What is a Church Safety & Security Team?

A Church Safety & Security Team is a group of church members called to serve as a vital asset in the safety and protection of the church and its members. Church Safety & Security Team members are people of good character, honesty, and integrity who are regular attendees of the church, able to perform the functions of the team without physical limitation. They contribute to the church daily by streamlining processes, improving visitor experiences, and increasing overall safety  and security for everyone on the property.

Church Safety & Security Teams are comprised of two units, a security unit and a medical unit, each unit staffed by highly vetted individuals with prior experience in the field and specialized training.  The ideal members include those with prior experience in law enforcement, fire service, first responders, security, and the military.  The Church Safety & Security team should have training in access control, physical security, electronic security, patrol techniques, surveillance detection, , first respondent medicine, active shooter prevention & response, and any other areas relevant to your congregation.  All team members should be trained in basic first aid, CPR, and AED use.  Volunteers without these professional backgrounds may be accepted to the team but must undergo a selection, training, and qualification prior to being officially named to the team.

Why Do We Need Church Safety & Security Teams?

It is an unfortunate reality that incidents of violence and crime directed towards America’s religious institutions and their congregants is a growing threat.  From 2000-2017 there were more than 1500 “deadly force incidents" within churches across the US.  These incidents included:

·         Over 200 domestic violence incidents.

·         Over 150 personal conflicts between two or more people not from the same household

·         400 of these incidents were related to area crime: robbery, drugs, gangs.

·         100 stemmed from bias against a specific religion.

·         150 were related to mental illness.

·         200 were labeled as random.

Tragically, history has proved that regardless of religion, one of the times congregants are most exposed to risk during their daily lives is when they are worshiping at their church or place of worship, we have seen mass-casualty incidents ranging from mass stabbings and shootings to suicide bombings occur at religious institutions across the country and around the world.  No community is free from domestic violence, drugs, or mental illness, and a Church Safety & Security Team is a critical asset in preventing, detecting, deterring, and responding to the threats your congregation faces.

Developed by Burns Group International’s experts with over 25 years’ experience in global high-threat protective services, our  Church Safety & Security Team course is a comprehensive training program that will give you the knowledge and ability to staff, train, and deploy a Church Safety & Security Team to protect your congregation from the threats they face.  The course is available as a standalone, interactive, interesting, and challenging e-learning course that includes video content, quizzes, and interactive assignments.  Upon successful completion of the course and the final exam students receive certification as a Church Safety & Security Specialist.  If you are looking to make the most of your training, we offer a or a truly comprehensive combination of our e-learning course to introduce you to the theory and basics, followed by in-person instruction at your place of worship and a local firearms range, that allows our instructors to provide a course of instruction tailored to the needs of your institution and congregation, impactful feedback, and share tips and tricks from their own experience that will help you be best prepared to protect your congregation.  In-person continued education is also available for operational teams looking to advance and refine their knowledge and skills.  Regardless of which course you choose, our Church Safety & Security Team curriculum covers:

• Church Safety & Security: The players and their roles.

• Church Safety & Security Objectives

• Understanding the Threat

• Threat Assessment

• Intelligence Sources

• Church Protective Details

• Church Protective Services Protocol

• Physical Security

• Electronic Security

• Bomb’s & Bomb Incident Management

• Threat Intervention & Management

• Church Safety & Security Team Member Equipment, Dress, and Protocol

• Church Safety & Security Team Communications

• Special Event Security’

• De-escalation Training

• Church Fire Safety

• Church Response to Catastrophe’s

• Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in Church

• Surveillance Detection

• Self-Defense Laws & Use of Force

• Defensive Weapons

• Unarmed Defensive Techniques

• First Respondent Medicine for the Church Protective Services

• Active Shooter Hostile Event Response

• Crisis Management

• Understanding Terrorism & the Threat it Poses to Churches

• Training the Congregation

• Working with Local Law Enforcement & First Responders

• Church Safety & Security Team: Recruiting, Selection, Vetting, & Training.

E-learning course: $300.00 per person

Combo e-learning & in-person: *Please contact us for a custom quote.