ChurchSafety

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Apastor and passengers riding in a car in Fullerton, California, were attacked by gang members, who pursued them into the church and held them at bay by hurling rocks.

Thieves took $1,800 worth of food for the needy from a Menlo Park, California, church.

A church fire in Orangeburg, South Carolina, was ruled arson.

A rash of break-ins hit churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Iowa.

A former trustee of a Philadelphia church was charged with defrauding the congregation.

In former days, churches were considered sanctuaries from the depredations of the outside world. Today, any crime that can happen at a home or business can also occur at a church, including the offenses cited above, which makes up only a partial list of incidents that occurred in February 2009.

"The threat is very real," says Michael Hodge, president and owner of Michael A. Hodge and Associates, a Washington, D.C. security management consulting firm. "Now [criminal] people are recognizing that churches are places that do not, for the most part, have security programs in place. They notice there isn't a lot of deterrence around."

The goal for church leaders is to maintain safe and secure conditions for both their property and people. This level of security requires a plan to deter criminals while maintaining a welcoming environment for church members and visitors.

Consultants believe a church should first conduct a risk assessment to determine its own unique security situation, and only then come up with a plan.

"Every church is different. Is it an old or a new building? Large or small? City or country? One building or many buildings? There's no cookie cutter recipe we can use that will solve all problems," said Jeff Hawkins, executive director of the Christian Security Network, a Cincinnati firm that consults churches and collects reports of crimes against them.

When conducting the risk assessment, Hodge recommends looking at four elements. These include the history of incidents at the church, the history of crime in the neighborhood, any political stances taken by the church, and whether the church has an adequate security plan.

The risk assessment should include the understanding that churches are often easier targets than private residences, especially for burglars.

"That's because churches are so predictable," said Hawkins. "A burglar who's going to target a house is taking a chance. Is somebody going to be home? Do they have a dog? An alarm system? Locks on the doors? But churches are pretty easy as far as figuring when people are going to be there and not going to be there."

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