{"id":115277,"date":"2026-02-23T18:12:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=115277"},"modified":"2026-02-23T18:15:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:15:01","slug":"115277","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=115277","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Hope Isn\u2019t a Plan: Is Your Church a Sitting Duck?<\/a><\/p>\n

Denial isn\u2019t just stupid\u2014it has no survival value. Acting as though the wolves only hunt other sheep in other pastures?\u00a0 That\u2019s not faith, that\u2019s wishful thinking. So why then do many Christian churches (along with synagogues) opt not to have safety teams?<\/p>\n

Are they counting on God\u2019s divine protection? God helps those who help themselves and standing unprepared for evil to come knocking has real-world consequences for real people.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been to a handful of churches that have top notch safety teams and like many, I\u2019ve been to churches that not only had multiple unlocked and unmonitored entrances \u2014 some dark by the way \u2014 that had no safety team at all. Unfortunately, unprepared or ill-prepared is still the norm.\u00a0 Yes, even at events and major religious holidays that bring crowds.<\/p>\n

These unprotected churches are sitting ducks.\u00a0 At one Christmas Eve service I attended, no one had radios or earpieces. No one, save a dad or three who looked like hard-charging alphas, were anywhere to be seen or found. And those men clearly were on dad duty, not part of a safety and security team.<\/p>\n

The greeters? Sweet smiles, zero comms. At that service a few years ago, many in the congregation joined me and slipped in through a shadowy lower-level door from the back parking lot\u2026unmanned, unlocked, and unmonitored. It was a perfect back door through which to stage a nightmare. Before, during and after the service?\u00a0 The pastor stood exposed like a trophy buck in an open field.<\/p>\n

I run with security-minded folks, including some who have done it professionally. When I talked about this one particular church they simply shook their heads in disbelief. \u201cThey\u2019re one bad incident from going under,\u201d one said.\u00a0 Indeed.<\/p>\n

When one, with sarcasm in his voice, raised the possibility of a super-professional, Secret Service level team, we all laughed. With open side doors and zero visible presence? That\u2019s not discreet, that\u2019s delusional. Unmonitored, dark entrances and an utter lack of thought about congregants\u2019 safety? That kind of negligence is wishful thinking and can turn peace on earth into last rites.<\/p>\n

Why do so many religious institutions still play ostrich? Because facing evil means admitting it exists. As for admitting that guns might be necessary to protect people, that\u2019s clearly too icky for the pearl-clutchers in the congregation who think psalms and lordly vibes are body armor enough. As if lunatics and criminals give a damn about holy water and hymnals.<\/p>\n

The only thing that stops bad guys with evil in their hearts is a good guy or gal with a gun.<\/p>\n

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