Safety & Security Team Development

Most people when asked about crime at church look at you very funny and say “this is a church we don’t have crime or a need for a Safety and Security Team”! Then a friend or a relative’s car is broken into or you tell them about some of the incidents you have dealt with. For example, the guy who handed a letter to an usher one Sunday that threatened to harm the pastor; or the 40 something man who came into church with a diaper bag, he had no kids but was going to try to take one. Then there was the 22 year old lady that collapsed in the college age Sunday school class and was in cardiac arrest.

The need for people to take care of the worshipers at church is very real. We need to allow the people worshiping God to do it without fear that something might happen. Something might happen to their kids, something might happen to their car, or something might happen to a neighbor that you invited to church. Worship happens when people are free to give all in spirit and truth without worry. That is where we come in.

How does a safety team make worship better? Number one is to make it happen without people even knowing that you are there. Yes, stealth mode is the way to conduct business. When you are working a “shift”, make it an outreach. Look for people to help first and many times this will help fix problems that might escalate. It might be a young wife that has finally convinced her husband to come to church and he is frustrated and embarrassed that he can’t find a Sunday school class for his kids. Reach out to him and ask if you can help.

Sometimes the team works above the radar, for example, when a person collapses in church and needs our help. The team sends someone to the pastor to inform him what we need (usually silence and prayer), someone will call 911 and escort the ambulance to the patient, someone will get the first aid supplies and the automatic external defibrillator (AED), and the rest of the team will provide privacy and crowd control. So yes, there are times when we are seen and heard, but that is rare.

Can anyone be part of the team? I say the answer is yes, with a few items that must be addressed. Training will help and how you pair up people will make your team most effective. Put that fire fighter with someone who has no medical training, put that police officer with someone who is timid. Make sure you have at least one person on a shift that has some medical training (CPR, 1st aid). By far the most important information to pass on to your team is “if it does not look right something is probably wrong”. Don’t forget that, people with little or no training using that idea will spot things that need to be addressed.

Also, team safety is the highest priority. Never let someone approach trouble without help being there. Communication is key, use inexpensive radios to communicate with other team members. Do not approach a suspicious person without backup from the team. If there is a police officer in church that day you should ask for advice. Better safe than sorry.

As it relates to crimes, or the security side of things, the greatest deterrent is the fact that people are watching. Many times the crime does not happen when people know you have people watching. The word will get out and crime will go down. We used to have car break-ins on a fairly regular basis, but once the word got out on the street that we had a team, break-ins are very rare.

So, what does it take to form a team? The most important starting point is buy-in from the church staff and prayer. Once the church says yes to a team, ask people with an interest to get things started. Many people in law enforcement, nurses, doctors, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians (EMT) have always wanted to help out at church, but their crazy shift schedule will not allow them to. This team is just the thing they are looking for. God gave them the desire and skills to be one of these professionals, now they can use those skills to glorify God.

The safety and security team at your church will make worship better. The team will attract people to worship with you. Many young parents that are looking for a new church will ask us what we do to make sure their children are safe. It gives them a great deal of comfort when the Sunday school director introduces them to one of the team members and they in turn answer the questions of this new family.

Safety and security is people using the skills and talents that God has given them to glorify Him. Taking care of the flock without much fanfare and working as a team so others might worship more effectively. It is truly a gift from God to be able to serve the body in such a manner.

Don Fleck, is a Safety Consultant for Church Security Solutions, LLC. Don has been a safety professional for 33 years as a fire fighter. He attends a church that has 4,000 members. Don served as the Director of Security for his church several years. Don now serves as a Safety & Security team member, and conducts much of the team’s safety training.

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