Protecting Houses of Worship, Part 2: Other Resources

In response to my earlier call for help identifying resources on protecting houses of worship, here is Part 2 of my list of resources on church/congregational security, following up on yesterday’s post listing training organizations, groups, and individuals.

As with Part 1, my search for resources is ongoing and I will update this list of “Other Resources” (conferences, books, articles, etc.) going forward, so please continue to send me your ideas.

CONFERENCES

14th Annual NOCSSM National Church Security Conference | August 3rd and 4th, 2018, Grace Church, Frisco, Texas (https://nocssm.org/news-events/conferences/14th-annual-nocssm-national-church-security-conference–august-3rd-and-4th-2018/)

8^th Annual San Diego National Church Safety & Security Conference, June 20-22, 2018, presented by Rock Church (http://www.sdsecurityconference.com/)

 

BOOKS

Vaugn Baker, The Church Security Handbook: A Practical, Biblical Guide for Protecting Your Congregation in Untertain Times (Strategos International, 2018). https://www.amazon.com/Church-Security-Handbook-Protecting-Congregation-ebook/dp/B079C5M8SG

Paul Benne, 6 Foundational Steps to Starting a Security Ministry (Self-Published, 2013). https://www.amazon.com/Foundational-Steps-Starting-Security-Ministry-ebook/dp/B00H7IGQSS

Carl Chinn, Evil Invades Sanctuary: The Case for Security in Faith-Based Organizations (Snowfall Press, 2012). https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Invades-Sanctuary-Carl-Chinn/dp/0615657885

Robert M. Cirtin, Church Safety and Security: A Practical Guide (CSS Publishing, 2005) https://www.amazon.com/Church-Safety-Security-Practical-Guide/dp/0788023411

Bryan Donihue, What They Don’t Tell You About Church Safety (Sheepdog Development, 2014) https://www.amazon.com/What-They-About-Church-Safety/dp/0692216340

Greg Hopkins, A Time to Kill: The Myth of Christian Pacifism (MindBridge Press, 2013). https://www.amazon.com/Time-Kill-Myth-Christian-Pacifism/dp/0982215150

Bill Kumpe, Concealed Carry In The Congregation: A Primer On Concealed Carry For Churches (Self-Published, 2014). https://www.amazon.com/Concealed-Carry-Congregation-Primer-Churches-ebook/dp/B00PHHTGBU

Sky J. Logan, Church Security Handbook (Self-Published, 2015). https://www.amazon.com/Church-Security-Handbook-Sky-Logan-ebook/dp/B00SE0NIS4

Kris P. Maloney, Defending the Flock: A Security Guide for Church Safety Directors (CreateSpace, 2017) https://www.amazon.com/Defending-Flock-Security-Church-Directors/dp/1981674772

R.W.P. Patterson, Safety-Security Planning For The Small Church: A Guide for Pastors, Church Boards and Leadership (Self-Published, 2015). https://www.amazon.com/SAFETY-SECURITY-PLANNING-SMALL-CHURCH-Leadership-ebook/dp/B011B4XLWW

Kevin Robertson, Church Security: Providing a Safe Worship Environment (pastors.com, 2014) https://www.amazon.com/Church-Security-Providing-Worship-Environment/dp/1422803163

Andrew P. Surace and Eric Konohia Cmas Cmeps, Securing the Sacred: Making Your House of Worship a Safer Place (Worldwide Publishing Group, 2016)  https://www.amazon.com/Securing-Sacred-Making-House-Worship/dp/0692727434

 

DVDS/MOVIES

“Faith Under Fire” (http://www.sheepdogsafetytraining.com/faith-under-fire-1/) — “Faith Under Fire” is a docudrama based on the 1980 church-shooting at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas.

“Extended Sheepdog Seminars Training” (http://www.sheepdogsafetytraining.com/extended-sheepdog-seminars-training/) — The Charleston Sheepdog Seminar took place two months after the tragedy of the massacre at a church in Charleston. Hundreds poured into Seacoast Church in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, eager to hear the Sheepdog Message.

“The Watchman: Church Security” (http://ministry-of-defense.com/the-watchman-church-security-training-dvd/) — This comprehensive 3-volume set (6 DVDs total) will introduce, explain, and demonstrate more than 80 key security concepts proven in churches across America

 

ARTICLES

Kyle Childress, “A Texas church’s real talk about guns: What do our baptismal vows have to do with safety?” The Christian Century, December 18, 2017 (https://www.christiancentury.org/article/first-person/texas-churchs-real-talk-about-guns)

Kyle Childress, “Guns in the pulpit: In Texas, even pastors are carrying.” The Christian Century, March 7, 2016 (https://www.christiancentury.org/article/2016-02/guns-pulpit)

Kyle Childress, “God, guns and guts,” October 17, 2017 (https://www.faithandleadership.com/kyle-childress-god-guns-and-guts)

