Church Safety & Security Blog Series

Living in Charleston, South Carolina, the Mother Emanuel AME Church Shooting deeply affected me. 

I frequently ran by the church on Saturday and Sunday mornings. During the week, I worked as a technical writer for ACS Technologies, teaching end users how to keep their churches safe and secure using background check software. 

Several months after the mass shooting and hate crime at Emanuel AME, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office held a one-day seminar on protecting places of worship. I attended not to promote software or solutions, but to listen to ministers, administrators, and parishioners concerns. 

With the feedback I gathered, I wrote a series of posts for our (now defunct) MinistryImpact blog to help our churches and nonprofits be safer places in and for our communities and avoid future tragedies.

The Dream Team: Establishing a Church Safety Committee

A Healthy Church is a Safe One: Handling Medical Incidents

From the Outside Looking in: Safe Church Buildings and Property

Make your Church the Safest Place in Town for Kids: Safety Policies for your Children’s Ministry

On the Road Again: Safety Tips for Church Vehicles

Disclaimer: These articles are intended to be a starting point to open dialogue about security plans for your church. Be sure to do your own research, and if appropriate, contact a professional to determine safety guidelines that suit your needs.