Protecting LEOs and Public Officials At Church

This weekend, violent anti-government protesters interrupted a church service in Minneapolis. They threatened and intimidated members of the congregation. They were looking for a local law enforcement official believed to be cooperating with federal law enforcement. Illegal immigrants and their US supporters are actively targeting US law enforcement and government officials using a host of violent tactics. Organizers in Northeast Oklahoma are attempting to foment similar unrest among the illegal alien community and their left wing political allies. The US is experiencing a civil insurrection at minimum in many states if not an outright civil war. Troops are likely to be deployed in multiple US cities.

Churches are accustomed to expecting law enforcement officers who attend to protect them. That paradigm is now reversed. Churches need to take precautions to protect law enforcement officers and their families who attend. These cautions also apply to government officials who are perceived to be unfriendly to the mob. There are no good answers to this problem only suggestions at best.

I would first ask the officer what he wanted to do to protect himself and his family and then follow his lead. Accommodations offered might include:

• Reserving special seating in a less observable, more easily protectable part of the auditorium near multiple exits if possible. DO NOT PUT UP SIGNS SAYING RESERVED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEIR FAMILIES. Just reserve the seats.
•  Keeping law enforcement families together during the service so that if trouble does develop the officer doesn’t have to run all over building trying to find his children.
• Developing a plan to evacuate the officer or public official and his family through a side or rear entrance and if those are blocked, evacuating them to a safer space deep within the building. A vehicle should be parked near these planned exit points to allow the officer and his family to get away from the riot scene.
• Assuring the officer that he can do everyone more good by getting off the scene with his family, calling for back up and coming back with sufficient force to clear the mob.

 Church security team preparations for the congregation might include:

 

• Making provisions to prevent rioters from driving cars through doors to gain entry. In the short term this might include parking MEMBERS cars near the entrances in such a way as to block a ramming attack.
• Making provisions to securely lock all entrances from the inside especially the main entrances using measures that cannot easily be defeated with bare hands or light tools. Rioters will break glass, shatter wood and do anything else they can to gain entry.
• Developing a plan to shelter the congregation in place while police or troops clear the rioters. This may take hours.
• Developing a plan to evacuate the congregation into surrounding neighborhoods and business districts if a side or rear exit is unobstructed. If your church has only one parking lot it is unlikely the congregation will be able to access their vehicles. Remember it all starts and often all happens in the parking lot. If your church campus has multiple parking lots develop a plan for security team members, staff and key congregation leaders to disperse their vehicles in the multiple parking areas and then use the free vehicles to “car pool” evacuate congregation members.

A key point to remember is that, as we teach in our verbal de-escalation classes, normal VDE and negotiation techniques do not work with mobs or deeply committed activists/terrorists. They don’t care if you are a nice person and mean them no harm. They don’t care that you may even agree with part of their grievances. Violence is the tool they have chosen to advance their cause and you are nothing but at best collateral damage and more likely a useful tool in completing their mission. Your terror and submission is their political power.

On a personal note, I served in the military in the 1960’s. I was in uniform in Los Angeles/Long Beach in 1968 and in San Francisco during the so- called “Summer of Love.” While it was technically illegal for enlisted personnel to possess civilian clothing our commands usually looked the other way because they knew that the easiest way for a sailor or marine to get the crap beaten out of them or worse was to get caught alone in uniform on the streets. I came away from that experience with a deep loathing for the hippy movement, the anti war movement and the false peace, love and rock and roll they promised.
 

Later I served in, among other places, Latin America and had the chance to observe political violence both at a distance and at street level. In Puerto Rico, the local communists promised to kill one sailor or marine from every US Navy ship that docked there and often made good on that promise. My small unit was actually caught once in a massive communist led street riot in a large Latin American city. I came away from that experience with a deep respect for mobs and a deep loathing for left wing agitators that use them to achieve political change. If you ever want to look into the face of uncaring, unreasoning evil find a mob.

It is sad that American churches have to think about such things but refusing to recognize the threat will not make anyone safer.


Bill Kumpe, Director
The Oklahoma Church Security Association

The OCSA Training Program

 

Since this is the beginning of a new training year it is a good time to recount a little of the history of the Oklahoma Church Security Association.

