PASTORAL PROTECTION

What does it look like?

Protective services can be implemented for your pastor in ways that are very discrete. Essentially, part of the security team focuses entirely on the safety of the pastor, while the larger team addresses general security concerns. Close protection is different than other law enforcement or security functions. Good planning, smooth choreography of movements, discrete communications, and other techniques ensure that a pastor or leader is protected and free to focus on his ministry. They dress to fit in. They convey a message to attackers looking for them that they are ready and able to protect their principal.

Why is this being suggested for my church?

The leaders at your church are at increased risk of attack due to our societies elevated frustration with Christianity and a moral absolute. Your leaders are critical to your mission as a church, they are valuable and the process of recovering from loss and replacing them is costly emotionally and financially.

What are they trained to do?

The protective team is prepared to cover and evacuate the principal at any time, and is ready to deal with a variety of incidents that threaten the life and health of the principal including physical attacks and medical issues.

Is ex-filtration really something we need to think about?

Not every event necessitates evacuation from the scene, but the protective staff need to know how to do this in case of a specific threat. In the executive protection field there is a concept known as getting “off the X”. If someone, or a group, has targeted your staff for attack, remaining at the site of a disturbance or attack is very dangerous. The longer a target stays on site, the more likely the attack will be successful. Your overall security planning ensures that key human assets are moved out of danger and other security personnel address incidents that are occurring.

Are they visible?

Protective staff are usually visible but unobtrusive. A careful observer will likely figure out who is doing security. This is actually a good thing as most attackers are looking to see what security measures are in place and how tight operations are. Experience has shown that no one notices the team as much as the one being protected might imagine. Everyone else sees them, and accepts them more readily than may be expected. However, we still advise using extremely covert staff as part of the team that convey no deterrent message but rather provide information for the team.

Are they flanking the pastor on stage during his sermon?

Most likely not, but the position of protective staff is dynamic and depends on the audience and physical environment. One of the things that CSS will help you with is determining your basic positioning for services.

Who is selected for this team and why?

The protection team should be staffed with people who can blend in, speak well, write well, deal with attacks, respond to medical emergencies, and learn the intricacies of protective work through ongoing training. Those with law enforcement and military backgrounds often have many of these skills, but must be willing to learn the proactive, nuanced aspects of this field.

How many people do we need on a protection team?

Ideally, there should be a minimum of four people assigned to every protectee, with four others trained to cover absences and schedule rotations. We would like to see eight people for every person that needs protection. However, CSS can help you implement effective protective operations with whatever staff you have available. If the need is high enough, and there are no viable staffing options in the church, CSS can help you find protective staff to contract with.

What is involved in the training?

Do they have to spend the summer at Quantico? Over the course of two days, CSS will train your team in the operational principles of close protection, run drills, and teach your team some specific techniques used by professionals. CSS will teach you how to conduct advances, plan logistics; enter and exit buildings, elevators, and vehicles; disarm attackers, evacuate your principal, and other similar tactical skills. Defensive tactics, driving, shooting, and medical training are things that take a serious commitment of time and energy to become proficient at. We will recommend places to receive quality training should you desire it.

Under what circumstances do they go into action?

Let’s talk about the kind of actions the protective team may engage in. During routine operations, the team is ensuring that every setting that the pastor, enters is a known environment, and once there, that the environment is observed and controlled. The team is watching people, evaluating the situation, and looking for a variety of potential threats. They react differently than the rest of the staff to developments in the environment. For example, if the lights go out during a service, the protective team moves close and covers the principal and may evacuate them. The general security team may seek the source of the outage, deal with crowd control, etc… Every event is viewed in relation to the pastor’s safety. A missing child is only relevant to the protection team in that it may be a distraction or the prelude to a violent incident between security and an abductor. If a person stands up and yells at the pastor, the protection team will just remain ready to respond, but if the person approaches or makes a movement for a weapon the team will be moving quickly to disrupt the attack and/or cover and evacuate the principal.

The team is also concerned with medical situations. If the pastor suffers a fall or even a serious medical condition, the team will be administering CPR/first aid, calling for emergency services, and continuing to provide increased security.

Protection teams also try to minimize the potential impact of thrown objects whether they are dangerous or just embarrassing.

For more information contact info@churchsecuritysolutions.com

Contact us or call us today at 503-949-8862 for a free security consultation.

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers.”

1 Peter 5:2