There are many churches and ministries in the U.S. that even in these hard economic times, God is blessing them with the ability to fund new church buildings or expansions to existing ones.

I have been around the country and seen some outstanding work that glorifies God and speaks well of the people who serve Him. Maybe it is these hard economic times that bring out the best in Christians?

But there is one step that is often missed during the planning and construction phase of a new church or expansion or renovation and that is calling us too late!

When we do Risk Assessments for churches and ministries, they tend to wait until after the building is built to ask what can be done to protect the building and this either makes security and safety difficult or very costly.

There is a misunderstanding that when a church is being designed that there is not enough money to include security systems; at the most a fire alarm will be installed because it is fire code and maybe a burglar alarm system.

But beyond that there is not much else that is done.

Security is more than alarm systems and not all security systems are electronic; nor do they have to be in place and operating when the building is finished.

CPTED is an acronym used in the law enforcement and security world and stands for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.

Basically it is looking for ways to increase safety and reduce risk in the design phase.

For instance, I was at a beautiful new church recently and when I asked about how they handle visitors during the week. They gave me the answer that many churches give: “We leave the doors unlocked and signs that direct the visitors to the church secretary”.

I pointed out that if they had designed the rear entrance of the church to have a locked lobby area where the church secretary or receptionist could greet people through a window or even have had a video-intercom system, their security and access control would have been greatly improved – not for any additional cost, just by a different design of the entrance.

And not only would this suggestion have increased safety and security, but it would have been a comfortable way for people to enter the church, be promptly greeted, and been very professional and comfortable.

The same is with landscaping, parking, and lighting. Proper design can increase security without additional cost, just the proper design.

Also, adding in the design phase of what might be needed later, but cannot be afforded at the time, can still save a lot of money in the long run if the systems are integrated in the overall plans while the church is in the design and construction stages.

For instance, a church may wish to have CCTV (security cameras), but feel they cannot afford it with the cost of the new building. But designing the system and putting in the wiring during the construction is far less costly than going back later and trying to retrofit a system into existing construction. And in the case of CCTV, wiring is often the greatest cost, but if it is completed when other wiring is being done, the cost drops dramatically compared to a later installation.

Another factor is that we tell churches and ministries that their CCTV, alarms, and access control systems all need to be integrated for the best efficiency and ease of use. However, again we see burglar alarm systems that are put in during construction without thought or planning of how they will be integrated with systems that they may want to install down the line.

Planning ahead, getting advice, and doing preliminary installation during construction can save time and money in the long run.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

In Christ,
Jeff Hawkins
Executive Director