Safety in the Sanctuary: Is Your Church Prepared?

It’s safe to say that when the pastor of First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill., began preaching his Sunday morning message on March 8, 2009, he had no idea it would be his last. Neither did his congregation, who witnessed the horrific scene.

Standing up and moving from his seat as Pastor Fred Winters was speaking, a 28-year-old man walked toward the pulpit. Reports indicate the surprised church members initially thought a skit had started, since Winters was sometimes known to use dramatic illustrations to emphasize a point. But four gun shots and just seconds later, the pastor was dead and two church members were wounded with non-critical injuries as they’d tackled the assailant, stopping him from inflicting even more violence.

Pastors and church members alike find this act of violence in a place of worship hard to understand. We want to believe it’s a rare occurrence. We read the news stories and think, How horrible—but I could never see that happening in my church.

The Maryville attack is just the latest in a series of violent crimes in churches widely reported by the media, with many more incidents occurring that are not reported.

SCG International, a security organization, recently released a year-long study on the issue of violence against churches and other places of worship in the United States. Its findings show churches are increasingly falling victim to violent acts by individuals, usually male, 25 to 60 years old, who are angry with God and the church and see a church as an easy target.

With the noticeable increase in danger, more churches are examining whether the security plans they have in place are enough. In some cases, churches that once thought they didn’t need a plan have finally become convinced they do. A poll conducted by churchsolutionsmag.com in March showed 67 percent of its respondents said their churches were going to increase security, and 14 percent wished they could but lacked the necessary resources. The remaining 19 percent of those surveyed indicated they felt the shootings were isolated incidents and did not feel pressure to increase security.

The latter is a dangerous view to hold, though, say church security experts. Jeffrey Hawkins is the executive director of the Christian Security Network. His organization tracks church incidents on a daily basis that “cost lives and hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary losses,” he says. “God tells us in the Bible to foresee danger and plan ahead and to be good stewards of what He gives us. As pastors have told us, it is the moral, ethical and biblical thing to do.”

Protecting the Flock

Church leaders are taking the initiative to organize training conferences for churches in their communities. Steven Strauch is director of missions for the Lawrence County Baptist Association in Missouri. He recently held a training session for the churches in his association and invited two security experts, including a local sheriff. He acknowledges that churches have a natural desire to be welcoming.