Free Republic

A recent Lifeway survey of Protestant pastors shows that armed congregants protect more than 50% of protestant churches. While these security arrangements vary in their level of sophistication on a church-by-church basis, nearly the same number of pastors who report the use of armed congregants report that there is an intentional plan in place to prepare for threats posed by an active shooter. Though various state and local laws currently regulate and limit the use of concealed carry weapons by church security teams in various locale, a proposed federal law would criminalize the preparations made by many armed church security...

Zoar Lutheran Church on Lake Superior’s North Shore received its first threatening note Oct. 3. The second came soon after. The third note was posted to the church sign a few weeks ago. According to Chief Deputy Will Sandstrom, the case is still under investigation. “We have taken some of our items and are having them analyzed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension,” he said. Sandstrom said one note was handwritten and two were typed. All of the notes were left on the property at some point. Neither the Rev. Daren Blanck nor the sheriff’s office would elaborate on what...

Around the world, Christians are targeted for persecution and martyrdom, something that is developing even in the United States. But even as church leaders increasingly are on guard against threats of murderous violence, experts warn they may be ignoring a far more common threat – sexual assault against congregants. “Sexual assaults taking place on church property is an epidemic in our nation,” Carl Gallups told WND. “The reasons for it are numerous (and sometimes complex), but the main problem is that most churches have an abysmal lack of adequate security measures. While many churches are concerned about the growing trend...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09030071.htm Thursday, March 12, 2009 Christian Security Expert Jeff Hawkins says Churches not Immune from Random Acts of Violence, Need to be Prepared By Michael Ireland Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service LAKE FOREST, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- A pastor shot to death during a Sunday morning service, a policeman and two soldiers killed in Northern Ireland, a shooting rampage that killed ten in Alabama, and 15 murdered by a disgruntled student in Germany. Random acts of violence affecting and forever changing the lives of those around the victims who have been gunned down in...