VI - Self-Defense Archives - Page 15 of 47

Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide

Terrorists, criminals, anarchists, and disrupters are attacking houses of worship (HoW). They assume HoW are soft targets; gun-free zones where media coverage and notoriety can be easily achieved through defenseless active killing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools ]

In response, more HoW are establishing and training their own armed volunteer security teams.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program ]

One resource for these teams is the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)‘s 116-page PDF, Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide.

A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools

Photo credit: David von Diemar, https://unsplash.com/@davidvondiemar Some people in leadership at churches still question why it’s necessary to have an armed and trained church security/safety team as part of their dedicated ministry efforts.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Active Killer Advice Compendium ]

The following list should be reason enough:

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

• Undisclosed church, Venice, Florida, Aug. 11, 2026
A 19-year-old male, with a grievance against a local church, was planning to take hostages during an active killing at the facility. He was arrested and charged with making written threats to kill, threats to bomb or conduct a mass shooting, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Questions to Ask During a Bomb Threat Call ]

• St. John’s Lutheran Church, Effingham, Illinois, July 5, 2026
Sunday morning before the worship service, a 36-year-old man from St. Charles, Missouri, entered the church and asked to speak with the pastor. Church security personnel called police to communicate their suspicions about the man and his vehicle in the church parking lot. Law enforcement responded and discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen. During the struggle, when police attempted to restrain the man, he produced a firearm, which discharged, and he was struck. He died the next day.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Prepare for Teams of Terrorists, Says Gabe Suarez ]

• Wesley Memorial Church, High Point, North Carolina, June 28, 2026
An armed 44-year-old man wearing camouflage clothing and body armor sat in his truck in the parking lot during the morning service. An observant person called 911, and an off-duty officer working at the church immediately responded to the parking lot. Additional officers arrived, disarmed the man, and took him into custody without incident. Upon searching his truck, officers found 2 flamethrowers, 2 crossbows, 3 knives, 500+ rounds of ammunition, a CO2-powered launcher, designed to resemble a handgun, rolls of black duct tape, oxycodone pills, and a notebook containing the addresses of churches, schools, and public buildings. The man, who authorities say has experience with bombs, also had two radios with police scanners, GPS coordinates, handcuffs and keys, and a copy of the North Carolina Tactical Interoperability Guide marked public safety sensitive.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview With Active Shooter Incident Expert, Lt. Col. Ed Monk ]

• Islamic Center of San Diego, San Diego, California, May 18, 2026
Just before noon on the first day of Dhul Hijjah, a sacred period in the Islamic year, two males, 17 and 18 years old, wearing camouflage clothing, fatally shot a security guard and two staff members outside the largest mosque in San Diego, which includes a pre-K through 3rd-grade Islamic school. Both killers were found in a car a few blocks away, dead from self-inflicted gunshots.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview With Police Trainer, Ron Borsch, on Church Security Teams Stopping Active Killer Incidents ]

• Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, Houston, Texas, Apr. 23, 2026
A juvenile and an 18-year-old female were arrested in Lexington, North Carolina, after allegedly planning a mass casualty attack on a Jewish day school in Houston, Texas. Court documents show that the conspiracy the female was allegedly planning was to “kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.”

Counterterrorism Guide: Situational Awareness to Hinder An Attack

The Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team (JCAT) is a US interagency collaboration based at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which is aligned under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

Working with intelligence analysts from NCTC, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), JCAT’s primary mission is to improve counterterrorism information sharing between federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies and the private sector. The latter is where that information is adaptable for personal self-defense and church security teams in being situationally aware to pre-indicators of criminal and terroristic attacks.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]

One resource is JCAT’s Counterterrorism Guide For Public Safety Personnel, offering content to assist self-defenders and church safety volunteers in:

Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program

Church security teams usually consist of every-day volunteers: men and women who are passionate about doing all they can to protect their congregation from natural and man-made threats, but who are not professionally trained in law enforcement, military defense, or medical emergency skills.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

SemperVerus highly recommends the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification program as an excellent online training curriculum that prepares volunteers to handle the full spectrum of threats churches face today—emergency response, disruptive persons, violent intruders, and abuse. Students gain practical skills rooted in legal clarity, real-world tactics, and biblical values.

Bill of Rights Anniversary September 25, 1789

The United States Declaration of Independence excerpt: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Important US Dates to Commemorate ]

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Read the Presidential Proclamation: Constitution Week.)

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution comprise the Bill of Rights. Passed by Congress on September 25, 1789 (and officially ratified December 15, 1791), these God-bestowed civil rights (that are “self-evident truths,” that “provide for the common defence,” are “the Blessings of Liberty,” and are “unalienable Rights” endowed by our Creator) place strict limitations on government power over American citizens.