by Ken Walker 29 Nov 2007

Most of us took Thanksgiving Day to enjoy turkey and family gatherings and give thanks for our blessings. But in Dallas, a pair of armed robbers tied up three security guards at First Baptist Church and stole thousands of dollars worth of church property.

While one alleged assailant was arrested two days later, consultants say the situation underscores the need for all churches to have security plans in place.

"That’s becoming the norm rather than the exception," Todd Woolston—founder of Savior Protection Ministries in Hampton, Va.—says of the crime.

A former police officer who organized his ministry in 2005, Woolston says when it comes to security, the leading problem isn’t a lack of burglar alarms or security cameras.

Instead, it’s changing the mindset that "our" church won’t be a target.

"Even if it happens down the street, people think, ‘It won’t happen here,’" Woolston says. "The church has been portrayed as so loving it’s taken as…weak and an easy target."

Often, that is just the case. When Woolston does security assessments, he usually has no problem gaining access to all church facilities, including sensitive children’s areas.

Ironically, the security consultant has no problem entering the administration office, but often finds locks on the toilet paper dispensers. He calls that an indication of misplaced priorities.

A lay pastor who helps direct small groups at his church, Woolston helps churches prepare volunteers and staff to be more aware and prepared to act during crimes or other emergencies.

That includes asking such questions as: Is our exterior lighting adequate? Is someone responsible for patrolling the halls during services? Is there an area Neighborhood Watch that our church could join?

"We’re called to be gatekeepers, like security guards," Woolston says.

The president of the National Association of Church Security and Safety Management in suburban Dallas agrees.

Chuck Chadwick says his business—formerly known as Gatekeepers Alliance—advises churches that improved policies and procedures don’t cost anything other than the time invested in planning.

Too often a church’s idea of security planning is to appoint a team of several men and obtain permits for them to carry concealed weapons, Chadwick says.

"We’d like to see volunteers trained and understand their limits and understand what to do in case of problems," Chadwick says.

That can mean equipping hallway monitors with walkie talkies to either call a church leader or 911 if a potentially explosive situation arises—such as a non-custodial parent trying to pick up a child from the nursery.

If churches want trained personnel on hand, Chadwick suggests spending the money to hire a police officer. While it may sound too expensive to pay an off-duty officer $100 a week, if something serious happens that money won’t be missed, he says.

"There’s been too many cases that could have been prevented or that loss could have been minimized," Chadwick says. "How much was that child worth? How much was that pastor worth if he’s shot by a crazy person?"

While Chadwick doesn’t have any statistical data concerning crimes involving churches, he knows his caseload has increased dramatically since he set up his business five years ago.

With that in mind, you can start by researching some free resources. Among them are a manual from Brotherhood Mutual, preventive measures suggested by a former detective or a church security assessment test.

No matter how safe your church may feel, Chadwick says it isn’t. The saddest situation he knows of involved a woman who came to a church nursery, pointed a gun at a worker and declared she was taking a child with her.

The worker let her go, then called the police. After barricading herself inside her home, the woman was shot to death by police. Fortunately, the child survived.

"I myself would probably have tried to stop her," Chadwick says. "I wouldn’t feel bad about dying to save a child. But you never know unless you’re there."

Indeed, unless we’re looking down the barrel, it’s easy to proclaim bravery from an armchair. The sobering thought is that in this day and age, any church member could face such a dilemma.