Church Security Best Practices: How to Ensure a Safe Place of Worship

Written by: Vanco Date: August 20, 2024

Church security is essential for a growing, thriving faith community. Worshippers need to know that church safety is a priority to attend services and events, engage in what God is doing in those activities and put their focus on being a part of that rather than worrying whether they and their families are safe. Security tools like a church safety plan and church strategic plan help create that safe and secure environment for all who walk through your doors. Let’s take a closer look.

Understanding the Need for Church Security and Best Practices
Establishing a Security Team
Implementing Physical Security Measures
Protecting the Youngest Members
Building Strong Partnerships
Maintaining Clear Communication During Emergencies
Enhancing Church Security with Vanco's Church App
FAQs
Sources

Understanding the Need for Church Security and Best Practices

Why Church Security Is Crucial

Unfortunately, in today's world, places of worship are not immune to security threats. We've seen a concerning rise in incidents involving acts of violence, theft and other criminal activities targeting churches and religious institutions. In 2023 alone, there were more than 400 attacks on churches according to the Family Research Council’s Hostility Against Churches report. This number is more than double the number of incidents the prior year. This makes it absolutely crucial for churches to prioritize the safety and security of their congregations.

By implementing robust security protocols and emergency action plans, churches can create a safer environment for their members, staff and visitors, alleviate security concerns, mitigate potential security risks and foster peace of mind for all.

Establishing a Security Team

Recruitment

Creating a dedicated security team to deal with internal and external threats is crucial for any church. The team can be a mixture of staff and volunteers. In most cases, it will rely heavily on volunteers as churches have limited resources.

When forming your team, clearly define roles and responsibilities. A security coordinator can oversee the overall security plan, while security personnel are responsible for monitoring surveillance systems, patrolling the grounds and responding to incidents. Volunteers can assist with greeting visitors, monitoring entrances and providing a general security presence.

Training

Because you’ll need to rely on volunteers to some extent, you’ll need to train these folks. Although all of them can be an asset to the security team, be mindful of how you identify, recruit and train these individuals. Most won't have security backgrounds, and few will have backgrounds in a church setting. Be sure to create a welcoming environment. If members of your team are brusque, you will turn people away.

Identifying Candidates and Recruiting

According to Brotherhood Mutual, an insurance provider with 100 years of experience protecting churches and their related ministries, selecting the right candidates and recruiting them takes planning.

Qualities to Look for in Candidates [h5]

They suggest the following when looking for security team volunteers and staff:

Strong intrapersonal skills
Strong character
Lack of impulsiveness
Observant

Recruiting

Brotherhood Mutual also suggests you don’t “glorify” the position. You want people to understand the day-to-day minutia of the work and the responsibility they have to the congregation.

Training Tips

When training your recruits, you should cover the following areas:

De-escalation Techniques

Methods for defusing potentially volatile situations and managing aggressive individuals are key for any security team member. There’s been plenty written on conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques over the years, but the Crisis Prevention Institute suggests critical tips everyone in security or in a crisis situation must heed. They include:

Try empathy: Being sincere can help de-escalate a volatile situation. To do that, hold back judgment and try to empathize with the person.
Honor personal space: People in distress have a bigger bubble than a person at ease. Honor their space and avoid contact if you can.
Use nonthreatening nonverbals: Neutral tones and body language can prevent erratic individuals from becoming more erratic.
Keep emotions in line: In most cases, people in a distressed state won’t act in the most rational way. That’s why it is up to you to hold your emotions in check and proceed rationally.
Ignore challenging questions: You don’t want a situation to evolve into a debate. That will only increase the likelihood of an argument and more escalation. Try to redirect them away from these questions and focus on a resolution to the problem.
Set boundaries: Try to give them reasonable limits phrased as respectfully as possible. You want people to make positive choices.
Allow reflection: Allow for a pause. Let silence bring clarity. In these moments, calm can settle in on the situation and let stress dissipate.

