Articles with interviews

Church Security Training: Decision Decks Help You Think Through a Crisis Before It Happens

Here’s a simple way to prepare your mindset for the unexpected!

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

Whether personal self-defense or serving on your church security team, anticipating potential threats is a crucial skill we must hone as rigorously as we sharpen our defensive shooting accuracy in the time we spend at the range.

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

One way to accomplish this is with Decision Decks, five packs of cards—60 scenario cards per pack—to enhance situational awareness problem solving and decision making abilities, created by Simon Osamoh, founder and president of Kingswood Security Consulting and the Worship Security Academy, and former head of counter-terrorism at Mall of America, Minnesota, where he oversaw the internationally-recognized behavior threat assessment team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview with Simon Osamoh of Kingswood Security Consulting ]

You already know about the benefits of dry-fire training in the comfort of your home; in the same manner, Decision Decks are pre-crisis mental workouts you can contemplate anywhere to sharpen your readiness.

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Interview: Building a Church Security Team

Lew Gosnell is a Rangemaster at Gunsite Academy and 20-plus year police officer and firearms instructor in California. He served as a Tactical Team Supervisor in the Marine Corps Military Police and worked private security, in addition to being a champion shooter in IPSC, 3-Gun, and cowboy action — including the first-ever Single Action Shoot Society End of Trail competition.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of Church Security ]

GUNS Magazine podcast host Brent T. Wheat interviewed Lew about how he got his start at the renowned firearms training academy, what he teaches students in his single-action pistol and lever gun classes, and his advice for congregations starting their own church security teams, which begins at the 15:50 mark in the embedded audio player below.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Shooting Analysis Reports ]

He says places of worship, by definition, want to be welcoming to people, so they have special training needs to ensure proper security practices at their facilities. He offers suggestions on how and who to select volunteers to serve on church safety teams, equipment needs, and draw development procedures.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Training Directory ]

— Read other interviews on SemperVerus —

Learn about the Sheepdog Church Security certification program for your church safety team

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