Over the years I have had the opportunity to visit many churches and ministries, not only in a business capacity, but also as a visitor or guest.

What always amazes me is how these organizations will leave the doors unlocked for just anyone to walk in and not have any type of receptionist to greet, screen, or direct people.

This includes city, suburb, and country churches.

I have wandered around churches, just looking for someone to direct me where to go or find the person I am looking for. I walk in and out of classrooms, offices, and sanctuaries.

Sometimes I have even walked right by staff or volunteers, who either does not look up from what they are doing or smile as I walk by.

I walk by things like laptop computers, AV equipment and if I looked closer, I bet I could find purses or wallets in the unattended offices.

Not only is this a problem from a security standpoint, but also it doesn’t make a good first impression if you have never been to that church or ministry before.

There are usually several ways to solve this problem, such as re-design of the entrance in to a foyer type setting where people can enter, but only go so far before they encounter a receptionist or a telephone or intercom system. Or to lock certain doors and have signs to direct people where to go.

Much depends on the building design and business operations, however there are always solutions.

Then there are many other churches and ministries that do have a receptionist at a desk when you walk in to greet and direct you; this is obviously a big plus in terms of security and good business practice.

However, when I get a chance to speak with these receptionists I always ask them what is the procedure if someone walks in and starts to cause a problem or acts suspicious or agitated?

Most of the time they state that they would pick up the phone and call someone. Then I ask, “What if picking up the phone calling for help would aggravate or escalate the situation?”

In one instance I went to a Christian TV studio that was pretty security conscious. They had a lobby area with a receptionist and the front door was locked and you could only enter if the receptionist “buzzed” you in.

This is a good idea in case the receptionist has to step away or is busy doing something; a visitor just can’t walk in without being noticed. The door-buzzer forced the receptionist to look up at who was at the door, which is a good security measure.

In this particular location they even had card access readers at all doors leading out of the lobby into the offices, which again, was a good control measure.

But of course, working in the security and preparedness world I had to ask her “What if you buzzed me in and then I became threatening or abusive?” to which she responded “I never thought of that”.

This is not uncommon in the Christian church or ministry or the secular business world. Many organizations place a receptionist in the front line position to control guests, but do not have a plan in place as to what that receptionist would do if they needed assistance.

Many businesses, even Christian organizations, have installed “duress alarms” which are tied into their alarm systems. Just like bank “hold-up” alarms, these are buttons placed under the desk that can be silently pushed to call for help.

However not all churches or ministries can afford to run duress alarms to key positions within their organization and tie them into existing alarms systems, if they have an alarm system at all.

This was one of the reasons why the Christian Security Network has recently partnered with the Silent Angel Alert System, which is new technology that uses existing cell phones or landlines and turns them into silent duress alarms.

A push of a button on the phone sends a silent signal to a central alarm station that will act on whatever procedures have been pre-determined (i.e. call the local police, call or text one or two people within the organization, etc.).

This is a low cost, easy solution to a serious security problem.

As with all things, personnel, whether they are staff or volunteers, need to be trained as to how to handle suspicious, agitated, or threatening people.

Assessing people, acting quickly, and having a plan are critical to protect these front line personnel.

In Christ,
Jeff Hawkins
Executive Director