A GUIDE FOR YOUR CHURCH SAFETY TEAM ON A SUNDAY MORNING

Perhaps you’re looking for some guidance on how to protect the flock when they gather on Sunday morning (or whenever they gather). Let’s take a few minutes and observe an SMP (Sunday Morning Plan). Perhaps this will help your team with some sense of order and direction.

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Arrive at least an hour or so before members start showing up.
Gather your team at a central location (fellowship hall or somewhere that’s adequate in terms of space).
Have a devotional time. It is absolutely essential that your team be “spiritually minded.” If you like, use the devotion we have posted for you at www.sheepdogsafetytraining.com/church. A new devotion is posted every Sunday morning at 6:00 a.m. east coast time (try to view them in order).
After the devotional, cry out to the Lord for his assistance in what you are about to undertake. It may be that he will reveal to you something that’s going to happen, which you can then thwart. Or, your prayer may cancel the agenda of the enemy.
Get in the habit of praying without bowing your head or closing your eyes. Jesus had a habit of looking toward heaven when he prayed, as in the following cases…
1. John 17:1 - “…Jesus…looked toward heaven and prayed…”
2. Luke 9:16 - “taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them…”
3. John 11:41 - “Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me…’”
4. Mark 7:33 - “Jesus… looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh…”

“I am the LORD your God, and I rescued you from Egypt, so that you would never again be slaves. I have set you free; now walk with your heads held high. (Leviticus 26:13)”

A church in Tennessee told us that after hearing us share this at a seminar, they decided to put it into practice. On the third Sunday they were doing so (keeping their eyes open during prayer, heads up), they saw a man enter the sanctuary and steal a purse. They chased him down and retrieved the purse!

Don’t talk to your Father “up in heaven,” while looking down toward hell. Your Father has paid a high price for you to come into His presence: the blood of His Son. Come boldly with your head held high.

One more thing about this. Do you remember the massacre of the nine African-American brothers and sister at the church in Charleston in 2015? One of the survivors of that tragedy was Felicia Sanders. Ms. Sanders would later say in an interview with NBC news that the killer, “Caught us with our eyes closed.” Jesus told us to “watch and pray…” (Matthew 26:41)

EQUIPMENT NEEDS.

Before the team disperses and engages in their various assignments, it is important that they are in possession of the right equipment.

Tourniquets. If you do not have a tourniquet on your person, you have basically said, “It won’t happen here.” There are murder victims in their graves who would still be with us if…someone had applied a tourniquet (we have tourniquets in our store). Again, the tourniquets must be on your person.

It should go without saying that your team should have a “medic bag” on hand. This would include tourniquets as well as other items you may need.

Also, does your team have an AED? (we have them in our store). AEDS are also essential. They can save lives, and have done so all over the world.

“Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the number one cause of out-of-hospital death in the United States. Most victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest can be saved if an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is attached to their chest within 3 minutes.”

Two-Way Radios. Try to issue each team member a two-way radio.
- Mobile phones are not sufficient in the matter of communication.
- And don’t use any app that that advertises itself as some kind of two-way radio.
- Actual two-way radios are the best. If you don’t have such radios, consider purchasing them. You will find excellent radios in our store.

Another important point about radios. They are extremely valuable when a child is lost and you need to shut down the place and contain the child in the circle. In this case being able to communicate is invaluable (by the way, does your church have a “lost child plan?”).

You might also consider flex cuffs (or even handcuffs). This is necessary if you have to subdue someone (especially if they have brandished or used a weapon). I know of a church that had to take down a shooter. Not having any means to restrain them, they tried to pin him to the ground. He pulled out a knife and stabbed three of them.

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ATTIRE. This may seem trivial, but it’s not. You should not be wearing shorts or sandals. The reason is obvious. In the event you have to run or fight, sandals and shorts will impede you. Think like a soldier.

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Your team members will need to have an assignment. Don’t “wing it.” The team leader should always know two things -

Who will serve on the team this particular Sunday…
What his/her assignment will be…

Giving the team members an assignment prevents confusion. It also creates a sense of urgency and seriousness.

THE “SWEEP” -

Assuming the team has arrived early, you are now ready for your “sweep.” This is very important.

