checklist – SemperVerus

Self-Defense and Church Security Lessons by John Correia Reviewing an Attempted Carjacking

Active Self Protection‘s mission is to help others develop the Attitude, Skills, and Plan to better protect themselves and their loved ones from harm. Its founder and owner, John Correia, posts online real defensive encounters that are recorded on camera and performs after-action analyses that identify self-defense lessons learned from them.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Active Self Protection Self-Defense Checklists and Acronyms ]

The following video is of an attempted carjacking and the lessons that can be applied to your own self-defense or church security volunteer team best practices:

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.

Emergency Communication Plans for Churches

When (not if) your church experiences an emergency or critical incident—such as a destructive tornado, a grave medical episode, or an active killer crisis—clear, rapid, and frequent communication with your congregation, public safety agencies, and local news media is necessary to maintain order, prevent further injury, and provide strong leadership.

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

This article on Religious Product News, written by Protect His House, will help you create and implement an emergency communication plan tailored to your church’s needs.

Its main points are:

By semperverus
Posted on 02/01/202502/01/2025

The 5 Lines of Defense in Church Security, Beginning Outside

You’ve seen the headlines:

• “FBI Warns of Terror Threats to Churches, Synagogues”
• “Idaho Teen Accused of Planning Church Attacks in Loyalty to Islamic State”
• “Churches Urged to Be Vigilant Against Increasing Threats”

Bollards protecting a building from vehicle attacks [ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

Here are practical suggestions to harden your church building and sharpen your defensive practices to keep your congregants and facilities safe from criminal and terrorist attacks:

• Erect bollards and/or reinforced concrete planters parallel to the entire church building’s exterior that is most vulnerable to vehicle attacks (e.g., doors, glass windows and walls, etc.).

• Affix security film on all first-floor windows and glass walls, reinforcing them to resist criminal breakage.