I made a thread here a few weeks ago (Church Security). Even before the rash of church arsons in Alabama, the State Board of Missions has been teaching seminars on the topic of church security. There must be a need if there is a course about it. I attended one conference and found a book on Amazon entitled "Crime Prevention in Houses of Worship". You would be surprised (or maybe not) what crimes go on in churches, synagogues, etc. They are difficult to find because FBI lists church crime under "business" instead of separately.
I have been preaching security at my church for 11 years, but it took 9 cars being broken into a few weeks before CHRISTmas to open the eyes of the rest of the leadership. As a result, we have patrols during services, and we are adding CCTV to our facility as soon as we get our newest building completed. Our church didn't even have a plan for evacuation in event of fire or severe weather, never mind bomb threats, or a plan for missing children, armed intruder, suspicious packages, medical emergencies, etc. I'm currently writing a safety manual for the congregation. We are fairly large for the area, but are rural and fire/sheriff/ambulance response is not quick most times. There is a monitored alarm for times when we are absent, but I am working on response during services.
Good stewardship means protecting all God's resources.
I have been preaching security at my church for 11 years, but it took 9 cars being broken into a few weeks before CHRISTmas to open the eyes of the rest of the leadership. As a result, we have patrols during services, and we are adding CCTV to our facility as soon as we get our newest building completed. Our church didn't even have a plan for evacuation in event of fire or severe weather, never mind bomb threats, or a plan for missing children, armed intruder, suspicious packages, medical emergencies, etc. I'm currently writing a safety manual for the congregation. We are fairly large for the area, but are rural and fire/sheriff/ambulance response is not quick most times. There is a monitored alarm for times when we are absent, but I am working on response during services.
Good stewardship means protecting all God's resources.