At least four (4) team members need to embrace this assignment. Each of the four will go to a point where the church property meets with the roadway (or adjacent property)

Each of the four will choose either a north, south, west, or east point location.
From your “point,” conduct an outer sweep of the premises – working your way all the way to the building structure (see diagram for explanation - click on picture to enlarge).
Check for anything out of the ordinary (assuming that worshipers have NOT yet arrived)

Abandoned cars. If you do not know who a car belongs to, note the license plate and call it in to the police. They will not be allowed to tell you who owns the car, but if it’s stolen, they will respond and assume responsibility for the car.
Devices/objects left in the parking lot. Be very careful in this. I know of a church that once found a bomb in the parking lot. Not knowing it was a bomb, it was tossed into a trash bin. It later exploded.
Check behind all bushes and hedges. Over 150 dead bodies have been found on church and faith-based property since 1999. Check thoroughly.
Check the air-conditioner.
If it’s a DLR (Don’t Look Right) - deal with it.
Check the parking lot thoroughly. And while you’re at it, pick up the trash. Don’t see this as something beneath you. You follow a foot-washer.
Conduct this sweep before people arrive.

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THE DOORS

By now you will be nearing the doors of the church.

Checking them is very important. Each one should be shut and locked.

If you pull on a door and it opens, there’s a good chance it has been unlocked and opened for quite some time (working the midnight shift once, I spent the night checking doors of churches. Before 0300 hours, I had found eight open and unlocked doors at churches throughout the city).
If it is opened or unlocked, it is also possible that someone may be “living” inside. This has been known to happen on many occasions.
PLEASE NOTE: If you suspect that someone is in there, you must call the police and let them respond and deal with this situation. Even if you are armed, you should not check inside. The police are trained to do that. What makes a good and sensible “church security guard” is one who knows when to call the police. Don’t try to be a hero. Doing so could get you killed.

SWEEPING THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING.
- What was done outside, must also be done inside. You must make sure the inside is ready to be occupied. Within an hour or so, congregants will begin to fill the building. Your sweep is making things ready.
- If possible, use a separate group than the outside team. This team can conduct their sweep while those outside are doing likewise.
- Check every room, including bathrooms. We have tons of stories about homeless people finding their way into churches. This very thing happened at a church in my area a few weeks ago. When the safety team arrived early, they discovered a homeless man fast asleep on a church pew.
- Check the sanctuary. Take note of any items lying about. If it “doesn’t belong” there, take the appropriate action.
- Check the area surrounding the platform; around the pulpit, in the choir loft, and even around the musical instruments.

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WARNING - Do not think that conducting these “sweeps” are ridiculous or unnecessary. Remember: you have assumed responsibility for the protection of the flock. You cannot allow yourself to think like sheep do! You have a greater understanding of what evil people are capable of doing.

STATION YOUR TEAM MEMBERS AT THE RIGHT PLACES

This is crucial, and failure to do so could be costly.

You have at least three (3) perimeters on your church property:

Perimeter # 1 - The Parking Lot
Perimeter # 2- The Foyer
Perimeter # 3 - The Sanctuary.

Each of these perimeters must be manned. Let me offer a quick summary of what that would look like, and let’s begin with Number Three - The Sanctuary.

Team members must be strategically stationed inside the sanctuary. Most of them need to stay on the outer edges of the sanctuary (ends of pews, etc).
Make sure a team member is stationed near the pastor. Hopefully, you have already told the pastor what the plan is should an attack occur.
If possible, station a member in the choir. This may, to some extent, seem odd. However, a view from the choir loft is good, allowing the team member to see throughout the sanctuary (being able to sing is not a requirement!).
Along these lines, if your church has a balcony, it is an excellent place to have a team member.
Make sure team members are stationed near the entry doors.

THE FOYER - PERIMETER NUMBER 2.

Greet everyone who comes in. Do not stand off to the side, aloof from those who enter. On the contrary, engage as many people as you can when they enter.
If someone enters who “sets off your alarms,” extend your greeting to him. If this person intends to do evil, you must prolong your conversation with him. This may “disrupt his rhythm.” The longer you converse with him, the more nervous he becomes. It will require additional training to learn what is suspicious and what the appropriate response on your part should be.
Stay in the foyer until church is over.

