completely dominate someone and tie them up in knots completely without hurting them. It's amazing. The only injury the person would have would be to their ego. :)

[@dragonrider7080]

Good subject. I agree with you that we shouldn't be telling the congregation about our plans and activities. We should however, be communicating with the leaders. I wrote the church Emergency Action Plan for my previous church and shared it with the leadership, but we did not share it with the congregation. I also shared it with the ushers and greeters because they all had a part to play in an emergency, especially an evacuation. The leaders are the ones that really need to know because then they can pass the info down to their teams so they all know who's doing what and when, etc.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Hey Dragon....Great info, that sounds perfect to me who you were sharing with. All those involved need to know and the others really shouldn't know to much. Thanks for being part of this community and sharing more!

[@Gearedfilm57]

Thanks for giving an in depth video on this

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

You bet Geared....thanks for your participation in this community!

[@greghennecke4789]

Definitely a sensitive topic. We take a low profile/anonymity approach with respect to who is on the team and carrying. Glad to say we've been doing fire/evacuation drills twice a year for 5 yrs now. After some nationally publicized incidents at churches, we get several "thank you" comments from many in our congregation now after we conduct these drills. We have had questions, especially from visitors, if we had a safety team or not and we acknowledge that we do but nothing more is shared. We are also fortunate to have a medical division as well with some Nurses, a couple of Medics, & an EMT. I'm very blessed to have 2 of our elders on the safety team so we have 100% buy-in from leadership.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Awesome Greg, that is some good info for others here in this community. Thank you for sharing!

[@jimhovater8755]

We don't identify our team members to our congregation.

[@buddysampley8326]

We tell only when ask. "There are several qualified team members in separate roles keeping everyone safe. You are well protected. If there is a need, contact Guest Services."

[@keithcross7554]

We formed our team officially after the West Freeway church of Christ incident and we now provide security to any activity held on church property. The congregation knows we exist but we don't share our plans, etc with them.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Awesome Keith....I am glad to hear you have an active team for your people and your church!! Thanks for sharing.

[@user-bl4hb1bq9t]

The first rule of fight club, don't talk about fight club!

[@robertschultz6922]

I'm in a very small church, maybe 30 people attend the service every week. Everyone knows that I am in charge of security, and my problem is they are always watching me. If I go outside for any reason they are wanting to know why. The members of my team are not well trained, as it's difficult to get people to come to training with their schedule. I know each one will do what they need to, they are highly intelligent but what more can I do

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Hey Robert, you face the same challenges many of us face with our teams! May recommend some videos for them to watch that you find on the Internet? We have a few good training videos and there are others out there who have some material that would be applicable and they can watch from home. I created training rosters and I have them sign a training roster that they watched even videos that I assign to them to watch from home. Thanks for sharing Robert!

[@grummelbaergrummelbaer8368]

Robert, I feel your pain! I have a team too small for the size of our congregation, but I have also insisted on a minimum training standard before they are “full” members of the team. That has worked as an incentive.

[@chrisselectricaladventures2244]

We have started a church security team where i attend. I would love to pick your brain on a pho e call

[@user-ec7dz2zz3c]

No, I feel/think that the less people know about what we (security/safety) discuss and what we have in place to react to a situation the better we are. Obviously, our Pastor is in the know. Our congregation (average attendance on Sunday morning 250-275) pretty much know who are associated with our team. I myself as being a member on our Church safety/security team, I have had numerous individuals come up to me and thank me for what I do. We as a security/safety team do not broadcast who we are, People just know. So, again, I agree with you that the congregation doesn't need to know what we discuss or have in place. Also, I find your tutorials very helpful and informative.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Hey Tony, thanks for watching and sharing this info it is good for others to hear what you are doing. Thank you so much for the feedback!

[@buddysampley8326]

Completely agree with you!

[@solideomusical]

Also not a fan of publicizing security detail. That information in the wrong hands could be used to breach security. Imagine a police department or private security company doing that! Part of the strength is in the stealth IMO and some places may even want to inflate the public perception of the team's size and scope. If anything I would favor a 'members only' letter explaining that there is security (visible and hidden, uniformed and plain-clothed, human and electronic) and assure them that they and their vehicles are actively being protected whether they see it or not. I don't like the handout or announcement except for perhaps the most general of protocols like natural disasters.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Great share Soli! I like the members only letter idea! And yes I agree the handout would be for emergencies, evacuations, etc. Thanks for being part of this community Soli !

[@charlesboone9547]

This is good

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Thanks Charles for watching and sharing your thoughts!! We are glad you are here.

[@ronniegrumbles-ok3jw]

Looking for your email but could not find one. I have a question. The board would like me to address the congregation concerning how we would like them to react if we have a active shooter situation at the church. How we would want those that carry to react and how we would like the general congregation to react so that they don’t impede the safety teams reaction to the active shooter. Would love to see you do a training on this or maybe you could get back with me with your comments. Thank you for all the information you provide.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Hello Ronnie, thanks for the note and question. We did discuss this a little bit in a video a few weeks ago, here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYXPn2eYjLOqo7s My opinion on this is that if your leadership wants it done then get up there and tell people how you want them to react or make it less distracting by making a handout and offer to talk to people at a meeting or BBQ.... If you look at that previous video, I think you could be opening up a "can of worms". People are very touchy about being told stuff when it comes to carrying concealed and how you want them to react. Especially read the comments on that video. Plus here are the other reasons NOT to make a big deal out of this. These people do not train, which means they will be very slow to react. Watch the West Freeway church shooting, Dec. 2019. People freeze, even concealed carry people don''t start reacting until its over. Next is, this active shooter event is not likely to ever happen at your church. If you look at the statistics 380,000 registered churches in US and we have few active violence events at churches each year. We have to have a security team that is ready and trained to handle the violence should it happen, but it is still not likely at your church. So my humble opinion is your are just opening something up that is going to ruffle peoples feathers, cause drama for yourself in the blow back, etc. and maybe even cause people to leave. If you are told to do it then, I would try to invite the concealed carry folks to a meeting, training or BBQ and then talk or train them there on how to handle an active shooter in conjunction with the team, but don't tell them what to do or not to do when violence breaks out, especially from the pulpit or stage.

[@seanschumacher97]

Heck yeah

[@dpr2011]

Teach the Church to throw the bible at the culprit. everyone stands up and sling the Good Book at the devil . Getting Wacked with Bibles coming every which way. Might change their mind? But do it with love and prayer.

[@jackcapone9486]

I am the head of security at a small church with an attendance of 30 to 45 people each week. The pastor and our 8 board members know everything but we do not tell anyone else anything and that is the way I like it and I want it that way. If anybody does ask, I simply tell them that we have security and that we never discuss it with anyone, period. That means no membership meetings, no handouts and no announcements.

[@ChurchSecurityAnswers]

Hey Jack, thanks for watching and sharing. Great info for our community here.