0
Votes
Resolved
Do you have a policy for unwanted persons?
Tonight at youth group a neighbor showed up at our church. He said he was cranky about the traffic caused by our Wednesday night program starting back up, but everything about my interaction with him raised red-flags, so much so that I ended up calling the police.
So, we are looking at what we need to do as a staff to be prepared for unwanted persons. Do you have a policy or system in place? Are you willing to share?
- 2 Answers
- In Youth Ministry
-
- by
-
- Luke
- 321 Views
- 8 months ago
Answers
|
0 Votes
My church recently formed a security team to address these sorts of questions and to make policies about a wide variety of security related issues from emergency evacuation to child abduction to what to do about suspicious persons. We do want to be neighborly and inviting to all, but in this day and age we also have to be mindful about security and safety - especially with events that involve children. I was actually visiting a church a few years ago when a child was kidnapped from the nursery. Fortunately the child was quickly found and was unharmed, but it goes to show that no church is 100% safe - not anymore. It's smart to be thinking through your plan, and I don't think you were out of line calling the police. One other thought, do you have any police officers who attend your church? They might be great resources. If not, try contacting a local police department and asking them these questions - it could be a great way to build a bridge into your community. I live in Michigan and the State Police here have actually put on a couple of seminars about security in places of worship. You might want to see if anything like that is available in your area. |
|
0 Votes
It seems for something like that at that time it would be best to acknowledge his complaint, but let him know you have kids you must see to. Then let him know a time he could come talk with someone or take his number or see what time is best for someone to stop by his place. calling the police would be a last resort because it intensifies a person's animosity toward the church, though I know there are times it is needed. Thanks for the response. I did invite him to talk another time, but he ignored the request and kept walking around the building. It was at that point (angry, but not engaging in conversation) that it felt like a bigger security risk. He was gone long before the police arrived. I just wanted something documented. |
