More than half of all Protestant churches across the country have security measures that include armed congregants, according to a new survey by Lifeway Research.
The survey, which interviewed 1,000 pastors throughout the United States, found that 54% of congregations include armed members in their audience. 81% of churches stated that they have some sort of procedure in place in the case of an active-shooter situation. However 17% of pastors (more than 1 in 6) stated that they have no security measures in place when their congregation meets for worship.
Compared to a study from 2019, there has been a small increase in the number of churches that include armed congregation members. However, fewer churches have security measures in place for active shooters.
“While churches may have different convictions on how to maintain security, it is surprising that fewer churches have an intentional plan for an active shooter than did in 2019,” stated Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell. “As churches cut back on activities during COVID, this may have been one of the initiatives that did not resume for some churches.”
One interesting factor in the results was the pastor’s race; 12% of black pastors say they have armed police officers standing guard at their church, while only 4% of white pastors said the same.
“Churches are not immune to violence, disputes, domestic disagreements, vandalism and burglary. While loving one another is a core Christian Teaching, churchgoers still sin, and non-churchgoers are invited and welcomed. So real security risks exist whether a congregation wants to acknowledge them or not.”
Lifeway Executive Director Scott McConnell
Taking the proper security members to protect church congregations is extremely important and something every pastor across the country should be doing. Having an active shooter plan in place, armed security outside, and armed congregants in the audience are all great steps at securing the safety and well-being of church members.