The Oklahoma Church Security Association was born out of a single set of events over a decade ago. I was still practicing law. My best business client was a deacon at his church. A very dangerous man had threatened to kill not only his own family but also the pastor of the church and anyone else who got in his way. The man was mentally unstable, very capable of making good on his threats and a fugitive from justice. The man was known to be in the area but law enforcement had unsuccessfully been trying to apprehend him for months.

My client was a successful businessman and a former US Air Force security specialist. He knew what his church needed. And, as was his habit, he retained me to make it happen. The vice president he chose to run operations was a retired Tulsa Police Officer who was then head of security for one of Tulsa’s major institutions. I was chief counsel and administrator.

The first thing I did was research. The question was, “What kind of people do we need to hire?” The results were shocking. The skill set required to properly protect a pastor and a congregation were much more like those required of Federal Air Marshals, Bureau of Diplomatic Security Agents and Secret Service Agents than those of ordinary policemen. We knew that wasn’t going to happen so we began recruiting from the Tulsa Police Department.

The typical TPD candidate had a Bachelor’s Degree, often in Criminal Justice or Police Science, meaning that they had already spent four years studying the academic side of the job before spending a year in the TPD Police Academy and field training program. I was advised to look for men out of specific divisions who did actual police work and to avoid candidates from support services who, while technically sworn officers, were just moonlighting as private security with their badge.

The situation that gave birth to that threat at my client’s church eventually went away as did that church’s motivation to maintain such a security program. I wrote a book about my experience forming the company and went on the speaking circuit promoting it. What I found was a shocking lack of knowledge about the security needs of churches and a tendency to treat church security programs, when there was one, like any other hit or miss, amateur managed and manned church project. The Oklahoma Church Security Association was born out of this situation.

The first three directors of the OCSA were myself, a medically disabled former US Army Airborne trooper who was pastor of a local church and served as leader in his denomination and another local pastor who was a medically disabled 28 year police veteran from one of America’s most dangerous cities. The retired Airborne trooper had a terminal degree black belt, had grown up in a law enforcement family and regularly practiced skills almost identical to church security in his employment for the state. He was also a very experienced educator. The retired police officer had the appropriate academic qualifications but was also a graduate of the FBI Academy with nearly two decades experience as a SWAT team leader and instructor.

The OCSA was formed for two missions. First to provide church leadership access to highly qualified, proven experts who could advise churches concerning their security needs and second to provide high quality security training by truly qualified instructors … all at no charge. With the advice of these first directors I wrote the one year curriculum the OCSA now uses.

The OCSA training requirements parallel the Oklahoma State security guard licensing requirements which require 40 classroom hours for unarmed guards (the equivalent of greeter-ushers in our program nomenclature) and 63 hours for armed guards (the equivalent of armed protectors in our program nomenclature). Of course, our instructional content is geared toward church needs rather than commercial establishments. The Oklahoma State security training requirements are not designed to produce effective security guards but rather to provide a minimum threshold for new security employees who will then be placed in their employer’s in house training program to learn the actual skills needed for the job.

The legal status of volunteer church security in Oklahoma is ambiguous at best and there is no sign that there is the political will either by the churches or elected officials to change it. Sooner or later this situation may result in disastrous consequences for a church security volunteer who has to use force to protect his flock. The number one line of questioning the prosecution will pursue will be the level of the volunteer’s training.

If the church and the volunteer follow the OCSA program they will be able to present solid factual evidence that despite the ambiguities in Oklahoma law their volunteers had completed approximately the same number of classroom hours under qualified instructors required for a state security license and had fired the same minimum handgun qualification required of Oklahoma police officers. Not just committee meetings, bible studies, pancake breakfasts and “retreats” but solid classroom instruction by highly qualified instructors. While the OCSA cannot and does not claim to offer any sort of certification this body of evidence of documented training would place the volunteer in a much better place legally than a concealed carry permit and excuses. It could give a willing jury a plausible reason to refute the prosecution’s claim of negligence in training and preparation.

The major complaint we hear about the OCSA program is that it takes too large a time commitment. Far too many people expect their church security program to follow the model of their church in general. It all starts with a “decision” (salvation) followed by an outward commitment (baptism) and then participation (often minimal) of some sort (church attendance, serving on committees, attending bible studies, programs, etc.) Measurable, objective standards beyond showing up are minimal. Unfortunately, security unlike spiritual matters has immediately measurable standards and dire immediate consequences if the team is called upon to serve and those standards are not met.

