Church security team...

[Judi]

HEY !...Look at the younger members also...16 + proper teaching and mentoring ...welllll

 

[Pstmstr]

I go to Crossings OKC and have observed the security team and where most of them are during the service. 2 weeks ago a strange acting guy with a backpack came in mid service and sat on the 3rd row. He kept rummaging through his backpack. A security team member went to sit beside him and 2 others took up positions nearby. At the end of the service 2 other members escorted Pastor Marty off the other side of the stage. It is always wise to have trained members in attendance this day and age. Who knows what the guy was up to, if anything but they handled it well. I didn’t see what happened after the service with him.

 

[Rez Exelon]

Considering that Capitalism, in the Adam Smith sense, did not exist at the time, it is more of "Don't mess with the money lending central bank."

Fair enough. It's all about money rather than anything else after all. We could even shorten to just "don't mess with the money"

 

[StLPro2A]

I've been wanting to do this for a long time and today I finally called a meeting of all the men of my church and presented them with my idea.

Here's the rub.

My church is very small. I'm talking a good Sunday service is less than 30 members. With ALL of the men present this morning, there were 9 of us, including the preacher. Of those 9, one of them (my son in law) is 27, another man is 39, I'm 51 and the other 6 are 60+. So I'm not sure the majority of them are up for the task.

Then there's the whole stigma about hurting their fellow man and/or taking another person's life. I responded with, "nothing scares me more than to kill another human being. But it would be better than watching a member of my church family get hurt or killed while I am unable to do anything."

Anyway, I actually received a good response from most of the men. A few of them didn't say anything. I assured them that Christ supported men who protect their own. Luke 22:36 supports this.

So. Anybody here a member of a church security team? Anything I can do to motivate these guys and be successful? Thanks in advance.

Have Tee from Warrior12.com...."God gave his Archangels weapons because even the Almighty knew you don't fight Evil with tolerance and understanding." Most individuals are sheep, not sheep dogs.....it's is easier to ignore ...until Evil comes No-Knock-Knocking.

We all want to go to Heaven....just not next Sunday. Show them the videos of White Settlement, TX church event stopped by prepared parishioner, and the Sutherland Springs, TX church shooting where 26 died before AR wielding neighbor stopped event. Had the AR stopper been in the church, as the White Settlement parishioner was, possibly no one would have died. Neither of those congregations really expected to experience a shooter. One church was prepared, the other not, with vastly different outcomes. Ask your men to choose which outcome they prefer for their church, loved ones. Ask how they will explain to survivors why they chose to not be prepared.

Our Church Watch Director, retired Dallas Police Captain, cautions not to use the term "security" for liability reasons. Civilian volunteers staff the CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) station watching 45+ cameras of grounds and inside building for unusual/suspicious activity/persons, and attendees needing assistance...slips, trips,fender benders. CCTV is purposely positioned in plain view as a deterrent to potential bad guy scoping out possible targets. If we appear vigilant, prepared, hardened, he might go else where. One only wins the gun fight, one avoids. Avoidance is the best defense. Church is adjacent local small airport with wide open areas all around. Never experienced any issues, but better to be prepared to address proactively than react behind the curve. Unusuals....anomalies....would be pointed out via radios to typically six uniformed police officers working second gigs on site to address. Civilians are merely extra eyes for the uniforms. Our church has 4-5000 attendees over three services. We have one plain clothes officer assigned to closely, on the low, guard the minister/speaker on stage/around facility. Evil exists ready to rain violence and mayhem on the unprepared. That's why one is at church...the everlasting conflict between good and evil. Be prepared to deal decisively with evil or merely be a victim-in-waiting awaiting your number to be called. Your church doesn't have the same resources, but neither did the two Texas churches mentioned above.

Contact your local police dept to explore them addressing your congregation/men to discuss potential need/options.

