"Churches arm, train congregants"

CC1 · #1 08-20-2019, 05:50 PM

Any church needs to be prepared for an armed attack. Smaller churches can handle this through an informal security plan, usually the ushers. Probably the only difference is that in the past strong arms would have been enough to handle any disturbance and now at least some need to be armed with a firearm.

Larger churches need to be prepared with a formal security plan and team to execute a consistent and comprehensive watch to do the best to keep church goeers safe.

My church has a security team made up of qualified volunteers for each of our four weekend services. You can pick them out by the secret service type earpieces if you look closely. Our pastor doesn't go to the platform until the last praise and worship song and if you look closely you can see a security guy following him across the back of the congregation and up the side aisle at a discreet distance. That security guy then sits clsoe to the front the rest of service.

Our security team is trained to defuse situations rather than escalate them so they are very professional and calm. They don't provoke or act in any rude way. However they can respond with physical force if required.

I know we also have a uniformed and armed deputy at services some or all of the time. I don't know if he is a member, volunters, or is hired.

It is a sad testament that any of this is necessary but I think the Lord expects us to use common sense to protect churchgoers in this crazy age we live in. All of our security is very discrete so as not to draw attention away from church itself.

(I will now count to ten and wait for EB or some other fine christian poster make some smart alek remark about my post and remind me why I rarely post here anymore)

n david · #2 08-20-2019, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CC1

Any church needs to be prepared for an armed attack. Smaller churches can handle this through an informal security plan, usually the ushers. Probably the only difference is that in the past strong arms would have been enough to handle any disturbance and now at least some need to be armed with a firearm.

Larger churches need to be prepared with a formal security plan and team to execute a consistent and comprehensive watch to do the best to keep church goeers safe.

My church has a security team made up of qualified volunteers for each of our four weekend services. You can pick them out by the secret service type earpieces if you look closely. Our pastor doesn't go to the platform until the last praise and worship song and if you look closely you can see a security guy following him across the back of the congregation and up the side aisle at a discreet distance. That security guy then sits clsoe to the front the rest of service.

Our security team is trained to defuse situations rather than escalate them so they are very professional and calm. They don't provoke or act in any rude way. However they can respond with physical force if required.

I know we also have a uniformed and armed deputy at services some or all of the time. I don't know if he is a member, volunters, or is hired.

It is a sad testament that any of this is necessary but I think the Lord expects us to use common sense to protect churchgoers in this crazy age we live in. All of our security is very discrete so as not to draw attention away from church itself.

(I will now count to ten and wait for EB or some other fine christian poster make some smart alek remark about my post and remind me why I rarely post here anymore)

It is sad that this is becoming more commonplace in our places of worship.

The church I attend is small, anywhere from 80 - 110 on Sundays. The men's leader, who's also an usher, always carries. Now and then I've seen one other congregant carrying, but I don't know of anyone else. I don't know that this church has any kind of emergency plan or anything.

One church I attended previously was a bit larger - approx 150 - 200. There was an "Amour Bearer" who was always near the Pastor while he was at the church. He had a shoulder holster. That church's Pastor had single men who would sit in the aisle seats in various areas. They were placed so as to try and stop anyone from, I guess, charging the platform or if someone came into the auditorium with a weapon, to try and quickly engage them and attempt to stop any kind of attack.