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.