Some good references our Watch Team has used in learning to spot anomalies for further attention.....also, great for personal every day situational awareness:

"Left of Bang" by Patrick Van Horne , Jason A. Riley based on the Observation segment of Marine Combat Hunter Program
"When Violence is the Answer" - Tim Larkin ID anomalies, plus act when violence is the answer...it can be.
"The Gift of Fear" - Gavin de Becker trust your gut.....that little internal voice knows
"Spotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness To Stay Safe" by Gary Dean Quesenberry

Congrats for thinking ahead. Best wishes in motivating your members.

 

[Chuckie]

Good on you.

We have a team, and we have paid off-duty law enforcement at every service. We have a meeting scheduled in a couple of weeks, though, and I think we need to take things a little more seriously.

The church next to where I live has a paid off-duty sheriff officer that sits in his unit while parked next to the front entrance of the church building. Seems to work just fine.

 

[Chuckie]

There's always that. But only a theory.

Actually if you really look it, it's very much like investing in the stock market. A person is told to believe that there will be a great future reward if they choose to believe and invest today. The outcome though, is very much dependent on the individual themselves.

 

[Glock 'em down]

The church next to where I live has a paid off-duty sheriff officer that sits in his unit while parked next to the front entrance of the church building. Seems to work just fine.

He needs to quit being such an infidel and go inside for some churchin' up!

 

[Hirschkopf]

A few months ago, the wife and I attended a Turning Point USA private donor dinner. Charlie Kirk and two speakers/authors presenting at a local rally that week also attended. The one pertinent to not being a sheep/victim was Jonathan T Gilliam (US Navy Seal, Federal Air Marshal, security contractor, FBI Special Agent). He shared a few words and gave each of us a copy of his book Sheep No More. (subtitle The Art of Awareness and Attack Survival) I've just started reading it, but it seems to have "pearls" pertinent to church safety.

The book is presently the #1 book on Amazon on Preparedness and Emergency Survival

 

[JoeUSooner]

I go to Crossings OKC and have observed the security team and where most of them are during the service. 2 weeks ago a strange acting guy with a backpack came in mid service and sat on the 3rd row. He kept rummaging through his backpack. A security team member went to sit beside him and 2 others took up positions nearby. At the end of the service 2 other members escorted Pastor Marty off the other side of the stage. It is always wise to have trained members in attendance this day and age. Who knows what the guy was up to, if anything but they handled it well. I didn’t see what happened after the service with him.

I attend there, too, at the early morning (traditional) service in the chapel. Heard about the incident you describe, though. The security team at the 8:30am service is impressive, also.

Please send me a PM when you get a chance.

 

[teslawasframed]

My church is small. Last year the elders approved the creation of a security team. Members are approved by the elders & pastor, and the team leader has final veto power over admittance to the team or not. Hasn't had to use that yet. We're all current/retired cops or military, though that's not a requirement. We only carry concealed, and have pepper spray and other less-lethal equipment. Members have to pass the same quals the local PD does (new and old CLEET quals) and have their concealed carry permit to carry as a team member.

We shoot monthly, and have additional training in other subjects after the range session is over...medical, less-lethal, hands-on skills, legal reviews, scenario training, etc. Training responsibilities rotate monthly, so everybody has to teach and contribute. All of our shooting is from concealment, and we mix in less-lethal & no-shoots into our range time.

On Sundays, one of us arrives before any staff, does a building check, turns on the lights, etc. We have a member at each door as a greeter, and once the service starts all doors but one are locked (no entrance, exit only), and own of us sits by the unlocked entrance to deal with latecomers & watch the parking lot. He's also around the corner from the nursery. The rest of the team sits distributed around the sanctuary, with their families.

We have plans for fire, weather & medical events as well as violence, but we don't share them with the congregation. If something pops off, the team leader issues instructions, or a designated elder if the TL is busy.

All the book suggestions earlier in the thread are solid. The WPS guy (Lovell?) has a church security series on YouTube that covers all the bases.



https://offdutyonduty.com/462/episode-83-church-safety-and-security-with-steve-moses/