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Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams

Gentle Response is the organization founded by John Riley, a retired police officer and certified crisis intervention specialist with the National Anger Management Association. He and his team travel all over the United States conducting Conflict De-escalation Training seminars.

SemperVerus attended this excellent seminar, held in Immanuel Church, Holland, Michigan, May 14, 2023. With Mr. Riley’s permission, here are notes we took during that seminar and scenario training:

• “A gentle response defuses anger” Proverbs 15:1 (MSG)

• Conflict de-escalation: lowering the intensity of an agitated person to minimize a potentially volatile situation from becoming a critical violent incident.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

• Peacemaking and de-escalating people’s anger is the goal, while staying alert to your own personal and public safety. When overwhelmed, stay safe and be an expert witness.

• Mindset Priority: Each church security team member must have a “ministry mindset” — Every contact (even eye contact) is a ministry opportunity to represent the mission of the church. Don’t let your actions be heavy-handed and damage that mission.

Terrorists Call for Attacks on Christians

A new Islamic State propaganda campaign is a reminder to church security teams to remain well-trained and keenly vigilant in the protection of their congregations. Take seriously the verse from Nehemiah 4:9, “We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

The latest propaganda poster, published by the Al-Azaem Media Foundation, explicitly urges self-radicalized jihadists to strike without limitation or hesitation, according to the church security website, Christian Warrior Training.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview with Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training ]

The message on the propaganda poster states:

Online Firearms Instruction

“Find Your Edge” is a free playlist of 15 videos produced by training service Vortex Edge to help you become more proficient, confident, and capable with firearms.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety ]

Watch the 15 “Find Your Edge” videos on YouTube.

By semperverus
Posted on 02/12/202502/12/2025

Self-Defense Includes First-Aid Defense: Turn to ProTrainings to Learn

If you volunteer on a church security team, or if you want to acquire the skill for your own and your family’s well-being, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Directory of Medical Kit Resources ]

Co-founded by classroom CPR instructor Roy Shaw, ProTrainings was started in 2003 to teach CPR training to healthcare professionals, as well as everyday citizens, using the convenience of a computer with video-based courses rather than only in a classroom. Today its Blended CPR program (use discount code CPR-SemperVerus) includes live video conference evaluations and a patented single-use home-shipped mannequin having a chest compression feedback mechanism (the lungs inflate, chest resistance is felt, audio feedback is given during compressions, and necessary head-tilt motions can be performed to demonstrate all essential CPR skills) for simulated CPR training to offer students in-home skills evaluations, making ProTrainings the most compliant (and convenient) CPR course available online.