Guns, guards, and church safety: Never thought it would happen here
Photograph by Competitive Insight via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Paul Bailey
When I taught public speaking at a local community college, early in the semester I often showed one of the Run-Hide-Fight training videos for two reasons. It demonstrated the use of main points and understanding your audience, but it also gave our third-floor class a chance to prepare for an active shooter scenario that was happening on way too many campuses. At the same time, I was pastoring a church. I don’t know why I didn’t show it there.
In my lifetime, church buildings have normally been perceived as safe places, as if they had a mysterious, invisible dome of divine protection. It’s one of the reasons each church shooting this century is accompanied by someone saying, “I never thought it would happen here.” But from a weeknight Bible study in Charleston, to a religious school ceremony in Minnesota, to a small country church in Texas, it is not inconceivable today that members of a religious body would now feel the need to address the possibility of such an event happening at their place of worship. How should a church, mosque, or synagogue prepare for such an event?
Criminologists James Densley and Jillian Peterson have created a database of homicides at religious gatherings from 2000 to 2024. They recorded 379 incidents and 487 deaths during that time. Seventy percent of the incidents and three-quarters of the deaths involved firearms. Since 2000, 10 mass shootings in which 4 or more are killed have occurred at houses of worship. Densley and Peterson note: “The deadliest year was 2017, when 47 people were killed at places of worship, 42 of them with firearms. Twenty-six of those people were killed in a single catastrophic shooting at First Baptist church of Sutherland Springs, Texas.”
There seems to be two extremes on how to respond.
On the one hand, there is a reasonable school of thought that says a local church does not need to respond. God will protect us. We’re just a small church. The odds of a church being shot up are very low and the costs for a small church to hire paid guards can be out of reach. If a church spends a disproportionate amount of time and resources on security, will it come at the cost of ministry? We make choices. Yes, there may be special occasions, especially when a threat has been detected, that security should be considered, but not at each event on the church calendar.
Another approach may seem equally extreme. I knew of one small church that unofficially let folks in the congregation know that if they legally owned a weapon, they were welcome to bring it with them in the pews. If everyone is packing, their primary danger would be accidents. A “peace through strength” approach often involves hiring security, armed or not, who become a visual image to entering worshippers. To those who might threaten the peace, it probably would be easier to shoot up the less guarded church down the street. While some Sunday morning visitors might find the sight of a gun unsettling, others might see the church as a safe place.
Christianity Today and Lifeway Research reported in 2023 that “…around 4 in 5 US Protestant pastors (81%) say their church has some type of security measure in place… Still, more than 1 in 6 (17%) say they don’t use any of the seven potential measures included in the study, and 2 percent aren’t sure.”
The goal needs to be to create a safe environment and still be a welcoming place for worship. Each congregation needs to choose their own way to respond, keeping in mind that our Gospel call is to “seek first the kingdom.”
Are there some options between arming the congregation and doing nothing? Here are some that I have observed.
One downtown church keeps all its doors locked, even on Sunday mornings. A volunteer greeter is at the door to let people in and welcome them. During the week, someone can ring the door, be seen on camera, and be buzzed in. Another church locks all but one door after the service has started.
Many churches have ushers at the back generally aware of strangers and strange behaviors, (wearing a heavy coat on a hot Sunday, carrying a heavy bag, someone asking questions about security, etc.) with some ushers wandering the building during the service.
Some churches already have someone watching a monitor as they stream the service online. Could that same person keep an eye on another screen connected to “ring” cameras around the building at the same time?
One community invites the police chief to participate in the service at ecumenical community events. Local police departments may also provide safety training for ushers and greeters.
It is helpful for church leadership to be aware of individuals or families with a history of family violence or at least be aware of those who have orders of protection.
Other ideas could include holding a Safety Awareness Sunday or Month, in worship or in newsletters, where the congregations review ideas like “See something, Say something” and where the exits are located, and creating a congregational safety team that reviews the policies and practices for responding to a shooter, as well as fire safety, medical emergency, and childcare protection.
The goal needs to be to create a safe environment and still be a welcoming place for worship. Each congregation needs to choose their own way to respond, keeping in mind that our Gospel call is to “seek first the kingdom.” And we need to also accept the reality that you can’t prepare for every situation. This is one of those situations when Jesus talked about us being sheep among wolves and that we should “…be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)
Rev. Dr. Paul Bailey retired in 2021 from the Eastwood Baptist Church in Syracuse, NY. In addition to over 40 years of pastoral ministry, he was an adjunct instructor in Communications at Onondaga Community College for 15 years.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship: Security Guide – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/dbhis/mitigating-attacks-houses-worship-security-guide
Church Mutual Insurance Company offers resources and guidelines. https://www.churchmutual.com/resources/security-assessment
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has guidelines for Houses of Worship. https://www.cisa.gov/topics/physical-security/protecting-houses-worship/resources
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