In today’s live session, we covered a lot of ground on essential issues that every church security team should be thinking about. Whether it’s understanding liability, building a strong team, or making the most of limited resources, these are the topics that directly impact the safety of your congregation. Here’s a quick rundown of what we discussed.
Byrna Launcher
We started with a look at some equipment considerations, specifically the Byrna Launcher. There’s a lot of interest in this tool, but I explained why I’m not a fan of it for church security. Based on my research and experience, there are better options out there for effectively protecting your team and your church.
Live, In Person Training
Training was another big topic. We’re considering setting up 1-2 day, hands-on training events around the country. These would be faith-based sessions with real, practical learning. There’s the option of covering costs with tuition or donations—I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. I’m not sure how to structure that while maintaining free, or low cost, training for church security teams.
Legal Liability for Church Security Teams
Then we moved into legal considerations for volunteer security members. Liability and the appropriate use of force are issues every volunteer needs to understand. I also covered more in depth on concealed carry insurance and what went into our decision to support a certain company over others.
Teams With Limited People and Resources
For smaller teams with limited staff, I offered some specific security tips. Even if your team is small, there are ways to maximize your effectiveness. We talked about utilizing others and how to implement them effectively.
Handling Intelligence
We also discussed how to handle information overload. There’s a lot of intel coming in constantly, and not all of it is relevant. I talked about setting up an intelligence officer on your team and how you can take that intelligence and send it to the people that matter on your staff.
Volunteer Eligibility and Past Crimes
On the topic of volunteer eligibility, we covered how to handle individuals with past legal issues, especially those with arrests related to domestic violence. This is about protecting the team and the individual. I talked about whether those people are even eligible for the team and how to handle a situation like that.
Finding Other Safety Ministries
Finding and connecting with other established safety teams is another way to strengthen your team. We discussed creating a group of like minded people you can share resources and information with.
New Course Coming
To wrap up, I also announced a new course on de-escalating individuals high on drugs. This will be geared toward safety teams and those involved in outreach to homeless and addiction-impacted populations. More details will follow soon.
Future Broadcasts
I will be doing one of these every month for members only. It will either be a course or it will be a Q&A where I answer all of your questions and have a little one on one time together.
Replay Available (Members Only): You can catch the full replay of this session at the link below.
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