The Oklahoma Church Security Association program is built upon a discipleship model. We seek to develop discipleship relationships with the students in this area of service. We choose instructors who actually have something to teach. All are qualified instructors in the real world with real world experience in their area of expertise not just the church. And most of the instructors are also men who have been set aside for leadership and service by their community of faith. Consequently, they have both martial skills to share and spiritual depth.

The OCSA accepts approximately fifty new people per year from approximately five new churches for this training program. For more information respond to this email or call Bill Kumpe at 918-381-9792.

Brick House Church Security Programs

 

The delusion that church violence does not happen in small Oklahoma towns and cities was (again) shattered this week when a Pryor pastor was stabbed multiple times. LINK. Two church members intervened and disarmed the woman who accused the Church of Christ of being a cult as she attacked the pastor. The woman was detained by local police and remanded into federal custody due to her tribal citizenship. 

Pastors should always be covered by a couple of physically fit men, never more than a couple of steps away, always sitting on an aisle seat on the front or second row. Do not double task musicians for this duty. These men should have empty hand training and be fit enough to subdue an attacker. They should train as a team since it frequently takes two strong men working in concert just to subdue one diminutive woman who decides to resist.  A strong man high on drugs or alcohol or experiencing a mental health event can take several men.

Too many people tend to either disrespect edged weapons or shy away from using deadly force when faced by an attacker using one. This event ended well because the attacker was not skilled with the knife. A person who knows what they are doing with a knife can kill you before you can draw your weapon if you let them get close enough.

Most Americans don’t understand the knife culture. In much of the world personally owned firearms are illegal, expensive and hard to obtain. The knife is the weapon of choice on the streets. In many of these cultures children learn how to use a knife at an early age.  Even children can be dangerous and teenagers and adults are often very, very good with their edged weapons. That is the reason for the now controversial but very practical 21 foot rule in law enforcement which states that an edged weapon drawn within 21 feet must be treated as an attack with a deadly weapon and countered with deadly force. The “optics” and “public relations” aspects of this rule are often problematic because (1) civilians don’t understand just how dangerous a knife attack is and (2) many in the community tend to blame anyone that uses force regardless of the danger of the situation.

Churches must remember that there are mentally unstable people who wish to do them harm. Churches must remember that there are politically motivated people who wish to do them harm. And they must remember that there are foreign nationals who wish to do the church harm. The number of these individuals and groups and the nexus of triggering events leading to attacks on churches by them is increasing exponentially.

After an event like this, the OCSA often gets queries about training. The churches often want something done quickly and immediately. The problem is that teaching church security properly is not a one day or one weekend event. These requests could be compared to demanding someone fix the roof after it has already started raining.

Churches typically follow the old folk tale/parable of the three little pigs concerning church security. A huge percentage play through a seemingly endless summer paying no attention to their security needs until an unfortunate event occurs. Some then build their security program like a house of straw. It looks good enough on the surface but there is no structure supporting it. The first challenge will see it blown away. Others build a house of sticks. There is enough rigidity to withstand minor situations and give the appearance of safety but there is still no solid framework anchored in a strong foundation.

Building a brick house church security program takes time and effort. The church needs to start long before events force the issue. There has to be a solid foundation built upon scripture taught to solid men who can be depended upon. There has to be an equally solid framework of skills and procedures supporting the walls. And the walls have to be solid in substance not just appearance. There must be strength and rigidity throughout the structure.

The Oklahoma Church Security Association builds brick house security programs. We start with a foundation of scripture and then build a solid framework of skills and procedures which will support the walls protecting the congregation. The OCSA training program for 2026 will begin in January. For further information answer this email or contact Bill Kumpe at 918-381-9792.

Why Pastors Reject Professional Church Security Programs

 

Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training recently wrote an insightful article titled “Why Church Leaders Reject Your Ideas Even When You’re Right.” LINK The article explains why church leadership often overlooks the advice of skilled even professional security volunteers in their congregation. The article is good so far as it goes, making the key point that even Jesus was unable to have an effective ministry in his home town/home church. Mark 6:5 I would like to take that idea a step further.

