Graybeard Outdoors

A lot of my students seem to be interested in church security. While laws differ from state to state, North Carolina has no law against carrying a concealed weapon in a church, unless their is a sign posted prohibiting it, or unless a person in charge(usually a head of a deacon board, or the pastor, depending on how the church is set up, makes a statement to that effect. It is against the law for individuals to offer security services for a fee unless they are licensed by the state, but apparently there isn't anything to keep people from volunteering to provide security in their church, armed or unarmed.

What I always try to explain to them is that concealed carry is a good place to start, because you get a background check with your permit, but that having a concealed carry permit is not qualification to be a church security officer.

I deally, Church security officers should have the same qualifications as thge other two biblical officers of the church, the pastors and the deacons. They should be filled with the Holy Ghost, full of wisdom, willing to serve, and above all, sold out 100% to Jesus Christ.

Two other qualifications are pretty obvious. First, is the individual willing to be maimed or Killed for Christ's sake? Would they be willing to lay down their life for their pastor, and or the other members of the congregation. ASecond, are they willing to do what George patton thought was nessecary in a soldier; make some other poor s.o.b. lay down his life for his cause, whatever that may be. The Bibble tells us we wiull judge angels one day, so we should all be able to make life and death descisions, and then carry them out. Some of us are better able to do that than others. If someone throws a bomb into a crowded sanctuary, would you A) stand there like everybody else B) chase downe the bomber, and engage him c) Jump on the bomb. D) instill order into a frightened crowd of worshipers and get them out the door. YOu had better be ready, willing and able to do all of the latter three, depending on your proximity to the bomb. "A" answers will disqualify you.

The right individual must be descisive, very forcefull, and at the same time still have compassion. They must have enough love for their fellow man to jump on a bomb, and enough agression to shoot a bomber stone cold without a doubt dead. Hard to find in the same individual.

There are a lot of othe things i could add, but one of the most important ones is to be ever vigilant, yet not take yourself too seriously. The chances of an active shooter situation in a church is about 5-7 in three hundred thousand. You are much more likely to get used as an auxilliary step and fetch it by the pastor(s) than to get into a gunbattle with Satan's minnions. To protect and SERVE ring a bell? There is a great deal more to keeping a congregation safe than toting your favorite hawg leg up under your Sunday coat. CPR, Heimlich manuever, difibulaor, blood/ bodily fluid cleanup, looking for lost children, etc. I have had the priveledge of being the first one to get to people who were having an emotional break down. they just neede a hug and a kind word or two, and some prayer.