Church Security 201 - Amazon Web Services...This book is a follow-up to the previous book, Church...

Church Security 201

ChurchSecurity201-Guts-PB325802-20190430.indd 1 5/7/19 5:22 PM

Church Security

201Creating a Safe

Worship Environment

____________

Kevin Robertson


I’d like to dedicate this book to my peers, those leading church security teams. If you’re just starting out, be patient as all of the puzzle

pieces will fall into place. God is in control! There was a time when I was the only security

staff team member and my personal cell phone was the security phone.

It’s a blessing to serve alongside you.


Contents

vii | Introduction

11 | Chapter 1: Background Checks Reducing the chance for surprise using due diligence17 | Chapter 2: EGR Understanding “Extra Grace is Required” for some people21 | Chapter 3: Verbal Disruptions Speaking the truth in love25 | Chapter 4: Policies and Procedures Establishing guidelines to ensure everyone is on the same page29 | Chapter 5: Firearms Creating a safety policy that’s right for your church35 | Chapter 6: Active Shooter Preparing for and responding to an active shooting 41 | Chapter 7: Law Enforcement Ministry Equipping professionals to serve in the church45 | Chapter 8: Controlled Access Reducing risk with preventative measures51 | Chapter 9: Building Your Team Equipping and encouraging your volunteers57 | Chapter 10: Growing Personally as a Leader Moving forward by networking and learning63 | Chapter 11: Fire Safety Improving fire safety measures 69 | Chapter 12: Risk Management Minimizing exposure to risk73 | Chapter 13: Healthcare Ministry Assessing and addressing medical issues


“A church is either structured

for control or growth;

they can’t be both.”


xi

INTRODUCTION

Saddleback Church: A Culture of Growth

January 17, 2019, will be my nineteenth year on staff at Saddleback Church as the director of security. Serving at Saddleback is a blessing. I don’t deserve it, and I don’t take it for granted.

A culture of growth is important to Rick Warren, our senior pastor. To help foster this culture for his leaders, I want to share two of his teachings that have personally impacted my leadership.

“A church is either structured for control or growth; they can’t

be both.” At Saddleback, we are definitely structured for growth. Many churches focus on control, and they end up with too many committees, policies, and procedures. When the value is placed on growth, however, leaders have freedom to develop, expand, and change.

I once heard someone ask Pastor Rick, “How do you control all of the ministries in your church?” Rick smiled warmly and said, “That’s not my job, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job. My job is to train


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and equip God’s people for serving.” Ultimately, ministry belongs to God, not a leader in the church.

“I want you to fail, because if you aren’t failing, you aren’t trying anything new.” Growth requires new ways of doing things, and sometimes that will include failure. Every experiment won’t be a success, but we fail forward when we learn from the experience. Growing a ministry is a learning process, and we ought to learn from our mistakes so we can be more successful. We have the freedom to fail, but Pastor Rick doesn’t want us to make the same mistake twice!

For every ten successful things we’ve experienced on our security team at Saddleback, we could show you dozens we’ve tried that didn’t work out. We didn’t let that discourage us!

In our ministry, we are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Most importantly, we pray for God’s guidance and wisdom.

The fact that you have this book in your hands proves you want to evaluate and develop your ministry. WAY TO GO! Not every leader has the courage to grow.

Why I Wrote a Second Book About Church Security

Does the world really need a second book on church security? For several years, I didn’t think so.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel all around the country, attending and teaching at church security conferences.


Introduction

xiii

Every week, I’m in contact with roughly half a dozen churches regarding their security ministries. I don’t consider myself an expert, but I do feel like God has called me to help other churches by sharing my experiences.

This book is a follow-up to the previous book, Church Security 101: Creating a Safe Worship Environment. Consider the “crawl, walk, run” analogy. A baby doesn’t start with running, they begin with crawling. The first book is more of a crawl, this book is more of a walk and run.