Additionally, a church strategic plan to address these situations is a key step and provides all involved with a clear blueprint to follow when conflicts arise. Work to develop a plan, train your members and staff on it and ensure everyone can follow it confidently in tense situations.

Emergency Response Training

Your security team must be well-versed in responding to a variety of emergencies, including:

Active Shooter Situations

Training on Run, Hide, Fight protocols and how to interact with law enforcement

Medical Emergencies

First aid, CPR, and AED training for a sudden cardiac arrest event to handle medical situations effectively

Fire Safety

Fire extinguisher training and evacuation procedures, including the PASS method for using a fire extinguisher:

PULL the pin
AIM the nozzle
SQUEEZE the handle
SWEEP the nozzle from side to side

Mock Drills and Scenario-Based Training

Regular mock drills and scenario-based training exercises are crucial for preparing your security team for real-life situations. These exercises allow team members to practice their responses, identify areas for improvement and build confidence in their abilities.

Natural Disaster Preparedness

Columbia University created a five-step action plan for personal preparedness. These steps apply to organizations like churches as well:

Be aware of surroundings and know the risks: The goal is to proactively identify the risks for your area. For example, if you live in the Midwest, you’ll need to consider events like tornados. In California, you’ll need to consider what to do in case of a fire. Also, stay up to date on local alerts from your area.
Assure safe water and food supplies: Both food and water are important, but without water, a person can only live a few days. As a church, many within the community will look to you for support in times of needs. Try to stock up on essentials if you can.
Protect yourself and those around you: This largely centers around the conditions in which you should shelter in place or evacuate. It is important to know and have a policy beforehand for when you and your congregation must flee the situation. Some calamities afford very little time for contemplation.
Communicate: Columbia recommends having a landline phone in case of power outages so you can contact emergency services and connect with members in the community. Because many churches have landline phones while many congregants don’t, you may have a vital resource to help those in your community during a disaster.
Engage with your community: Government officials suggest you should be able to survive alone for 72 hours. Some in your community and congregation cannot sustain themselves for that long. Because church buildings have significant space and are usually built to be sturdier than the average house, your facility can serve as a vital safe haven for those in the community who need shelter and support. It is important for churches to have plans to assist those in their communities who need help during this critical time period if conditions safely allow for it.

Implementing Physical Security Measures

Establishing effective, visible physical security measures for your church is a must, even if it’s a smaller church. Members need to know you have tools in place to address church threats and protect them in the event of emergencies. Just as you care for your flock spiritually, don’t neglect their physical safety and security. There is a wide range of systems and resources available and it’s important to do research to identify the best solutions to fit your needs.

Video Surveillance

Even if you hired or have volunteer security personnel around your church property, you can’t have a physical security presence everywhere and prevent all potential trouble that could take place in and around your facility. For this reason, strategically placed surveillance cameras act as a deterrent to criminal activity and provide valuable evidence in case of an incident. Consider installing cameras in these areas:

Entrances and exits: These are the most highly trafficked, busiest areas of your church and places with the most potential for trouble. As members arrive and leave, it’s a chance for individuals who may want to cause trouble to do so in a place where a large number of people around can help them blend in. Security cameras help deter these bad actors.
Hallways and common areas: These are also busy areas of your church, especially between services, small group meetings, Bible classes and other activities. People hang out in these common areas, use hallways to move around your church and need to be able to safely use and occupy these spaces. Any time there’s a gathering of people in these settings, there’s the potential for conflict or trouble, so security cameras help maintain a safe atmosphere.
Parking lots: Parking lots are a vulnerable area for any church or business. Lighting them well is a challenge, they’re accessible for those from outside your church and often have minimal security. As people arrive and leave, you want them to have peace of mind and security cameras help provide that. Additionally, if a bad actor tries to break in to or damage a vehicle, security cameras can either deter them or capture footage that will help resolve the incident.
Children's ministry areas: We all want our children to be as safe as possible at all times. While churches should make every effort to create a safe space for kids and staff it with trusted, vetted workers and volunteers, adding cameras helps extend the safety further and keep an eye on everything that happens. If there’s an incident between children or between a child and a worker, you’ll have footage to help determine what occurred and guide you in resolving the matter.

