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Security at your church

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by FriendofSpurgeon, Nov 8, 2017.

  1. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
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    Given the recent mass murders in the Texas church, as well as the prayer meeting shooting in South Carolina, is your church doing anything to improve security?

    This is what I know is happening at three churches ---

    Church 1 - There is an armed security guard at every service.
    Church 2 - There is an armed plain-clothes security guard who sits in the sanctuary.
    Church 3 - There are deacons who stay in the lobby (non-armed) who also assist with late-comers, etc.

    Just wondering.
     
  2. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    We have had for years a security team that is at the main church for pretty much most events that the congregation comes to. They are plain clothes but have lanyard badges to show that they are security. Some are armed and some are not. Those who are armed are all current or retired police and/or military and even former secret service. At the two other campuses, we don't have official "security" teams but let's just say that the people are protected. Our campus is as protected as some famous football stars thanks to an attendee who has a very "secure" job. ;)
     
  3. David Kent

    David Kent Well-Known Member
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    Only in the USA
     
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  4. Katarina Von Bora

    Katarina Von Bora Active Member

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    We attend church in Arizona. The wild, wild west. Both my husband and I have concealed weapon permits. We carry.
     
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  5. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    What about that pistol packin' mama Rhoda (Acts 12:13) who was manning the door at the prayer meeting?
     
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  6. Bro. Curtis

    Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>
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    Yeah. The pope has armed guards. Try breaking into his service. And Muslims are very often seen with guns in a religious context.

    NOT only in the USA. Good try, though.
     
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  7. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    Amen. Remember this?:

    KUSA-TV 9News - Colorado Springs Pastor Brady Boyd

    "New Life Church in Colorado Springs....a shooter walked into that church a decade ago, he was met by a woman with a gun. Jeanne Assam was a volunteer security guard who shot the gunman"

    "'On a Sunday morning, December 9, 2007, a young man came on our campus...came into our building opened fire...one of our voluntary security guards stopped him. She was the hero, she was certainly a hero of our church, no doubt about it.'"
     
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  8. David Kent

    David Kent Well-Known Member
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    Nice try, but the pope is not a christian neither are Muslims.

    Anyone at our church who carried a gun would be excommunicated , (I would hope, but is hasn't happened in any church I know in UK) nor even the Mormons when they come in to spy us out). Of course anyone who did would probably be arrested and get 5 years in clink. We have not had any outrages like your recent one and you have had others.
     
  9. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    We were already starting the process of having certain members, such as military/police in our church , get licensed to carry concealed firearms, and the latest shooting just speeded that up!
     
  10. Reynolds

    Reynolds Well-Known Member
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    Me too.
     
  11. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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  12. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Gun crimes in the US has been on the decline for a number of years now. Apparently violent crime is on the rise in the UK.
     
  13. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    If you call people who carry guns not Christian I don't believe you can be a Christian.


    See I can make up stuff as well.
     
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  14. David Kent

    David Kent Well-Known Member
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    Yes but you take the name of God.
     
  15. OnlyaSinner

    OnlyaSinner Well-Known Member
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    I'm glad that you stated the final sentence above as a belief, not a judgment, because such judgments of another's spiritual state are not ours to make. Scripture says, "By their fruits shall ye know them", but as someone (can't remember the name) recently said, we are to be fruit inspectors, not botanists. No one knows for sure whether I'm truly saved except God and me.

    An armed member at the Texas church might've saved 20+ lives had he taken down the shooter before the guy entered the building (he'd already shot several outside.) By not acting, that member would be deciding the fates of many others beside himself.
    Whether or not to use violence to prevent further violence is not an open-and-shut decision. I think appealing to Christ's actions when He was confronted at Gethsemane offers little guidance, as He knew that His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection were according to the Father's sovereign will. We can claim no such surety of knowledge.

    And in response to the OP, our church is practicing #3, though I've not asked whether any of the deacons are carrying.
     
  16. Bro. Curtis

    Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>
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    You made no such caveat. Smarmy answer completely ignored. Don’t care what you do over there.
     
  17. Reynolds

    Reynolds Well-Known Member
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    I wouldn't want to come to your church. Sound like a bunch of left wing pacifists.
     
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  18. Squire Robertsson

    Squire Robertsson Administrator
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    Careful here, you're both running up on some cultural rocks and shoals. Reynolds, please keep in mind continental Baptists are traditionally pacifists. Though, English Baptists have a history of serving in HM's Forces. It's a theological position, not a political one. In other words, an Englishman could be a Thatcherite Tory and still be a pacifist on personal terms.
     
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  19. Reynolds

    Reynolds Well-Known Member
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    I am aware of the theological position. It still does not change my opinion. I am sure you are aware by now that there is little to no separation between my politics and my theology. My theology guided and dominates all my positions, including my politics.
     
  20. David Kent

    David Kent Well-Known Member
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    Did Jesus take a sword into the temple?
    The Zealots did and caused the temple to be destroyed.
     
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