is church security biblical

YOUR CHURCHES BIBLICAL DUE DILIGENCE TO HAVE A CHURCH SECURITY TEAM



Many churches face the debate of whether or not to have a church security team in place. We are going to end this debate once and for all. What you are not going to read is some watered-down message about why you should or should not have a church security team. After reading this article, there should be no doubt that you should have a security team in place and professionally trained.

the watchman church security Let’s begin by talking about the story of the watchman in Ezekiel 33:1-9 (NIV) 1-The word of the Lord came to me: 2-Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3-and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4-then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5-Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6-But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ 7-“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8-When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.9-But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

Okay, so Ezekiel was made a watchman of Israel. Why then, would God not make us a watchman for His people today? By having a church security team in place, you are giving them a warning that you are prepared to take action if, or when necessary. If you took this scripture alone as the foundation for having a church security team, we believe that is more than enough. But wait, there’s more…

More scriptures on church security Now, let’s take a look at what Jesus said to the disciples in Luke 22:36; “He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you do not have sword, sell your cloak and buy one”. The disciples were Jesus’ closest friends here on earth. Before we go on, it is important to understand that a sword was the firearm of the day. Since that is cleared up, let’s move on. Jesus told His disciples to make sure they had protection for themselves. Why in the world would Jesus tell them to do that? Because Jesus knew that the world they were going to go and preach the Gospel to, was not a safe place. Therefore, if Jesus told them to “be packing heat”, why wouldn’t He expect us to today?

Psalms 94:16 “Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?” Another good one is Psalm 144: “1- Blessed be the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. 6- Flash forth lightning and scatter them; Shoot out your arrows and destroy them”. How can anyone misinterpret what that says?!

more about church security It is Biblical for you to have a church security team in place. In fact, we will be as bold to say that if your church does not have a security team in place or is opposed to the idea, that you are being disobedient to God’s word. Right now, you might have thought something like, “Of course you would say that because you are in the business of church security training”. No, we are saying that because it is your duty as a church corporation to provide protection for the people at your church or church event.

Any man that does not provide protection for his own family, is not man at all. Protecting yourself is an individual responsibility. But protecting one’s family is a man’s responsibility given to him by God. You will meet resistance at all levels in the church when it comes to church security. The main reason for the resistance, is due to pure ignorance in what God’s word actually says. Yes, even by pastor’s, elders, or other leaders of the church. Just because people do not see the need, does not negate the need. Simply because your pastor or elders and deacons do not acknowledge the need for church security, does not mean that God has relieved your church of that responsibility!

People tend to say things like, “God will protect us”. While we believe that God can and may do that, it may come in the form of being ready to protect yourselves. Again, David did not slay Goliath with just prayer and faith. David picked up a rock and took action. Did God help David’s aim? Very possibly. You see, David did not wait on God to handle the situation. Too many times we sit and wait when we should be taking action. God will guide our paths, but we have to do the walking. He does not make us take each step. Rather, that is up to us to do that. Why then, is protecting the church any different? James 2:17 (NIV)says that “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”. You can have all the faith in the world, but if you do not take action on that faith, then you really do not have faith. With that in mind, if you have faith and you do not have a professionally trained church security team in place to protect your flock, then you are a hypocrite. You see, we cannot pick and choose what parts of the Bible we want to live by.

One of the main issues with Christianity today is that we have made it American. God is not American. He is not confined by the way we think. God operates on His standards, not ours. If you look throughout the Old Testament, there is plenty of bloodshed. That bloodshed, for the most part, was done by the hands of humans. That means men, obedient men, had to take responsibility and action. God did not “just” kill the enemy. Most people will agree that having law enforcement and military is a need. How is it that when you think that those are necessary, can you think for a second that church security is not? People these days, are all about putting the responsibility of their own protection on someone else. And, most of the time, that someone else is God. This way of thinking is a poor one to have as a Christian. Why do you have a job if God is “just” going to provide? The reality of it is, that God expects us to do our part. And in the case of having a church security team in place, that is our job to implement. Live in the real world

Even if you do not believe that it is Biblical to have a security team, in this day and age it is just plain foolish. Just take a look around and you will see all of the hate and violence taking place. Each year, there are hundreds of violent acts committed against churches. Jesus said that in the last days, people will hate you because of Him. Extreme radical Islamists are a primary threat to Christians and churches. Here is the bottom line. If your church is opposed to having a church security team, then they are being disobedient to God’s word. There is no room for argument. His word says what it does, and you are no one to argue with God!

Okay, now that you have seen the need for having a church security team, where to do begin? Click here…