I’m a member of our “extended greeters” team. We always have one guy in the lobby and 3-4 more in the service. We all have radios with ear pieces. We only have one way onto the church property and the driveway is about 250yds long. From the main lobby you can see someone before they turn off the road and onto the property. We can also see about 1/2 the parking lot as well. We are pretty well set up from a tactical standpoint from anyone being able to drive up and get the drop on us. The other issue would be someone already in service who starts shooting. That’s why we have 3-4 guys in service every Sunday as well. Our kids building stays locked during service and is only a few yards from the main lobby where we stand watch. There are 2 radios we keep on stands in that building also. We’re probably more likely to have to deal with a parent who is dealing with custody issues trying to show up and get their kids when they aren’t supposed to than an active shooter situation. We have discussed and planned for both however. We have also met a few times to discuss logistics and who is responsible for going where / doing what in an emergency. We’ve also used simunition guns to train in the church buildings after hours. Airsoft can be just as effective for much cheaper though.
I would guess that on any given Sunday there are more than a dozen armed men in a service. There are only a small handful of us that are in the role as extended greeters though. Usually I just stand there and open the door for the stragglers who can never make it to service on time. Most would never think of it as a security type of position. That’s what we want.
take the time to meet, plan, and train. Anything short of that is a disservice to your congregation. Every shepherd carried a staff. It was as much for protecting the flock as it was for directing the flock. Good luck!
I would guess that on any given Sunday there are more than a dozen armed men in a service. There are only a small handful of us that are in the role as extended greeters though. Usually I just stand there and open the door for the stragglers who can never make it to service on time. Most would never think of it as a security type of position. That’s what we want.
take the time to meet, plan, and train. Anything short of that is a disservice to your congregation. Every shepherd carried a staff. It was as much for protecting the flock as it was for directing the flock. Good luck!