Many issues facing the church can be traced back to theological roots. Church security is no exception. How a church defines the Christian life and Christian duty will pretty well determine how they choose to define their security program.

Far too many expect their security program to follow the model of their church in general. It all starts with a “decision” (salvation) followed by an outward commitment (baptism) and then participation (often minimal) of some sort (church attendance, serving on committees, attending bible studies, programs, etc.) Measurable, objective standards beyond showing up are minimal. For many, this is the model of the Christian life. In many cases, no mention is ever made either from the pulpit or otherwise about how the convert is to apply their Christianity to their daily lives away from the church and what that may cost. True discipleship and costly commitment may be given lip service in a few churches but is often not  a real part of the life of the church.

Given the above, these churches expect their security program to follow the same outline. They want a quick, one and done, easy to sell fix that makes everyone feel better about their church’s security without delving too deep into what is required to make that feeling a reality. Beginning with a revival style meeting that stirs up a lot of emotion, followed by an invitation to “do something” the church may then maybe go home and form a committee or appoint someone to implement that “something.” That “something” is not always well defined and may involve as little as forming the committee, having an occasional meeting or buying “Security” tee shirts for the ushers. There is often a lot of talk, little if any meaningful action and any action that may be taken is often achingly slow. The talk and appearance of “doing something” often makes the church feel safer without accomplishing much. While this management model may work for most church matters (in the short term at least), it usually does not make the church any safer.

In many if not most cases, the security initiative simply dies on the vine after a few weeks or months. In some cases, security definitions and requirements are repeatedly defined downward to accommodate the “revival style” Christian life model to the point that they are ineffective or meaningless. Sadly, many churches that follow this model delude themselves into thinking that they have “done something” about the security of their flock. Unfortunately, security unlike spiritual matters has immediately measurable standards and dire immediate consequences if the team is called upon and those standards are not met.

This is first and foremost a theological problem. Matthew 28:19,20 says: “Therefore go and make DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” It does not say make easy converts, committee members or pew warmers. It says to make DISCIPLES. This begs the question “what is a disciple.”

The Greek word used here is matheteuo, literally to become a pupil. However this definition alone misses the context. Originally, there were twelve disciples and one of them was an apostate. They each dropped everything and followed Jesus at great cost. All became convicted felons for the faith. Only one of them died a natural death and that after he had been boiled in oil, survived and then sent into exile on a desert island. Historically both in biblical times and to this day, becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ has been a costly undertaking.

One modern example of a disciple was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who was hung for refusing to cooperate with and openly opposing Nazi authorities. For Bonhoeffer, a disciple is someone who practices "costly grace" through absolute, self-denying obedience to Jesus Christ, involving a complete break from their old life and a new existence of following Christ in the world. This means rejecting "cheap grace," which is the idea of forgiveness without a true commitment, and instead embracing a life of hardship and sacrifice as a fundamental aspect of discipleship. True discipleship is not an abstract belief, but a concrete, personal relationship characterized by humble, unwavering obedience even in the face of suffering.ⁱ 

An even more modern example is Dr. Francis Schaeffer the American/Swiss theologian and author whose highly intelligent books in the 1970’s and ‘80’s sounded a remarkably pertinent warning of what was coming for Western culture. His followers working out of Switzerland illegally smuggled truck loads of Bibles and Christian books across the borders into Iron Curtain countries while also leading illegal bible studies. The La Abri workers were largely responsible for the Christian revolt in Poland which brought down the entire Iron Curtain. According to Francis Schaeffer, a disciple is a consecrated follower of Christ who applies the Christian faith to all areas of life, demonstrates visible love for other Christians, and is committed to walking with God moment by moment.ⁱⁱ

In short, a disciple is a person who has committed their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and lives out that lordship in every aspect of their life both within and without the church regardless of the cost. For the disciple there is no bifurcated “Christian life.” It is one life and Jesus is Lord over it all.

The Oklahoma Church Security Association program is built upon a discipleship model. In this one small area of the volunteer’s life and duty and subsequently the operation of their churches we seek to develop discipleship relationships in this area through intensive training and measurable goals and standards.

We choose instructors who actually have something to teach. All are qualified instructors in the real world with real world experience in their area of expertise not just the church. And most of the instructors are also men who have been set aside for leadership and service by their community of faith. Consequently, they have both martial skills to share and spiritual depth to accompany them.

