As September is National Preparedness Month, we share this blog post that is adapted from an “Introduction to Church Safety and Security Workshop” by Alison Matthews, Mark Williams and the Preparedness Team of PDA’s National Response Team. For more resources on disaster preparedness, visit pcusa.org/preparedness 

 Many different concerns are expressed when discussing the safety and security of our churches. Oftentimes, attention focuses on gun violence and other high consequence, low probability events. Today’s church safety and security challenges are multifaceted and complex. This training follows an “All-Hazards” approach, adapted from the Emergency Management Spectrum and now widely adopted to improve safety and security. This is the approach promoted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is being implemented for school safety and protecting houses of worship by many stakeholders across the U.S. There are five phases shown in this model, and the workshop focuses most of the training on the first four: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, and Response. In the diagram below, notice the location of a potential incident. Most of the “all hazards” approach takes place before a potential incident to prevent something from happening, protect our communities, and to limit the impact if something does happen. We also must be ready for when something does happen, so we also spend time on the Response phase.

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The purpose of the “Introduction to Church Safety and Security Workshop” is to define, demonstrate, and practice key concepts and tools for enhancing safety and security for interested parties within the PC(USA), including worshipping communities and mid councils. Taking an “all hazards” approach to safety and security not only protects the church as a place of worship and gathering but also strengthens its role as a sanctuary—a place of refuge, resilience, healing, and hope. When churches commit to a culture of preparedness and care, they affirm their ministry to protect and serve their congregations and communities in every circumstance while preserving openness, welcome, and compassion.

The goals of this workshop are:

• Empower communities to faithfully protect houses of worship while preserving openness, welcome, and compassion. We are agents of hospitality in our communities and are tasked with safety and security and can do so faithfully.
• Identify tangible and affordable steps to enhance facility safety and security.  There are actions within our abilities and budgets that can contribute to improved safety and security.
• Use an “All Hazards” approach to preparedness. An “All Hazards” approach enables us to responsibly deploy our resources in impactful ways.
• Introduce and practice tools for adequate safety and security planning. Planning, preparation and practice are essential as we consider how to enhance our safety and security.

The PDA Church Safety and Security (CSS) Team can help empower churches to develop appropriate plans to address all types of incidents. 

Some frequently asked questions:

Our church wants to improve safety and security, but we don’t know where to start. This process seems so overwhelming.

PDA CSS understands that the process of addressing security vulnerabilities can seem overwhelming. Church safety and security is multifaceted and complex and there is no single action that can, by itself, make our churches safe. The workshop provides tools, resources and hands-on exercises to help churches get started and enhance actions/plans already taken or put in place.

We have assembled a church safety team, but what do we do next? How do we create a safety plan? Where can we find the tools to help with this process?

Assembling a safety team is an important first step on the journey to improve and enhance the safety and security of your church. The workshop focuses on key elements in assembling a Safety Team and walks attendees through the process of completing a simple risk assessment. Completing a risk assessment will help to identify the vulnerabilities and gaps in protection that are unique to a specific congregation. Once the risks are identified, the work of developing a safety and security plan and prioritizing can begin. The workshop provides hands on exercises on how to complete the assessment and provides templates for plans and resources to assist in creating your safety plan.

Some of our congregants have expressed concerns about our new safety plans. The progress we are making to improve security is alienating some members of our church. How do we help our congregants navigate these changes?

This is not uncommon and change can be difficult. As much as possible, it is important to keep congregations involved and informed as the process of improving church safety and security unfolds. 

A safety and security survey conducted by the insurance industry points to the top five concerns for congregations around safety and security:

• 61% - Communicate and educate on safety plans.
• 56% - Work with local experts/law enforcement to prepare.
• 55% - Train staff and volunteers.
• 51% - Develop response plans.
• 44% - Increase physical security.

Source: The Church Mutual Insurance “House of Worship Safety and Security Study”

It can also be helpful to describe these measures within a stewardship framework that emphasizes care for all aspects of congregations including safety. 

Can you help us to prepare for an active assailant event?

Most congregations share a level of concern about the potential for an active assailant. It is important to remember that houses of worship remain some of the safest gathering places in the United States. The preparation and training CSS provides are intended to help us keep it that way.

Information from the Faith Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization indicates that the majority of threat events that involve houses of worship are directed at property and not people. In fact, the most common events include vandalism and theft, and to a lesser extent graffiti, arson and bomb threats. It also points to the fact that nearly three quarters of adversarial events happen outside the building. 

The “All Hazards” approach focuses on prevention, protection and mitigation actions that can be taken ahead of an event occurring as well as how we respond and recover.  Understanding how to harden the building perimeter keeps the danger outside the building.

Our church is in a small town and we are very safe. Why do we need to invest the time, money, and resources to develop a safety and security plan?

Not all congregations face the same challenges. Each church has its unique concerns for safety and security that are integral to the community in which they minister. Much of this has to do with where the church is located and what is around it. This is why the first step after forming a church safety team is to complete a simple risk assessment. Risk awareness has to do with understanding the threats that may exist and how that overlaps with specific vulnerabilities of the church and the gaps in its protection. This process will help reveal specific areas of focus in developing safety and security plans.

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Our church hosts multiple ministries for our local community. How do we continue to be active caring for our community, be a welcoming church, and improve the safety of our congregation?

Our communities seek places where they feel both welcomed and protected, and churches have long been called to offer both.  Throughout history, houses of worship have served as sanctuary places of refuge, compassion, and care. Having a welcoming community and a safe environment are not mutually exclusive.  Today, congregations continue that ministry by thoughtfully balancing openness with preparedness. The goal of PDA CSS is not to create barriers, but to empower churches to faithfully protect their houses of worship while preserving hospitality, welcome, and compassion. Safety and sanctuary are not competing priorities; they are complementary expressions of the church’s ministry. By creating environments where people can gather, worship, learn, and seek refuge without fear, congregations embody their calling to care for both spiritual and physical well-being.

This seven-hour workshop is designed to be a “hands on” experience for churches, including how to protect and prevent against adversarial events happening, how to mitigate damage, and how to respond to and recover from them. The workshop helps worshipping communities develop simple and appropriate safety plans using exercises, handouts and resources, role playing, and team collaboration. Attendees will leave this workshop with a high-level outline of a safety and security plan for their facility, as well as templates and resources for implementation and achievable action items that will improve safety and security within a faith-based framework centered in hope and welcome.

This program provides all instructors at no cost. The presbytery is responsible for delivering a church-associated location, coordinating the facilities to facilitate the program (AV equipment, etc.), workshop printed materials, snacks and noon meals.  Potential participants (Min. 20 – Max 50) may include pastors, church staff, elders, deacons, ushers/greeters, facility personnel, Sunday school and day school leaders, and public safety resources.

Interested Presbytery Executives and/or staff may email [email protected] for further information.