I have read that more than 70 percent of American churches don’t have a security ministry. Church Security 101 is all about helping a church launch their security ministry. To be honest, when I finished 101, I wasn’t planning to write a second book.

However, God had different plans—as he often does!

Once Church Security 101 was in print, I received a ton of questions. People were looking for next steps. Church Security 201 was born out of my answers to their questions.

To be clear, this book is intended for churches who already have a security ministry. If you are looking to start this journey in your church, I would encourage you put this book down and get Church Security 101.

Building On The Right Foundation

Every ministry is built on a foundation. If the foundation is


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flawed, it is destined to fail in one way or another. Undoubtedly, there are several healthy foundations for a security ministry, but I’d like to share the foundation God has laid on my heart.

From what I’ve seen, there are three approaches to security at church. On one side, there’s the “stick your head in the sand” approach. This extreme can be overly optimistic and ignore the very real risks. On the other side, there is the “SWAT/DEFCON 1” approach. This extreme can be overly pessimistic and views everything as a threat. The third approach is to find the middle ground.

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus tells his disciples to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” For your security ministry, you’ll need to strike the right balance for your ministry context. Chances are, you’ll need to reset the balance from time to time. This is only natural.

Additionally, what kind of ministry will your security ministry be? Your foundation is more than a balance between passive and aggressive approaches. It must also serve the people in your church.

When I interview potential volunteers for our team, I always start with the same question. After a little small talk, I give it a big set-up, “My first question is the most important one I’ll be asking you today.” Then I pause for a moment, giving the potential volunteer time to collect his or her thoughts. Then I ask,

“Would you be willing to pray with someone?”

Without fail, the person is surprised—every time. Once a person told me they thought I was going to ask, “Would you be willing


Introduction

xv

Every ministry is built

on a foundation. If the

foundation is flawed,

it is destined to fail in

one way or another.


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xvi

to go ‘hands on’ if the situation needed it?”

Truth is, this question drives home the foundation of our ministry. We want to be wise and innocent—hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst. We also want to be the kind of ministry that’s ready to pray for people when they need it.

Your security ministry isn’t only about creating a safe place to worship, it’s also positioned to help people in practical ways—just like Jesus.

Things To Remember As You Grow Your Ministry

#1—Building your security ministry will take time.

Pastor Rick often encourages us by saying, “Remember, ministry isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.” Health takes time. Reading this book may feel like drinking from a fire hose, even though I’ve done my best to organize the topics into bite-sized pieces! I suggest you pick two or three ideas to develop in your ministry, and when you are ready, move on to a couple more.

#2—Avoid the trap of comparison.

Every time you compare your ministry to another ministry, you lose. When you compare and view your ministry as better, the result is pride. When you compare and see your ministry as worse, the result is discouragement. It’s easy to wish we had a bigger ministry with more people and resources. It’s best to be patient and trust God’s timing. At Saddleback, it has literally taken us decades to get where we are.

#3—Remember not everyone at your church will get it.


Introduction

xvii

This is important; it’s a lesson I had to learn, understand, and accept. Not everyone at your church will have the same mindset as you when it comes to safety. I have often had “head scratching moments” wondering why others can’t see the security risks. Does the backdoor of the worship center really need to be propped open? This might be easier for the worship team, but it also opens up additional risk.

John was the director of security at his church. He was also a friend, and we often talk on the phone to share successes, failures, and frustrations. John had great relationships with his fellow leaders at church. He was respected for his security background, knowledge, and experience. When John made a suggestion or policy related to safety, the church leadership accepted it . . . at first. But over time, John felt like they ignored the security guidelines.

On one occasion, John called to discuss his frustration about a leader leaving a valuable item in an open area. It was unsecured and just waiting for someone to walk off with it. John said he felt like he was battling a forest fire with a cup of water. John was even second-guessing his calling to lead this ministry.

I’ve been there. And maybe you have too. I want to encourage you like I encouraged John: don’t give up! The Bible is filled with leaders who faced frustration and opposition. We are serving alongside the other leaders in our church, but ultimately we are serving God.

