By Aaron Earls
Before determining the steps needed for security at your church, you need to assess your current situation, says church safety and security expert Robert Johnson. “From the assessment, you build your team and write your policies.”
For those looking to develop a plan and security proposals, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a six-step process to start an emergency plan.
1. Form a collaborative team. This involves identifying a core planning team, forming a common framework, defining and assigning roles and responsibilities, and determining a regular schedule of meetings.
2. Understand the situation. The team should identify and prioritize threats and hazards, while assessing the risks specific to your church.
3. Determine goals and objectives. At this point, your church should decide what it is you want to accomplish and how you can achieve that.
4. Plan development. The team should identify courses of action.
5. Plan preparation, review, and approval. It’s time to format and write the plan, as well as have it reviewed and approved by church leadership. Then, share it with church members.
6. Plan implementation and maintenance. Stakeholders should be trained and the plan should be exercised. Regular reviews of the plan should reveal areas that need to be maintained and those that need to be revised.
For more on church safety, read our recent feature story: “Securing the Faithful: How Churches Can Best Prepare for the Worst Tragedies.”
For additional resources, visit GuideStone.com/Secure, Brotherhood Mutual’s collection of articles and resources at SafetyCentralOnline.com, CarlChinn.com, and FEMA.gov.
AARON EARLS (@WardrobeDoor) is online editor of Facts & Trends.
This article appeared in our Winter 2016 issue. You can read the entire issue online. Also, make sure you subscribe to our print edition to receive the Spring 2016 issue delivered to your home or church for free.
