When I was young, I remember church being all safe and secure. It was a place of worship and love, a place where the door was always open. Visitors were always welcome, heck we were even encouraged to go out and bring some in. We even had a homeless outreach program, and brought people in off the streets.
It was a safe place for those who just needed some time in prayer and reflection. Church security was unheard of.
Over the past few decades that trend has changed and most churches have scheduled times when their doors are open. You seldom if ever see the building available for public prayer outside the hours of worship. Sadly with all of the recent acts of violence toward pastors and church members most churches are being forced to focus on security. While the threat is obviously valid, there were 65 violent church or ministry deaths (defined as homicides, suicides, and aggressors killed in action) in 2016. This year the tragety hit close to home, there was a church shooting just outside of Nashville.
so where dose this leave you and your church? It's hard to get past 65 violent deaths but at the same time, you must be REASONABLE.
Jesus said “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” This leads me to believe it is extremely important for churches to take a sensible approach to upgrading their security.
SURE increase the level of security, but DO NOT spend foolishly on un-needed hardware.
At Lamas Locksmith we believe it's said best in Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. YES we wan't to help you increase your level of security, as a business that's what we do. But at the same time we feel the investment should go where it can be best used. We refuse to sell you a bunch of hardware you do not need. Most locksmiths LOVE re-keying churches, it's always a lot of doors, and they always want a bunch of keys.
