Understanding your legal requirements in your state.
July 2008
One of the concerns that many churches have when they look at establishing a Safety or Security Team is what are they legally permitted to do? Putting aside the well known separation of church and state limitations that exist, we all know that churches are required to follow both state and federal guidelines on many issues such as fire codes, employment regulations, food preparation standards, etc. When we look at the legal requirements, trying to understand what regulations apply to a church security team can be a very taxing experience.
Adding to the situation is the fact that the laws and regulations in two neighboring states can be vastly different. Some states have minimal regulations while others are very extensive. In some states a church team must be a “Safety Team” not a “Security Team”. Finally, being “paid” verses “volunteer” can also determine what regulation you operate under. To help understand the process that your church will need to embark on, I reviewed the regulations for private security for Ohio. The journey to try to understand the regulations for our state lead me to contact the Ohio Department of Public Safety as detailed below.
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GUN Shot Avoidance Video!
Dear Glen and Jack,
I recently subscribed as a Church Security member, and subsequently purchased the Church Security CD and Manual Starter Pack. I am a retired law enforcement officer, who appreciates the effort that you have put into your material. Since I retired from the Missouri State Highway Patrol in December 2006, I have been doing private consulting and investigations. During my MSHP career, I was a certified trainer in defensive tactics, to include reactive firearms training (red-handled gun), so I appreciate the spirit with which you have developed and tailored your program to the church.........
Last week, I provided our pastor with the gunshot avoidance video that was included in an E-mail that you sent out last week. He was very impressed with the content, and the way in which it was presented.......
My pastor has requested that I accompany him to the next church conference meeting, to address the conference about security issues, to include gunshot avoidance and the security manual ........
Kindest Regards,
Rick W
Our Security Team was APPROVED!
Hi Glen and Jack,
Well, my partner and I met with Pastor this morning at his request. 100% positive results. Pastor has given us the go ahead to get a risk assessment done, add a couple to our team, outline plan/policy/procedures, contact local law enforcement & fire depts, contact our insurance underwriter, etc etc. Pastor has actually felt the need to do something for some time now, but we'll start small and work our way up, and we're all pretty excited about it.
Your "Basics...How to get Started" manual has been a great help. I'm not sure our presentation to Pastor would have been as effective without it. My partner is impressed with it too, and is ordering his own copy, so he doesn't have to swipe mine. ........
Thanks for all your help. God bless.
Steve R.
Comments on Church Security Startup CD Kit
I received your kit a couple weeks ago. OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!
Without going into too many details, I will just tell you that it saved me weeks of work. You thought of things that I never would have considered and put it all at my finger tips.
Thanks for your guidance and support.
God Bless,
Troy C.
Kingwood, Texas
The Church Security Ministry.....is such a vital part of our church ministry. People come to hear the wonderful message of Jesus Christ...the church needs to be a safe place.
Our church security team provides our church family the freedom to focus on ministry while they keep the environment safe and protected. It is a new day in church life and this ministry is a must!
Whenever there is a church violence incident we get a lot of questions about CCW. This is a moral choice each organization must grapple with in light of Scripture. The organization below can shed light on the topic better than anyone from a legal perspective. Click on the button below.
