The church my family and I attended in my early childhood was always unlocked. In fact, I don't think they even had a key to the door! In this country setting where everyone knew everyone else within several miles of the church, it never occurred to the congregation that it should be concerned for the safety of children and other church members.
Even today, I know of a couple of churches that still do not lock their buildings. Most have learned through the years that to prevent theft and vandalism they need to lock their doors. But the issue today involves more than just bricks, mortar and money.
Back in October I was visiting a church where a family I have known for many years attends, and upon entering the building I met a lady I did not recognize. As we engaged in conversation, she said she was driving through the area and just stopped by to use the rest room. According to her, she had stopped at the church for that purpose on previous occasions as well while in the area.
Since I was a visitor, I involved a church member in the conversation, and we talked to the woman of her relationship to the Lord and about the fact the church presented such a welcome environment that even a person just passing through would make such a “stop.” The lady soon went on her way and I joined the pastor's Bible study class, mentioning this lady during the opening “prayer request” time, giving a brief explanation.
But later that night, and even the next day, I continued to replay this situation in my mind. It seemed strange to me that someone, even with a church background, would enter the unfamiliar surroundings of a church to use the restroom when the community offers several fast-food establishments, all with excellent restroom accommodations. As I was traveling the next day, I tried to call the pastor but was unable to reach him, and as time went by it seemed less important.
It all came back to me, however, a couple of months later when another church in this same area discovered a lady acting “strange” in their child-care area. It came to light that a lady fitting this description was being sought by authorities in three states. Several churches had similar stories — a lady just passing through, usually on Wednesday nights and ending up in a church building near the children. She has subsequently been arrested and is under investigation, so nothing more needs to be said on this specific situation.
But it should be a wakeup call for us all. Things have changed. Our communities are not the safe and secure towns they used to be.
In my role as a field strategist with the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's empowering leaders team and a missionary with the North American Mission Board, I make many church visits these days. It alarms me when I can access the day-care or an “after-school program” area without even being questioned. It is not unusual for parking lots to be unattended and out of sight as we sit behind stained glass windows in worship. Sometimes offerings are left unattended!
So although we might long for the good old days when security was not an issue, the question we need to focus on in church life today is how can we make our children, youth and adults, as well as our properties, secure without parking a “Sherman Tank” out front?
When a child is left in the care of a preschool department, the parents want to know they are taught wholesome values. But they also want to know that their children will be safe and that they will be where they are supposed to be when the service is concluded. So, make sure your church has a written policy about the safety of your people. Also, make it a practice to do a criminal background check on all your children's and youth workers, no matter how long you have known them. This also needs to be done, without exception, before staff members are hired and before volunteers are elected or appointed.
Make sure only the person who left the child in your care, can pick up the child. This can be accomplished in more than one way, but one very good avenue is to use a “pager type” system, much like what is used as you wait to be seated in a restaurant. They can be used to quietly summon a parent to the pre-school area as well as to pick up the child at the conclusion of the service.
The use of secure doors, sign-in sheets with any medical information and special needs, and regular monitoring by qualified security personnel will add to your peace of mind. Some churches today are installing electronic monitoring systems to give added security. This will help in deterring possible criminals if they know the parking lot and sensitive areas are on a camera.
I have a nephew who serves his church as the chief security officer as he and the pastor have put together a team of volunteers, mainly off-duty police officers or ex-military personnel who do everything from over-seeing the offerings, monitoring the pre-school and children areas, to keeping an eye on the parking lot. They also serve as great greeters, while doing the “security.” These and other duties are performed without any fanfare and do not hinder the worship atmosphere of the services.
This article is not meant to be an exhaustive manual on church security, but to help make us look again at the safety and well-being of our people. We need to examine how we do church in our present day. Additional helps are available. I would suggest you invite new eyes to look over what you are doing or how you might start some security measures. Every church is different and most settings are varied, but most churches need to re-evaluate their security plans regularly.
As a point of information, a security seminar is offered on Feb. 21 by the Higher Ground Baptist Church in Kingsport, Tenn. The training begins at 8:30 a.m. And the cost is $20. Anyone who wants to attend may register online at www.higherground.org, the church's website. Information about the seminar, including all the different breakout sessions, is listed there. Also, watch for security training events offered in the near future by the empowering leaders team of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
Darrell Fletcher is the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's field strategist for the Southwest Region.