church security – Page 7

New Edition of Hostility Against Churches Report Shows a Doubling of Attacks

The newest edition of Family Research Council’s (FRC) Hostility Against Churches report suggests hostility against US churches has rapidly accelerated.

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

FRC identifies 436 hostility incidents in 2023—more than double the number identified in 2022 and more than 8 times the number identified in 2018, the first year for which FRC collected data.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security: Church Crisis Response Checklist ]

Notable findings in the 183-page report include:

Church Security: Church Crisis Response Checklist

Does your congregation know what to do in the first few hours and days after a tragedy?

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

Research studied by the ministry Spiritual First Aid shows that most churches, organizations, and communities are not well prepared for mass traumas.

That’s why it has now published the complimentary evidence-based crisis response tool, Trauma-Informed Church Crisis Response: A Field Guide for the First 72 Hours. It’s an outline of the critical stages following a crisis, providing a comprehensive list of practical actions your congregation can take to support those impacted by a major event, such as a mass killing or natural disaster.

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

Here are a few excerpts:

Self-Defense and Church Security: Make Scanning Your Priority

The article, Priority of Scan – An Officer Survival Necessity by Calibre Press instructor Lt. Kelly DeVoll (ret.) is written for the readership of professional police officers. But it also has much bearing for individual self-defense and church security situational awareness. Here are the major points adapted for civilian practice:

• In keeping with Col. Jeff Cooper’s observational “Color Code,” we must always avoid complacency (the color “white” in the Code) when in public; nothing should be considered mindless routine. Instead, cultivate a mindful routine. [The Color Code can also be described using adjectives: White = Complacent; Yellow = Observant; Orange = Hazard; Red = Action.]

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security ]

• When you’re interacting with a person, that person, potentially, is “one of the most dangerous creatures on earth.” You must visualize and assess any means of attack that person could use against you. To that end, develop this priority of scan sequence and use it continuously: hands, waist, face, head-to-toe.

A Directory of Medical Kit Resources

• Follow the SemperVerus X List of Medical Related Tweets •

How prepared are you to handle a sudden medical incident as you go about your day?

Perhaps in your everyday carry (EDC) inventory you have at your ready convenience a pen and notebook, sunglasses, a flashlight, a pocket knife, OC (pepper) spray, and even a defensive firearm to navigate the multiple minor to major situations you could possibly encounter while out and about.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Categories and Their Items for Every Day Carry (EDC) ]

Have you considered the idea that self-defense preparation includes being ready to “defend” yourself from injury of all sorts—small cuts to life-threatening bleed-outs?

[ Read the SemperVerus article, 20 Reasons to Concealed Carry a Defensive Firearm ]

At the very least, you should insert a few BAND-AIDs® into your wallet or purse for those occasions when you or a friend suffer a paper cut, pin prick, or the like. But to be prepared for the eventuality of more serious injuries, consider toting (in your pocket, around your ankle, on your belt, in your purse, in your car, etc.) an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) or Gunshot Trauma Aid Kit (GTAK) filled as minimally or extensively as your comfort level will allow. The basics (for stopping bleeding) include