Greg Eillifritz, “Texas Church Attack: Post-Shooting Procedures.” Active Response Training Blog, January 13, 2020 (https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/texas-church-attack-post-shooting-procedures)

Jeffrey MacDonald, “To keep churches safe, government gets involved,” Religion News Service, January 29, 2018 (https://www.religionnews.com/2018/01/29/to-keep-churches-safe-government-gets-involved/)

Steve Moses, “The God Squad: Protecting Houses of Worship,” SWAT Magazine, March 2018 (https://www.swatmag.com/article/god-squad-protecting-houses-worship/)

Ed Stetzer, “Church Security: How Do We Keep Our Churches Safe in a World Where Evil Is Present?” Christianity Today Exchange Blog, November 8, 2017 (http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/november/church-security-how-do-we-keep-our-people-safe-in-world-whe.html)

Ed Stetzer, “Another Shooting, This Time in a Church. How Should We Respond?” Christianity Today Exchange Blog, November 6, 2017 (http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/november/another-shooting-this-time-in-church-how-should-we-reply.html)

 

OTHER RESOURCES

Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security Praise & Preparedness Program

Praise & Preparedness is a statewide program from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security (GEMA) that provides faith-based organizations with the tools they need to take action to prepare for a disaster.

US Department of Homeland Security, Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI)

Safety for Faith-Based Events and Houses of Worship NSI Awareness Flier

This resource contains an overview of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign. In addition, it provides links to resources for security personnel, law enforcement, and first responders; nonprofit and private sector resources; and additional resources to assist with developing emergency operations plans, security practices, and safety guidelines for houses of worship and faith-based events.

US Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Advisor Program

Protective Security Advisors are trained critical infrastructure protection and vulnerability mitigation subject matter experts who facilitate local field activities in coordination with other Department of Homeland Security offices. They also advise and assist state, local, and private sector officials and critical infrastructure facility owners and operators.

U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service, Hate Crimes Program

Flier on DOJ CRS in-person facilitated program on Protecting Places of Worship Through Education and Dialogue

FEMA, Resources to Protect Your House of Worship (https://www.fema.gov/faith-resources)

Protecting Your Organization: Resources, Partners and Tips to Help Keep Your Office, House of Worship, or Community Center Safe

• Live Webinar Recording:  (120 minutes)
• Pre-Recordings
  • Fy 2017 Non-Profit Security Grant Program Presentation
  • Resources, Partners and Tips To Help With Your Facility Assessment
  • Active Shooter Preparedness Resources, Partners and Tips

United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Protecting Houses of Worship Training Held Today in Cary

RALEIGH – Today, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina joined law enforcement and local area houses of worship in presenting training to security personnel from diverse faith communities on protecting religious institutions and houses of worship from violence.  This one-day Protecting Houses of Worship Seminar was held at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina and was attended by nearly 450 people representing local churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques.

 Center for Homicide Research, Minneapolis, MN (http://homicidecenter.org/research/church-shootings/)

The National Church Shooting Database (1980-2005) is available from ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium on Political and Social Research) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Just put ICPSR into your search engine. Once at the site, search in the “Data” box using the name of the database. The public version has 139 cases, whereas, most statistics released from the Center for Homicide Research released directly to media outlets only contained 137 cases. The ICPSR version is most complete, but the percentage statistics should not vary in any significant way.

Due to intense publicity in 2017, Center researchers are busy identifying incidents occurring from 2006-2016. At this time there are insufficient resources to complete this work.

An interesting question posed by one of the reporters recently asked whether 1980 was the year of the first church shooting. Of course it was not. Shooting incidents during the early Civil Rights Movement might come to mind. However, there were many others as well. In 1952 “[John] Whiteside said he killed the chairman of the board of deacons of his church because he didn’t like the way selection of a new pastor was handled.” (“Church Shooting Gets Life Term For Father of 11.” The Daily Times-News (Burlington, NC, Thurs Jan 1, 1953.) While this was a church shooting, it was not a mass shooting.

Even earlier (1937), a shooting between the Brady Gang and Indiana State Police occurred at Caley United Methodist Church in White County, Indiana. The gang opened fire from their hiding spot immediately behind the church mortally wounding an Indiana State Trooper, Paul Minneman. After being shot, his patrol car crashed into the church. It was estimated that over 50 gunshots were fired during the shootout and the gang escaped with at least one wounded, but possibly several wounded. (“Bout with the Brady Gang: 80 years later, Hoosiers recall a deadly police chase in Cass and White counties.” Mitchell Kirk. Pharos-Tribune/CNHI News, Indiana; May 25, 2017.)

Dataset Citation: 2010  Bixby, Derek, Kielmeyer, Amy, & Drake, Dallas. United States National Church Shooting Database, 1980-2005. ICPSR25561-v1. [distributor], 2010-03-30. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR25561.v1