Church Security Roll Call

As members of safety ministries in our churches, we must be prepared to treat injuries, whether accidental or intentional. Every member of the safety team should learn the Bleeding and Broken Bones of trauma (severe injuries) response. Ideally, this should be taught not only safety ministry personnel, but as many church members as possible.

As members of a church safety ministry, we are not only called on to be watchful, but to respond to needs. The need may be a visitor wanting directions, or an older person needing help getting in the door. It could be a troubled person needing a calming influence. Or it could be a “Code Blue” call on our radios. Are you prepared to respond?

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Not all hazards and disasters are natural. Some result from human activity (or inactivity/negligence) such as spills and explosions. In our local churches there are more immediate threats to our safety and security than we may realize. These are the hazards our safety ministries must guard against, whether to prevent or prepare to respond.

History is full of accounts of damaging winds. Windstorms can be as large as cyclones (including hurricanes, nor’easters, and typhoons) hundreds of miles in diameter, or as intense as tornadoes. Churches are not immune to windstorm damage. Is your church ready to face a storm?

History is full of accounts of damaging winds. Windstorms can be as large as cyclones (including hurricanes, nor’easters, and typhoons) hundreds of miles in diameter, or as intense as tornadoes. Churches are not immune to windstorm damage. Is your church ready to face a storm?

Is your church ready to respond to a weather emergency, non-seasonal natural disaster (such as an earthquake), or human-caused or technological emergency/disaster (such as a chemical spill)? Are the church buildings weather-worthy? Are your records secure in place and/or backed up off-site? Do you have needed supplies?

For any area of service, whether in business, the public sector, or in religious communities (including churches), some training is beneficial. The same principle applies in today’s churches with all the different areas of ministry; youth ministries, men’s and women’s groups, kitchen work, grounds keeping, etc. All of these require learning and diligence, including safety & security ministries.

Police have found out that helping people of risk with verbal de-escalation protects the neighborhood at risk by reducing violence. And this begins with self control. How much more will self control benefit the church and everyone there in our use of verbal de-escalation to reverse a move toward disruption?

Verbal de-escalation is a role in which members of a Safety Team can minister to those in need. By helping them to calm down, avoiding disruption and violence, we are keeping them from actions which will harm themselves as well as others. This keeps the door open for healing and restoration.

Let’s face it – We as a church are ministering in a society with persons at risk, and some of them are in our church. Pastoral staff, greeters, ushers, and safety team members see the people coming into the church. As we watch, do we recognize signs that may lead to disruption?