Security Planning For Your Church in Kentucky

Do churches really need security? Isn’t it the goal to welcome in people from the community and share your faith? While it’s true that churches often offer support for our society’s most vulnerable members, it’s also true that leaving a building open to the public and without security can be a big mistake.

Many churches have private areas where they keep cash donations, confi­dential parish­ioner records, or valuable equipment. These spaces may not be suitable or safe for public access. Additionally, since churches might not be in use daily, theft or damage could go unnoticed for days, depending on the church’s activity schedule. It’s crucial to ensure the safety of these sacred spaces.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how to keep private areas secure while giving your Kentucky church members and other locals access to the areas you want open.

Conduct a Security Assessment

Before you can start installing church security, you need to know where the building is vulnerable and what the security needs are. A building with large, stained glass motifs might need a different approach than a modern building with reinforced glass windows.

During a security assessment, one of our experts helps you determine what you need to secure and what the best methods are to do that. An assessment helps you create a church security plan that’s tailored to your congregation.

Install a Trusted Security System

Once you have a plan for your building security, you need a trusted team for instal­lation and monitoring. It’s a good idea to work with one vendor for all of your system needs, stream­lining instal­lation and monitoring. At Bates Security, we handle every aspect of security, from access control to modern fire alarm systems.

Access Control

Access control is all about controlling entry to desig­nated areas. If your church offers services such as daycare or summer camps, you need to be able to secure the area where the children are playing. If you regularly get cash donations during services, you need a place to store the money where only a few members have access.

The use of commercial doors, quality locks, and automated entry systems allows you to give various church members access to controlled areas. If someone is volun­teering on the mainte­nance committee, they might get access to areas where the heating and air condi­tioning systems are, but if they can’t continue that commitment, you want to be able to remove their creden­tials. With mobile access control options, you can add and remove access in real time.

Video Services

Churches are places of worship, but that doesn’t mean they are immune from theft or vandalism. Adding video surveil­lance can help deter or catch any lawbreakers.

Fire Alarms

A crowded sanctuary is wonderful when sharing your faith and exploring its teachings, but it can be a challenge if an emergency happens during a sermon. Hard-wired and monitored fire alarms are an important part of any safety plan for a building that draws crowds. If your church has a large congre­gation, you might want to invest in a voice evacu­ation system. Newer buildings in Kentucky should already have them, but if your church is on the smaller size, it might not. If your building lacks a voice evacu­ation system, it’s an upgrade that can do a lot for safety and peace of mind.

Establish a Safety Team

Put together a team of people who know evacu­ation routes and what the plans are for different types of emergencies. While there haven’t been any shootings or other violent outbursts at churches in Kentucky, the recent incident at Old National Bank shows the impor­tance of prepa­ration for any scenario. Make sure your church security training shows your team what to do and how to guide your parish­ioners to safety.

Conduct Regular Emergency Drills

Make sure you run regular emergency drills so your safety team and your members get a chance to practice. Don’t fall into the trap of only practicing for one type of emergency. Your church security training should include practice for evacu­a­tions, shelter-in-place incidents, and active shooter drills, along with any drills specif­i­cally related to catastrophic weather conditions.

Offer Safety Training for Staff and Volunteers

When you have a team of trained people, start extending that training to other members of the church. At faith-based insti­tu­tions, you have staff, volun­teers, and members, all of whom can benefit from extra training on the church security plan.