Truth is, we are all wired differently. God uses all kinds of people to serve and meet different needs in his Kingdom.


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#4—Every church is different.

Finally, I encourage you to remember that every church is different.

Just because a practice or procedure works at Saddleback, doesn’t

mean it will work at your church. Take the principles you’ll find in

this book, and consider how they apply to your ministry context.

It is my hope and prayer that you will be able to glean some useful tips

from our experiences at Saddleback Church as you work alongside the

Holy Spirit to build the security ministry at your church.

Kevin Robinson

April, 2019


Church

Security

201


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10

Background checks are

critically important


Chapter 1: Background Checks

11

Chapter 1

Background ChecksReducing the chance for surprise

using due diligence

Background checks are critically important—at whatever level you decide is best for your church. First, I’d like to share a few stories that have shaped my thinking and our policies at Saddleback.

A large church needed volunteers to work on their tech team. One of the persons who signed-up was going to help with the lighting and sound for the student services. After a quick online search, a recent article about the potential volunteer was found in a reputable local newspaper. He was convicted of having an inappropriate relationship with a student at the school where he taught. Imagine the article that could have been written about the church if this person was serving around students!

At a different church, a member wanted to serve in the parking ministry. This person was transparent with the leadership, letting them know he was a registered sex offender. Because the incident happened many years in the past, and because the parking ministry always works in teams of two—and not in close proximity to kids


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or students—he was able to faithfully serve for many years.

One couple had been involved with their church for more than a decade. They were regular attenders, tithers, and served in many ministries. When they decided to serve in the kids ministry, the church conducted a background check. The male had a conviction for indecent exposure. Naturally, this led to a conversation, and here’s what happened:

While attending an outdoor rock concert, he went to a bush to relieve himself, which led to his arrest. This event happened 30-plus years ago. Now that all the facts have been brought to light, the church made their decision.

I won’t tell you what they decided, but here’s the point: a background check never hurts. Sure it costs a little money and time, but it significantly lowers the risk for a surprise.

Who Gets a Background Check?

Ultimately, this is a decision for the leadership of your church. Here’s my list, beginning with the minimum standard I would suggest:

1. Anyone serving in the kids or student ministries; this includes

the tech team and anyone from your security ministry.

2. Anyone serving with tithes, offerings, and

accounting ministries.

3. Anyone serving directly with your congregation, who

comes face-to-face with people, such as greeters, health

care ministry, ushers, etc.



13

a background check

never hurts


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There are many options

for doing background

checks. You’ll need to

pick what is best for your

ministry context.



15

What Types of Background Checks are Available?

There are many options for doing background checks. You’ll need to pick what is best for your ministry context. Before I get to those, I want to be clear: I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not qualified to give legal advice. What follows is nothing more than a few ideas based on what we do in our ministry context.

At Saddleback, we use Live Scan. It does both DOJ and FBI background checks. Additionally, it offers updates. Once a person is Live Scanned for Saddleback Church, if they are convicted of a crime, we will hear about it. You get the past and the future with Live Scan.

Two websites we use are Megan’s Law and the National Sex Offender Public Website. These sites are easy to use and have no cost. I can’t think of a good reason not to use these sites.

We also check our local Superior Court website. Up until recently the service was free. They are now charging a visit or monthly fee. The information is good, so the price is worth it for us.

Infotracer.com is another great resource.

If you are looking for more options, particularly if you want legal advice, I encourage you to consult an attorney.

Hear my heart on this issue: I hope and pray your church would never have to deal with a child/adult incident. If it does happen, you’ll be glad you did a background check. The victims and the courts will want to know about your process for due diligence. If


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your process is weak, or non-existent, it will do terrible damage to your church’s witness in your community. What’s worse than that? The reality is, you could have avoided the situation with a background check.

We can’t control everything and eliminate every risk. We need to be responsible and do what’s possible. The consequences of inaction and negligence are too great of a cost.


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