Like all places of worship across America, United Methodists took another look at their own security plans in the wake of the Nov. 5 massacre at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
No Guns
Many United Methodists, like nearly 90 percent of Americans according to recent polls, favor stronger gun regulation and better enforcement of existing restrictions. Such regulations include stricter background checks; better enforcement preventing domestic abusers, mentally ill people, and other potentially risky people from owning guns; and tighter regulation of gun sales.
Over the past several years, churches more frequently have declared themselves "gun-free zones" to restrict civilians carrying personal firearms into sanctuaries and other buildings. This option often carries with it a theological rationale related to faith in life after death.
Other United Methodists say they favor having guns in church. This alternative makes use of armed off-duty law enforcement officers serving on church security teams or civilians who hold "concealed handgun" licenses, an option popular among some Texas church leaders.
While the gun control debate continued without resolution, United Methodist leaders agreed that all congregations should have an emergency plan for dealing with an "active shooter" situation. Bishop Peggy Johnson, resident episcopal leader of the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference, offered the following resource suggestions in her blog mourning the Sutherland Springs massacre.
Church Mutual Insurance Company offers several risk control webinars and articles on its website that could be helpful to any church.
- Armed Intruder Church Mutual has partnered with industry experts to keep your people safe before, during and after a violent attack. Firestorm, a nationally recognized leader in crisis management, helping clients minimize disaster exposure and plan for a crisis, and ALICE Training Institute, the number-one active shooter civilian response training organization in the nation, have come together to bring you this informative webinar series.
- Protecting against catastrophic violence Although catastrophically violent events are not frequent, the consequences are tragic. With the recent rise in active shooter incidents, specifically, many organizations are asking questions about how to make sure they are prepared for such violent events. “There are several precautionary measures that can be taken,” said Ron Aguiar, director of safety and security at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., and author of Keeping Your Church Safe. “It starts with getting a group together to develop a plan.”