This guidance equips any individual tasked with solo safety and security responsibilities to align their actions with the congregation’s mission, legal obligations, and operational reality. It addresses business considerations, liability, leadership engagement, playbook development, and personal resilience.
1. Rethinking the Title
Safety and Security roles in houses of worship are more than lone “defenders.” Consider titles that emphasize partnership and stewardship, such as:
- Safety & Security Steward
- Safety Ambassador
- Protection Coordinator
2. Define Your Mission Statement
- Craft a concise mission statement without the word “safety,” yet centered on protection and service. For example:
- “We cultivate an environment where every person can worship, learn, and serve without disruption.”
3. Recognize the House of Worship as a Business
- Houses of worship manage property, finances, and people much like any small nonprofit.
- Budgets for utilities, maintenance, insurance, and staffing must factor in security services.
- Solo security roles still carry business-risk implications: stolen assets, liability claims, and reputational harm.
4. Align Security Actions with Business & Insurance Requirements
- Review your insurance policy to confirm covered perils and response requirements.
- Ensure every action you take fits within policy definitions of “reasonable safety & security measures.”
- If your playbook directs you to actions outside those measures, detention, use of force, etc., leadership must pre-approve to protect coverage.
5. Securing Leadership Buy-In
- Present a clear ask: staffing hours, training budget, equipment needs, and playbook/policy/procedure approval.
- Emphasize that lack of structure can increase costs (higher premiums, denied claims) and vulnerability.
- Remind leaders of fiduciary duties and moral responsibilities to protect congregants.
6. Clarify Leadership Responsibilities
Leaders must:
- Review and formally adopt your policy or security plan
- Approve training, medical guidelines, and allowable response options
- Allocate resources for drills, personal protective equipment, and technology
- Maintain documented decisions to demonstrate due diligence
7. Operating in a Vacuum & the Need for a Playbook
- Without guidance, you may improvise under stress, raising risk and liability.
- A written procedure ensures consistency, reduces confusion, and supports incident review.
- Include scenarios, decision trees, communication protocols, and escalation paths.
8. Post-Incident Review & Insurance Implications
- After any incident, document every action and decision.
- Underwriters will verify that responses matched your approved policy/procedure/playbook.
- Deviations or undocumented choices may lead to claim denials or increased premiums.
- Failing to prepare and document a safety response plan can expose the organization to denials of insurance claims and civil lawsuits for negligence.
9. Personal vs. Organizational Liability
- Your personal actions may expose you to liability if they conflict with church policy or civil law.
- The house of worship can be vicariously liable for your actions if they’re within scope and approved.
- Clarify roles in writing: which decisions you can make autonomously, and what requires leadership sign-off.
10. Questions to Ask Leadership
- Which security scenarios must we plan for first?
- What level of force or intervention is authorized?
- How will we document approvals and after-action reports?
- What is our budget and timeline for training or equipment?
- Who will communicate with law enforcement or media if an incident occurs?
11. Leadership Direction & Support
Security Stewards need:
- A single point of contact in leadership for quick decisions
- Regular briefings or tabletop exercises
- Recognition of the mental and physical demands of solo response roles
12. Managing Burnout & Accepting Risk
- Recognize that 100% risk elimination is impossible. Focus on mitigation.
- Build peer support: quarterly check-ins with other Security Stewards or safety teams.
- Schedule rotations or backups when possible to avoid constant on-call duty.
- Encourage self-care: sleep, physical fitness, and debriefing after stressful events.
13. Willful Abdication of Responsibility
- If your request for resources or policy clarity is ignored, escalate to higher leadership or denominational authorities.
- Document all unmet requests in writing, this protects you and the organization later.
14. Speaking to Leadership: The Security Steward Context
When approaching leadership:
- Lead with mission: “How can we better protect our ability to worship freely?”
- Use concrete examples: “Last month, poor lighting in the parking lot led to a near-miss.”
- Frame requests in terms of cost avoidance and community trust.
15. Identifying the Problem vs. Business as Usual
- Conduct a simple gap analysis: list existing security measures, then note vulnerabilities.
- Present this “as-is” snapshot to show that without action, risks persist even if services continue.
16. Resources for Further Guidance
- Kearnan Consulting Group, LLC
- Church Security Solutions | Emergency Planning Consultant
- Home Page | CISA
- FB-ISAO – The Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO)
- Homepage – Secure Community Network
- Christian Warrior Training
- Meet Our Church Security Team | Sheepdog Church Security
- Online Church Safety and Security Training Courses
- FBSN – Faith Based Security Network
- ASIS Homepage
By reframing the role, clarifying expectations, and embedding security planning into your organizational structure, you protect both your congregation and yourself.