Research by Church Law & Tax found that insurance companies look favorably on churches that use video surveillance and these churches can enjoy lower premiums over time.

Access Control Systems

While it would be ideal to be able to trust everyone and be confident that only those who need access to specific parts of your church will have it, the reality is that you need to protect your people and property from threats — and potential threats — in the world. One key component of maintaining safety and addressing security issues is managing access to your facility with various security tools. You can accomplish this by implementing access control systems such as:

Keycard entry systems: With a card reader at designated access points, you can keep doors locked and secured, only allowing those with key cards to enter. This also allows you to keep track of how many people have access, set specific times when those individuals have access and record who entered a space at a given time.
Security checkpoints: When hosting events at your church such as concerts, sing-alongs, plays and sporting events, security checkpoints are a great tool to keep everyone safe. Depending on the event and size of your church, a security checkpoint could include hired security checking bags, metal detectors or other screening practices to ensure no weapons or other dangerous items are brought into the event. A study by Lifeway found that roughly 80 percent of Protestant church leaders say their churches have at least one type of security measure in place for these types of events.
Visitor management systems: You’ve probably visited a school or other place where visitors must sign in at a specific location, such as the main office, and receive a pass or badge before entering the facility. Having a visitor management system for your church helps keep track of who is in your building, allows you to specify individuals who are not permitted inside and keeps staff up to date on who is in your space. Using a visitor management system software is an effective way of accomplishing this.

Each of these systems help regulate who enters the building and at what times, enhancing overall security.

Alarm Systems

Even for the largest churches, there are times of day when no one is physically present in the buildings. For this reason, alarm systems are essential to providing a secure environment and helping alert authorities in case of an emergency situation. They also create a greater sense of security at times when people are in the building. Research by The McKnight Group found that 45 percent of people would go to worship services more often if they knew church safety and security systems were in place.

While you may wonder if your church is large enough to need a security system, there are scalable options for churches of all sizes depending on their needs and it’s a wise idea to consider installing:

Intrusion detection systems: This is the most common thing that comes to mind when hearing the term "alarm system." Sensors and monitoring devices such as cameras help detect the presence of unwanted persons in your church and alert designated staff and law enforcement to the intrusion. You can set up these systems so access by authorized personnel does not trigger them and specify who should be contacted in the event of an intrusion.
Fire alarm systems: Fire is a devastating force that can quickly ravage a church building. If a fire occurs when the building is empty, it can spread undetected and it may be too late to put it out by the time someone notices. With a well-maintained fire detection system, first responders and church leaders are notified immediately in the event of a fire, giving them time to respond and do whatever they can to put the fire out. Research by the Federal Emergency Management Agency showed 1,300 church fires occur each year and roughly 50 percent are intentionally set, underscoring the need for working alarm systems.
Panic buttons: For emergencies when staff and volunteers are in your building, a panic button is a direct way to call for help without drawing attention. If a staff member or volunteer notices a dangerous individual with a weapon or posing some type of threat or potential threat, that individual can push the panic button to notify emergency personnel that help is needed.

It’s essential to regularly test and maintain these systems to ensure they function correctly. Don’t install them and fail to test them, then expect them to respond correctly when emergency strikes. Batteries wear out, components fail and it’s your responsibility as a church to keep an eye on these systems.

Protecting the Youngest Members

We love our children! We want to protect them and believe that they are our future leaders who need to learn, grow and be given the chance to thrive and mature. To make sure that happens within your church, it’s imperative that you have systems and measures in place to protect your youngest members and make your kids' ministry areas as safe as possible. Barna found that 58 percent of families choose a church with their kids in mind, so giving them peace of mind that their children are safe is a must.

Check-In and Check-Out Procedures

While it takes additional time and effort, mandating that parents, guardians or other authorized family members check children in and out of kids' ministry areas is a must. Implement secure check-in and check-out procedures for your children's ministry programs, so you know where every child is at a given time and ensure that children are only released to authorized adults.

