We want to make it easier for you to find the right content-the articles, podcast episodes and resources most relevant to where you are in your leadership. For most people, the church has always been a symbol of peace; a safe place for people to gather and worship. That has drastically changed over the last few years. Hearing the stories of violence that destroy the lives of innocent people is heartbreaking.
These stories sometimes come up when I work with different pastors, and security becomes a part of the conversation. Questions like these are usually asked:. My brother served in the Air Force for four years, followed by several years in the Secret Service under President Bush. He went through extensive training on how to deal with terroristic violence.
I asked him to come to our church a few years ago and speak about the importance of church security. These targets have no prevention plan or expectation of such attacks. Unfortunately, there are churches of all sizes, denominations, and locations that would qualify as a soft target.
I should note that not all terrorists look like what you might expect a terrorist to look like. We spoke with one of our strategic partners, Steven Goodspeed at The Church Lawyers , in writing this article.
It is helpful for your church staff to receive some training and have a heightened sensitivity to families under unusual stress. This is a good idea for common sense and spiritual reasons in addition to security reasons. These areas typically have low crime and the thought of a terrorist attack seems outrageous. Recent history has proven that small towns are not exempt from terrorist attacks. In addition to acts of violence, there are other scenarios churches often have to deal with.
