Church Security

A culture of awareness in your house of worship works in two directions at once. On one side is security awareness: recognizing behavioral clues and clusters of suspicious activity before they become a threat. On the other is ministry awareness: living out Philippians 2:4 by looking beyond our own interests to notice the needs of others. This post explores how life safety and genuine hospitality aren't competing priorities. They grow from the same discipline of paying attenti

Summer routines create security gaps that organizations often don't notice until a vulnerability has already formed. Strategos International explains why shifting staffing, schedules, and access patterns make summer the right time to tighten safety standards, not relax them.

Let’s look at what God’s Word has to say about the use of force. There are many views concerning what the Bible says about the use of force including several objections. Although the Bible states we as Christians are to live peaceably…

Firearms are a necessary tool in our security toolkit today. They contribute to our preparedness, life safety, and loss prevention just as fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, medical kits and defibrillators, seat belts, and the ice melt you put on the front steps of…

A common fear regarding (and argument against) church security is that it will make our church less welcoming. There is some merit to this argument. Done poorly, our church safety team can take on the appearance of church bouncers, ready at a moment’s…

Often the biggest mistake that is made within the profession of Law Enforcement is after years of dealing with the evilness in society, officers lose track of the “Serve,” part of “To Protect and Serve.” Officers are trained over and over again with…

Church Security is something never even thought of in the American Church for decades upon decades. However, sadly this is something that is now at the forefront of ministry. According to Carl Chinn, there have been over 1700 deadly incidents at American churches…

Strategos International was honored and humbled to be asked to be a guest on Creflo Dollar’s show called “Your World with Creflo” in September of 2019. In the clip below Strategos Internationals Vaughn Baker spoke about the increased threat of violence facing our…

An incident in rural Alaska brings home the importance of training. “What Would You Do?” is a long-running ABC television program hosted by John Quiñones. A hidden camera records the public’s response to actors who engage in conflict, unethical or illegal activity. The…

In a crisis, our denial instinct can lead to death. How do we rise above it? What’s wrong with being normal? Nothing, if things are indeed normal. Normalcy bias is a deadly psychological coping mechanism that leads us to deny clear threats to…

Churches give billions to missions. But more than that is stolen from them through fraud. Put this in the “read it and weep file.” Then get angry. Then do something about it. A report from Brotherhood Mutual says churches and Christian organizations are expected…

Evil is on the rise. That means good men and women must be too. It was a rough weekend for people of faith – to say the least. A gunman killed two people in a Texas church before a church member shot him.…

FOX24 of Fayetteville, Ark., reported on our church security training “from the parking lot to the pulpit, and Band-Aids to bullets.” “The presentation was put on for everyone from church greeters to those in leadership, and discussed how to identify suspicious behavior and…

It’s no joke when a confrontationist disrupts your worship service. But what should you do? We recently posted an article about a YouTuber who had been disrupting church services in Tennessee. He was armed only with a camera, but aimed to cause chaos…

Strategos is offering a new course to bridge a gap in ministry education. Aspiring pastors and ministry workers study systematic theology, hermeneutics, church law and many other vital topics. But one that is almost universally overlooked is church security. What event could be…

One of the nation’s leading security providers for faith-based organizations is teaming with one of its most prominent insurers. Strategos International and GuideOne Insurance are working together to help churches, Christian schools and other institutions get the security and insurance coverage they need…

We’re honored to have one of our recent church security trainings, led by instructor Roger Huggins, featured by Action News Jax. “The group would rather preach the gospel and leave the guns aside, but they’re training because for them, knowing how to handle…

Cameras are often the go-to response when seeking to stop or deter workplace crime and violence. But in order to use them effectively, organizations must have clear goals and the willingness to follow through.

Failure to prepare has much higher stakes than roulette. One of the most iconic quotes from the original “Star Wars” trilogy has to do with risk assessment. Really. C3-PO warns Han Solo that his flight through an asteroid field is likely to end…

Maintaining a secure but welcoming environment simply requires balance. On the heels of 2018’s horrific synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Pa., came this FOX News headline: “Violence prompts churches to weigh security vs. welcoming.” While I understand the sentiment behind this idea, it…