Monitoring Child Areas

Maintain constant surveillance of children's areas through security cameras and designated personnel. Having a control room or other security area where these feeds are monitored provides an elevated level of security. To maintain their security, restrict access to these areas to authorized individuals only.

Building Strong Partnerships

Churches should build and maintain strong relationships with the communities they serve and that includes local first responders. This helps keep your church and its members safe and secure, and helps your church live out what the Bible says by showing kindness and love to those around you. When emergencies occur, having a strong connection to local police, fire and medical personnel makes a huge difference for those affected.

Law Enforcement Collaboration

Establish a strong relationship with your local police department and first responders. Invite them to tour your facility, provide security assessments, and participate in training exercises. Help members get to know them and especially connect with police who may be on site regularly to help direct traffic or provide security presence for church events. Given that relationships between churches and other organizations and their local police departments have often been less than stellar, research by the U.S. Department of Justice found that the best way to break down any covert or overt animosities — and begin building a bridge of trust — is to address issues of conflict head-on. Directly communicating and collaborating with local police is a big step in this direction.

Community Engagement

Engage with your community to enhance church security and address security challenges head-on. Encourage members to make incident reports about suspicious activity and participate in neighborhood watch programs. Don’t confine your church and its activities and relationships to what happens within its walls. Talk to neighbors, visit or interact with them and let them know that your church cares about them and would love to have them contact you if they see anything suspicious happening around your building.

Maintaining Clear Communication During Emergencies

Emergency Notification Systems

Implement an emergency notification system to send real-time alerts to the congregation via text message, email or mobile app. A 2020 study by the Business Continuity Institute found that just over 32 percent of organizations can activate their emergency communications plan within five minutes, underscoring the need for continued improvement in this area.

Two-Way Radios

Provide your security team with two-way radios to ensure seamless communication during emergencies.

Designated Spokespeople

Designate specific individuals to act as spokespeople during emergencies. This ensures consistent and accurate information is disseminated to the congregation and the media.

Enhancing Church Security with Vanco's Tools

Streamlined Communication with Vanco’s Church App

Use Vanco's Church App to send real-time updates, alerts and important information to your congregation during emergencies and ensure everyone stays informed.

Community Engagement

Leverage the mobile app's features to foster community engagement and keep the congregation informed about security measures, updates and ways to get involved.

Secure Giving Platform

Vanco's secure giving platform enables online and mobile donations, reducing the risks associated with handling large amounts of physical money on church grounds. In fact, it adheres to the highest standard for credit card processing, Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. PCI compliance standards are set by the largest credit card companies in the U.S. — Mastercard, Visa, Discover, etc.

Event Management

With Vanco, planning and managing church events is easy and efficient. Usually, it takes only a few minutes and five easy steps to set up a professional event page.

Event Administration

Vanco Events also manages a lot of the logistics, administration and key online security measures.

FAQs

What are the first steps in creating a church security plan?

Conduct a security assessment: Identify potential vulnerabilities and risks specific to your church and its surrounding environment.
Establish a security team: Recruit and train individuals responsible for implementing and maintaining security measures.
Develop written policies and procedures: Document security protocols, emergency response plans and communication strategies.

How often should we review our church security plan?

Review your church security plan at least annually or whenever there are significant changes to your facility, congregation or surrounding community.

What are the key roles in a church security team?

Key roles include security coordinator, security personnel responsible for monitoring and responding to incidents and volunteers who assist with various security tasks.

How can we involve local law enforcement in our security efforts?

Establish a relationship with your local police department, invite them for security assessments, participate in joint training exercises and maintain open communication.

What type of surveillance is best for churches?

A combination of visible and discreet cameras strategically placed at entrances, exits, hallways, parking lots and children's areas is recommended.

How can we ensure the safety of children during church services?

Implement secure check-in and check-out procedures, maintain constant surveillance of children's areas and restrict access to authorized individuals only.