THE PARKING LOT

You must - YOU MUST - have someone stationed right outside the front door. More on this in a few…

LOCKING THE DOORS AFTER CHURCH STARTS..

Some will, no doubt, have a problem at this point. But here are my recommendations:

About 10 minutes after church has started, lock the door. After doing so, someone will need to stay at that door until church is over - and folks have gone home.
Do NOT leave this door if this is your assignment. STAY THERE. I once heard the story of a family who when they came to church, the door was locked - and unmanned. They turned and left, concluding that the church was full of fear. STAY THERE AT THE DOOR welcoming people.
Open the door for all late-comers. They don’t need to know the door is locked - and they probably won’t know, as long as you open the door for them (obviously you should not - and cannot by law - lock the door that would prevent exiting: fire code laws would prohibit this).
Lock all doors that are far away from the sanctuary. They’re simply not needed. You should designate the entry doors. People may gripe for a while, but they’ll get over it. Post a sign on these doors that instructs people where they can enter.

LOCKING DOORS WHEN CHURCH IS OVER…

Someone other than the pastor needs to be responsible for this. After preaching, your pastor is depleted of his energy. I know this by experience.

ESCORT THE PASTOR (AND FAMILY) TO THEIR CAR.

This may seem odd, but the sheepdog understands the necessity of this.

Your pastor is a public figure, and oftentimes his messages are heard by those outside the church. Furthermore, what he says may anger some - and revenge may be on their mind.

Tim Remington is a pastor in Idaho. One day after church he headed toward his car. Before he could get there, however, he was shot six times.

The would-be killer wasn’t arrested until he made his way to Washington D.C., and only after throwing “unknown material over the south fence line at the White House complex.”

Pastor Tim Remington. The attacker later said he thought Pastor Tim was an “alien.”

STATION SOMONE IN THE CHILDREN’S AREA

Your church must have a good “child check-in system.” When the parent drops off a child, a ticket must be given to them. And when the parent returns later to retrieve the child, that ticket must be presented by the parent (or whoever dropped off the child). Here is where you might encounter some trouble.

What if the parents are separated? And what if the estranged parent shows up to get their child. This could be the beginning of a “domestic disturbance.” You have to have had a plan in advance.

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Ministry Safe was created by legal professionals who are sexual abuse experts. With over 50 years combined experience in sexual abuse litigation, consultation and crisis management, Ministry Safe understands the risk of sexual abuse and how it unfolds in children’s programming. On average, MinistrySafe trains 25,000-30,000 people each month—live and online.

WHERE TO PUT ARMED TEAM MEMBERS

This is a big one. Real big. I have known churches who placed the armed members on the first few rows near the front. When I heard that, I almost fainted. If this is what you do, you have not thought the matter through.

The primary objective of the armed team member is to keep the attacker (“bad guy with a gun”) OUT OF THE CHURCH. Of course, this cannot always be avoided.

What we have to do, however, is have the best plan possible if we have an armed response in place. My advice is simple: the armed team member needs to be right outside the main entrance (or entranceS).
When we review these attacks, we soon learn that these killers often show up late and then make their way toward the sanctuary. As they do so, they sometimes have their weapon brandished. If this is the case, you stand a better chance of seeing them coming if you’re right outside the main entry door(s). However, if you have no one right outside the main entry points, a slaughter will probably ensue.
Thus, your armed person (security guard, police officer, etc.) must be stationed right outside the main entrance(s). You must do all that you can to keep the attacker from entering the church, or, heaven forbid, into the sanctuary. The sanctuary is your last perimeter, and you must find a way to take them on when they come on to Perimeter One (parking lot, near entrance).

Obviously there are other places the armed member needs to be. But do not fail to put one right outside the main entry doors.

TRAINING, TRAINING, TRAINING…

This should go without saying, yet, I hear from team leaders across the country who complain that they cannot get their members to train. If you have members who will not train, simply remove them from the team. They are a liability. More than likely, they merely want to carry a gun. It’s a status thing.

I will put out another blog soon with more info that I hope will help…