Our program is designed not just to expose the students to the necessary information but to teach it to them in a way that encourages them to apply it both in the church security context and in daily life. Firearms are only a small part of our total program and that training is reserved for those necessary few who qualify for it. The bulk of the program consists of common, practical, everyday life skills which will allow the student to handle life situations both in the church and on the street in a safer, more efficient way. Aside from regular doses of scripture, we teach situational awareness, verbal de-escalation skills, hospitality skills, first aid and first on scene trauma care BEFORE we even begin talking about firearms and tactical skills.

This program cannot be successfully taught on a Saturday morning. It takes several months of meeting one Saturday per month with reading assignments and practice drills in between. And that is where the cost becomes apparent. It takes commitment, dedication and some minor level of sacrifice to complete our program. The students may have to miss a Saturday pancake breakfast or a softball game or two. They will need to read several books. The training may stretch their comfort level. If selected for firearms training they will certainly have to spend time on the range between classes.

There are multiple facets to the life of a disciple and this is only one of them for those who are called to this ministry. Our job at the OCSA is to provide those who are called with the guidance and training they need to both protect their flocks and develop personally and spiritually through the process.

The OCSA program takes one year. The 2026 training year will begin in January. We take no more than 50 people from no more than 10 churches per year. Numerous people have cautioned us or even complained that the OCSA training program is too long and rigorous. They want either a one day preferably a one morning or evening bible study type program that makes everybody feel good and teaches no effective skills or they want firearms training only, usually again one day or morning preferably. This presents something of a dilemma for us since, unlike most civilians, we realize that:

(a) while they are the apex skill, firearms skills represent only a tiny percentage of the total skills package necessary for an effective church security team

(b) the requirements to survive and prevail in an actual armed security event are far more difficult than the typical training and shooting done by most civilians;

(c) in a high stress situation most people lose 80 percent of their training and will operate more or less on instinct and muscle memory meaning that to be effective the training must be regular, intense and develop instinctual performance;

(d) if one of our people is required to use his firearm there will be legal consequences and the first thing the prosecution will examine will be their training and;

(e) the legal standard for use of a firearm is the same for a police officer or a civilian, there is no “that’s good enough for church work” legal exception.

Charles, Johnny and I (the three primary OCSA instructors) all hold state security licenses. Recently, Charles and I shot our annual state firearms re-qualification. The exam was conducted by a law enforcement level certified instructor/examiner in another city.  We both scored in the 90’s. A passing score is 72.

Charles and I are both on the high side of 70. We both have significant service connected disabilities. We both have health issues. I can’t speak to how Charles felt during his round other than to say he made it look very easy. He shot the entire uniformed officer qualification in the time it took me to visit the facilities and re-load my magazines. It wasn’t that easy for me, but I dropped my cane, blocked out the pain, sucked it up and concentrated on what had to be done. I’m not writing this to brag. This is a normal part of the job for law enforcement and professional security personnel. It is unique for us only because we teach and practice church security where there usually are no professional standards to speak of.

While firearms skills represent only a tiny percentage of the total skills package necessary for a successful church security program they are the apex skill. Your church security team has to have a few people who if necessary can successfully confront an armed threat. And all of the team has to train together to make effective use of these apex skilled personnel. The OCSA training program takes a year for good reasons. As I have said many times before, we are just not willing to work with people who are not just as interested in:

(a) learning how to spot a problem and prevent it rather than confronting it

(b) learning how to defuse a confrontation if possible without an altercation

(c) learning the medical skills necessary to save a life as well the armed skills to take one.

This takes time and commitment. Most churches have the “kind of people” capable of forming a quality security team. The problem is mental and spiritual, not physical or historical. It just takes time and commitment to develop this skills package both as individuals and as an institution. It’s not rocket science. Most people can do it if they set their mind to it. The military proved this during the draft years. When forced by circumstances most average boys and men can be trained to become warriors.

The only real question for the church is are the individuals and the church corporately willing to make the commitment to keep their flock safe. 

The Oklahoma Church Security Association will begin its annual training cycle in January, 2026.  Instructors are available for the rest of this year to consult with church leadership about the program.  For further information, respond to this email or call Bill Kumpe at 918-381-9792.