As safety team members in the church, we may have to be mediators when the developing disruption involves two or more persons. The goal is not just calming things down, but working things out. Our immediate goal is to protect people in the church by preventing disruption, avoiding violence.

“A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official.” With modern law enforcement agencies, citizen’s arrest is no longer the norm, but the exception. It should not be taken lightly. It may be necessary in protecting yourself and others, but it has its own hazards.

Developing the ability to choose the right level on the Continuum of Force to use in any security situation in the church is critical to effectively defending the church without incurring legal liability and costly insurance claims.

Self-defense measures ruled as illegal could mean criminal charges for assault, manslaughter or murder. They could also lead to lawsuits against the church and individuals for violation of civil rights, injuries, or wrongful death. Wise measures of self-defense mean choosing the proper level of force to use.

God not only defends his people, but expects them to act in their own defense. They are to wisely plan their defense and put it into action, while still trusting God for its effectiveness. Current conditions in society justify having at least a few Safety Team members who are armed. But with the firepower comes responsibility. This means preparation, practice, and prudence.

No place with people is immune from violence – at least not in this present world. With the possibility of violence against children in the church, it is the responsibility of the Church Safety Ministry to do what we can to protect our children from violence. Don’t wait until it is too late.

Being a church does not make the congregation or the building immune from kidnapping. On the contrary, it may make it a target. Since the church itself is a target location for kidnappers, how can we harden our church against kidnapping?

It is natural for us to think of how to protect our children from kidnapping, shooters, and sexual abuse, but we need to give thought to how to protect them from disasters. Waiting until the storm descends, the ground shakes, or the smoke and flames rise may be too late. To protect children from disaster, we must prepare for disaster.

A special podcast answering your questions about use of force in your church safety and security ministry.

A “Grinch” could be anyone coming in to cause a disruption or some other kind of disturbance. This applies not only to deadly force attacks, but other violations of the sanctity of a place of worship, such as child abduction, domestic violence, sexual molestation, and theft. We may be tempted to say, “Ain’t no Grinches come in here,” but we must be on the lookout for them anyway.