Fear among churches is rising as they become increasingly targeted by protestors or terrorists.
Thousands of worshippers gather in different churches every week. In America, small and mega churches are considered the sanctuary of Christians. However, the violence in such places continued to often, gradually becoming a target for attack.
Andy Willis, the head security of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, said to CBN News, "Today, churches that speak the truth, that teach and preach true biblical principles, they draw a lot of attention because there are a lot of components of society today that don't want to hear that."
Bellevue Baptist Church was founded in 1903 and has an estimate of 30,000 members. It is considered as one of the megachurches in the United States. With its rising members and security threats, Willis revealed working with volunteers and security professionals to work quietly behind the scenes to ensure security among the church goers.
"As a church security team, we have to be prepared for those kinds of situations, to intervene and to protect the flock," Willis said. "Obviously everyone has issues. Church is the place to bring your issues. In the security department, it's our job to have discernment to determine which of those issues are dangerous to others."
"And if we make that determination, we try to do intervention in a meaningful way, to point them at the right resources to help them," he added.
Tim Miller, a former secret service agent, helps in maintaining the security of the church. He said the threat against churches is increasing globally.
He said to CBN, "Violence against Christians is rampant around the world. It hasn't necessarily touched us at the level it has other places, but if we think we're immune from that, we're sadly mistaken."
"We will begin as a nation to experience that same level of violence," warned Miller. "And actually the methodology we're seeing today, that same methodology is coming to the United States. They question for us is, are we prepared to address it?"
"You're going into a place where broken people are going to be meeting every week. Broken people like me. And we need to keep in mind that that security we're providing needs to be ministry-based, but it needs to be every bit as good," he added.
He said state-of-the art cameras are used to secure the members. The camera system monitors and records the activities of the continually, and it is extremely important for protection. He said cameras are not very expensive and is protection is achieved "in a liability situation that you won't have if you don't have it."
Also, children are especially protected by using computerised system print labels for each child. The system also determines the kids' medication and even food allergies. Bellevue's security team considered nurse and paramedics in safeguarding the protection of children. They have Shelley Trigg as their nurse and paramedic.
"We work very closely with the security department," said Trigg. "We have plans in place should something tragic like a shooting occur. We work very closely with the security department; we are trained to take the trauma bag with us. We have everything here from aspirin to a gunshot wound kit."
Before the interview ended, Willis gave advice to all Christians, saying "the biggest thing that makes me cringe when I talk to other churches about security is they will say, 'We don't have security; we're just praying that nothing happens."
"So when I hear that, I think, it's like my son saying to me, 'Hey I've got a big test tomorrow, but God already knows the grade I'm going to get, so I'm just going to leave it up to Him,'" he shared. "It's important for us to understand that while we are to trust God, God has a big part for us to play in His plan."
"At the end of the day they need to marry faith with wisdom and action," he said. "It's time for Christians to become educated about what's going on in the world, to be prayerful, and then to be prepared. And those things will make a difference."
Amy is a Press Services International Columnist from Adelaide. She has a BA in Creative Writing and Screen & Media, and now works as a freelance photographer, videographer and writer. She was runner-up in the 2018 Basil Sellars Award. Her previous articles can be viewed here: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/amy-manners.html