It’s always a good time to review/evaluate your church’s security practices. Is your church ready for anything? Can you protect the senior pastor and everyone else, should somebody decide to do something stupid?
Here are a few things to consider:
- Be Intentional – The first step is to raise the awareness of the staff and key volunteers. It’s important that everyone understands the threat.
- Preparation – As the story illustrates, literally anything can happen. Is your church ready? As you probably know by now, I’m highly in favor of a volunteer security team.
- Procedures – At a minimum, your church should have a procedure in place for emergency evacuation and “lockdown and search” in the event of a lost child. What is the step-by-step procedure in the event of an intruder who intends harm to a person or the church as a whole?
- Local Law Enforcement – It’s important to have a relationship with local law enforcement. They should know who you are and, in general, what’s happening at your church.
- Firearm Policy – Does your church have a firearm policy? Are off duty police officers, attending your church, encouraged to carry while on your campus? Are others authorized/encouraged to carry? Would an armed intruder be unpleasantly surprised?