What could possibly go wrong on a quick walk to 7-Eleven?

For a group of teenage basketball players serving internationally, an ordinary request for snacks became an unexpected lesson in awareness, leadership, and the responsibility that comes with caring for others.

In this episode of On the Path, we share a story from one of Concilium’s teammates about a coach, a group of young athletes, and a few tense seconds on an unfamiliar street. It’s a reminder that preparedness isn’t only for evacuations, emergencies, or worst-case scenarios. Often, it shows up in the small decisions we make long before a crisis ever happens.

How do we recognize risk without living in fear? How do leaders balance freedom with responsibility? And what does faithful stewardship look like when other people have been entrusted to our care?

Sometimes the most important lessons come from a simple walk down the road.

In this episode of On the Path, host Steven joins Concilium's Director of Analysis, J.D., for a global security briefing designed for churches, mission organizations, and international workers. They examine Haiti’s election-related instability, violent online extremism in the Philippines, tensions across the Middle East, complex security threats in Niger and Nigeria, and the risks surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

When crisis strikes, why do some leaders provide clarity and confidence while others become overwhelmed by the chaos? In this episode of On the Path, Concilium President Scott Brawner draws on more than two decades of international crisis management experience to explain how leaders can navigate high-stress incidents with wisdom, composure, and hope. The discussion explores how crises affect decision-making, why rumors often outpace facts, and the leadership principles that consistently make the greatest difference, including emotional regulation, honest communication, visible leadership, and separating facts from assumptions. Scott also explains why preparation, relationships, crisis planning, and prayer must be established long before an emergency occurs, reminding leaders that they do not rise to the occasion in a crisis they fall back on their preparation. Whether you lead a church, ministry, or nonprofit organization, this episode offers practical insights for strengthening resilience and faithfully stewarding the people entrusted to your care.

From January 2019 through December 2023, Concilium analyzed 143 violent incidents involving church activities and locations, nine foiled imminent attacks in which an armed person with expressed or probable violent intent entered church property during a church activity, and three foiled planned attacks. Those 155 incidents are listed in Concilium's publication, "Violence during U.S. Church Activities from 2019 to 2023", and, with a few exceptions, were originally covered in Insight Digest, Concilium’s publication for U.S. churches addressing Security in the Context of Ministry.

Concilium Online⁠

⁠Concilium Resources⁠

Music by Aaron Porr

For more information, email ⁠[email protected]⁠.

Hundreds of people participate in short term missions trips each year. Security training equips these people with practical tools and knowledge in order to more effectively serve in the locations God has called them to go.

Concilium Online⁠

Federal charges have been filed against an Arizona man accused of purposefully leaving a backpack in a California church's restroom in November 2023 to create the belief a bomb was inside.  The publicly released criminal complaint reveals that the man also left a backpack at an Arizona church and appeared to scope out two other churches in Colorado and California.  Concilium's Director of Analysis, J.D. VerHoeven, discusses what church safety teams can learn from these incidents.

Sign up for Concilium's Insight Digest

Concilium Online

Concilium Resources

Music by Aaron Porr

For more information, email [email protected].

Concilium's President and Director of Security discuss the principles of risk management and crisis response in Haiti with the recent resignation of Haiti's prime minister and gangs controlling much of the capital, Port au Prince.

Concilium Online

Concilium Resources

Music by Aaron Porr

For more information, email [email protected].