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	Guarding God's House: Churches Confront Security Needs By Ed Housewright The News-Sentinel [United States] May 17, 2006 http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/14599870.htm Sean Smith looks the part. At 6 feet 7 inches tall and 320 pounds, he comfortably carries the title of director of security for the Potter's House in Dallas. When Pastor T.D. Jakes travels, Smith never strays from his side. "If someone were to try to do him bodily harm, my job is to try to thwart that as best I can," said Smith, a former professional football player. Few pastors need as much protection as Bishop Jakes, an internationally known preacher and author. But places of worship of all sizes are spending more time and money safeguarding their staff, congregants and property. Measures range from installing sophisticated surveillance systems to conducting criminal background checks on volunteers and workers. Churches are thinking like businesses, developing risk management strategies to head off physical, financial, even emotional damage. Ongoing stories of clergy sexual abuse, across denomination lines, have helped awaken congregations to the myriad risks they face. "The main thing is anticipating every possible problem and have some way to deal with it," said Robert Cirtin, a former pastor and director of the criminal justice program at Evangel University in Springfield, Mo. "If it never happens, thank God. "But when it does happen, you'll say, `This is what we were trained for, and here's what we do.'" The Potter's House recently conducted a safety conference for churches. Attendees learned the importance of performing criminal background checks, establishing a security force and controlling access to the property. "I think it's time churches recognize that we're no longer segregated from violence and crime," said Smith, who has been director of security at the Potter's House for seven years. "Our doors are open every day and every night if we're truly an effective church. "We bring in the sick and the homeless. That also opens us up to criminals and people who would take advantage of that kindness to hurt other people." Some security consultants now specialize in church safety, and more books are being written on the subject. For instance, the 480-page "Risk Management Handbook for Churches and Schools" covers an exhaustive list of topics. Some of the chapters: "Safeguarding Facilities for Infants and Toddlers," "Emergency Plans to Assist the Injured," "Transportation Safety," "Reducing the Risk of Sexual Misconduct" and "Reducing the Risk of Embezzlement." Another book, "Making Your Church Safe from Child Sexual Abuse," says that churches must be diligent in implementing safeguards. "The problem of child sexual abuse continues to be the No. 1 catastrophic risk facing churches today," it says. "A single case can shatter the life of an individual and family, and destroy the ministry of a church." Congregations have a moral and legal obligation to protect their members, says "Church Safety and Security: A Practical Guide." "Churches and denominations are liable for what occurs in the church and are targets of lawsuits now more than ever," according to the book, written by Cirtin. "Too often, church leaders and congregations have been reactive instead of proactive; due to changes in our society, this is no longer sufficient." Cirtin has assembled dozens of examples of wrongdoing involving places of worship. Some crimes were committed by staff or volunteers, others by members or outsiders. Here's a sampling: A man walks into a Milwaukee-area church and opens fire, killing the pastor, his two sons and five other members. A delusional man with a long criminal record enters a Colorado Springs, Colo. cathedral, carrying a 7-inch hunting knife and claiming to be Jesus. Police fatally shoot him after he tries to grab a collection plate and wrestles with officers. A woman at a Savannah, Ga., church is fatally stabbed by her estranged boyfriend in front of about 30 parishioners. A former music minister in McAllen, Texas, is charged with indecency with a child and delivery of a controlled substance. A church in Raymond, N.H., hires a youth pastor, only to discover that he was a convicted sex offender in another state. A former church secretary in Ottawa, Canada, is convicted of stealing more than $411,000 from offering plates. Too often, churches minimize the risks they face, Cirtin said. "The most recurring theme I hear from pastors and church leaders is, `I know that happens, but it could never happen in my church,'" he said. The Rev. Bruce Buchanan, who has been at First Presbyterian Church of Dallas for almost 20 years, said congregations have become more vigilant about security. "Churches are part of the enterprise of being above the world, but they are definitely in the world," said Buchanan, associate pastor of community ministries. "Recognizing that, they have to be wise in precautions and prudent in practice." Because congregations want to be welcoming, they can't go to the extremes that businesses might. For instance, you're not likely to see metal detectors outside a worship service. "Certainly there's a point people are not willing to let you go," said Smith, of the Potter's House. "It might offend them or the actual worship experience. There's a very delicate balance." At the Potter's House, he and other security personnel sit among congregants on Sunday morning. That's not uncommon in large places of worship. Some hire plainclothes off-duty police officers to monitor the service. "I've had to step in and calm someone down," Smith said. "We've never had a major incident where someone has been hurt. But we see so many different things. In church, people may respond differently with stress, pain, even when the Holy Spirit touches them." Some congregations require staff and volunteers to undergo safety training. For instance, more than 200 people at Resurrection Lutheran Church near Houston have received instruction on preventing sexual and physical abuse, said Kay Irvine, church administrator. A lengthy church policy gives specific definitions of physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. The document states that no adult is to be left alone with a minor. "Church staff and volunteers will ... make unannounced visits into classes or other program sites from time to time," it says. In large congregations, it's impossible for leaders to personally know every member. Sex offenders have been known to target churches because they know that many do not do background checks, Cirtin said. "Usually, the need to work with kids is so great that sometimes churches accept people they shouldn't," he said. Despite a church's best effort to protect its people and property, the unforeseen can happen. One of the most notorious acts of church violence occurred at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1999. During a Wednesday night youth rally, a gunman entered the church and fired more than 100 shots, killing seven youths and injuring seven others. He then fatally shot himself. The man was not a member of the church, and no motive has been determined. The Rev. Al Meredith, who was senior pastor, said he doesn't think the tragedy could have been prevented. "There isn't enough money in the kingdom of God to hire off-duty policemen to guard every door," said Meredith, who still heads the church. "If you did, what would you want them to do? Would you frisk every unsavory-looking person? "Then you screen out the people we need to be reaching. You want the hurting and lost and broken of the world to come because that's where they find healing and deliverance and hope." RESOURCES "Church Safety and Security: A Practical Guide," by Robert Cirtin (CSS Publishing Co., $14.95), can be ordered through www.safeatchurch.com. It is also available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. "Risk Management Handbook for Churches and Schools," by James F. Cobble Jr. and Richard R. Hammar (Christian Ministry Resources, $39.95), and other risk management materials are available through the bookstore at www.churchlawtoday.com. "Reducing the Risk II: Making Your Church Safe from Child Sexual Abuse," by James F. Cobble Jr., Richard R. Hammar and Steven W. Klipowicz, a kit including two books and six training videos on DVD (Christian Ministry Resources, $49.95), is available through www.reducingtherisk.com. --- Gatekeepers Alliance will present a church security summit June 8 and 9 at Gateway Church, 2121 E. Southlake Blvd. in Southlake, Texas. The conference is designed primarily for church security managers and directors, facilities managers, and youth and other ministry pastors and church leaders. It will cover issues such as protecting children, procedures for handling the offering, security systems, video surveillance, access control, staff protection, handling disruptive people, terrorism, and emergency planning and communications. For cost and other details, visit www.gatekeepersalliance.org.
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