Keeping Churches Safe and Welcoming

Churches were once thought of as sacred spaces. But today, congregations must address the reality of keeping members safe. A United Methodist church in Boise, Idaho recently hosted a church safety summit for hundreds of church leaders to think through scenarios from active shooters to how to keep church day-cares secure. Joe Prin is the facility manager for Cathedral of the Rockies United Methodist. He says most churches have members with backgrounds in law enforcement and the military who can lend their gifts to a church safety ministry. “We have to prepare as much for this as we do about deciding how to feed people who are hungry. This is as critical of a ministry as anything else that we do,” says Prin.