BY JIMMY MEEKS (retired police officer, 49-year minister, has conducted over 400 church safety seminars)

A few years ago a police officer, who also served on his church security team, asked me a question. He wanted to know where his church could purchase the film that can be placed over windows that helps to stop the penetration of a bullet.

Instead of a direct answer, I posed a question to him.

“Joe, before I tell you, I want to ask you something. Who at your church is assigned to the entryway, and stands right outside that door - and is armed and trained to stop an active shooter?”

Joe admitted that he had not given that any thought whatsoever. None. Again, the idea of placing somewhere in said position had not even crossed his mind.

Fellow guards, sheepdogs, or whatever you call yourselves, you must tend to this matter.

Consider the following…

On June 22, 1980, about 350 worshipers were gathered inside the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Daingerfield, Texas. They were very excited. They had just gotten a new pastor, and after the service, they were going to celebrate his arrival with a potluck. The best food in east Texas would be available for everyone.

At about 11:20 a.m, while they were singing the hymn More About Jesus, the unimaginable happened. An angry gunman stormed in the back door, shouted “This is War!”, and then opened fire. He shot 15 people, killing five.

That church would never be the same. To this day, some of its members are still haunted by the memories of that massacre. One of them, a friend of mine named Russell, never recovered. Thirty-four years after the tragedy, Russell took his life.

My wife and I were married in this church three years earlier.

Her grandmother and grandfather were there that day, as well as her great grandmother, Grandma Murphy. A 78-year-old woman seated next to Grandma Murphy took a bullet to the neck and died.

The new pastor of the church was Norman Crisp.

I once heard Pastor Norman say, “I wish we had had someone in the parking lot...”

The Longview Daily News (June 23, 1980. The day after the Daingerfield tragedy)

The photo is from the Longview Daily News - the day after the tragedy in which 5 worshipers were killed and 10 injured. The photo is of the church bulletin used at the service that day. Note the red circle. Inside the circle, you can see bloodstains.
BELOW: click on the play button to hear the ACTUAL AUDIO from the tragedy. It lasts 31 seconds.

I can certainly understand his reasoning. The killer had driven up in a small white car and parked about 15 yards from the front door - and left his car door open.

He then made his way toward the sanctuary, toting two rifles, two handguns, and close to 400 rounds of ammo. He was even wearing a bulletproof vest.

The rest is history.

Consider the tragedy at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas (November 5, 2017). An angry gunman enters the small sanctuary during its worship service and shoots 46 worshipers - killing 26. It would be the site of the worst massacre in the history of Texas.

The killer drove up and parked in the street - directly in front of the church. He exited his vehicle and made his way inside. There was no one there to meet him, no one to take him on.

The rest is history.

Consider the tragedy at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado (December 9, 2007). Again - an angry man, rifle in hand and hundreds of rounds of ammo, parks his van, exits, and then walks toward one of the entryways. Before he gets inside, he shoots a man and then shoots and killed two of his daughters.

I’ve heard the presentation about this particular tragedy dozens of times. The speaker always calls attention to the obvious: there was no one in the parking lot to confront the killer.

The rest is history.

I once conducted a seminar at a small church in central Texas. Oddly enough, a reporter from Yahoo! News was there. After my presentation, she interviewed some of the church’s members.

One of them made it very clear to the reporter that there was something I had suggested that they had no intention of heeding: assigning someone to the parking lot. He complained about the Texas heat in the Summer.

Are you serious? Surely you’re kidding me. The heat is a bigger concern than the welfare of your congregation (there are solutions to this, such as rotating with someone every 10 to 15 minutes: but please, don’t leave this matter unattended).

If you do leave it unattended, there’s a huge “gap” in your defense. You are giving space to the would-be killer who will enter your church with no resistance (assuming you can see that he is armed, as was the case in the three illustrations referred to above).

Let me help you see something. Film on your windows may thwart a bullet, and armed individuals scattered around your sanctuary is a great idea. But - if you have no one assigned to the parking lot - near the front door and outside - you’re just not … getting it!

I remember speaking to a man who was on his church safety team -

Jimmy, we’ve got about 15 armed people in our church. And we all sit on the front row…

This dear brother meant well, but he had failed to “think it through.” I gently pointed out that he would probably be able to save the pastor and the choir, but would lose everyone else. These killers, I told him, will probably come in the door that puts them near the back of the congregation. “Brother,” I told him, “you’re going to lose all your tithers!” (poor humor on my part).

What do these three illustrations all have in common: First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas (June 1980); First Baptist in Sutherland Springs, Texas (November 2017), and New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO (December of 2007).

NO ONE WAS IN THE PARKING LOT TO CONFRONT THE KILLER.

And in each example, the “good guy with a gun” would most likely have seen the culprit was armed, and in a position to provide some resistance - possibly thwarting the tragedy.

If you do assign someone to this position, and he is armed, he must also be the one who has a commitment to training. Remember this: we do not ‘rise to the occasion,’ we sink to the level of our training.

I have met many guys and gals on church safety teams that simply do not train - and some even refuse to do so. Dear leader, if that describes anyone on your team, find a way to remove them. You cannot put such individuals in charge of the safety of your precious flock.

As the leader, you must have individuals who are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the flock. This is precisely what happened at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield. Two men: James McDaniel and Kenneth Truitt took on the shooter. McDaniel rose from his set and tackled the killer, driving him out the back door. He was then shot to death. Truitt rushed outside to assist but he, too, was shot to death. The photos below are James “Red” McDaniel (left) and Kenneth Truitt.

PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERY CHURCH SAFETY PERSON YOU KNOW…

DON’T FORGET: Jesus warned us that violence in a house of worship is possible -

“Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged (assaulted) in the synagogues (in a house of worship).” - Matthew 10:17

VIDEO BELOW: A one-minute sample from our Sheepdog Seminar (and an insight on God the Father!).

DID YOU KNOW…

Since 1999, we have had almost 1000 people die a violent death on church and faith-based property (the “record” was in 2017: 114 people died on such property).
More Christians were killed for their faith between 1900 and 1999 than the previous centuries combined.
65 percent of violence at churches occurs during the week, such as this story about a pastor smothered inside his church.

The worst case of violence on church or faith-based property I have ever read about happened in Anadarko, Okla. Pastor Carol Daniels was killed inside her church.

According to the autopsy report, Daniels had been stabbed multiple times, her head nearly severed, her hair set on fire.

The killers didn’t stop there. Investigators say her body was also stripped nude, doused with a cleaning solution, and in the opinion of some — posed as if on a crucifix.

VIDEO BELOW: Jimmy Meeks on CBN (700 Club) news. We would love to come conduct a seminar at your church!

We would love to bring our team to your church and conduct a “church safety seminar.”

We have now conducted about 400 such seminars in 40 states. Thousands of churches have been in attendance.

And if you want, I can bring Lt. Col. Dave Grossman with me.

Text “seminar” to 817.437.9693 - or email us. Carl Chinn is also available. Let us hear from you.

Colonel Grossman sometimes travels with us. Watch the video below to get a taste of what to expect.

Are you familiar with the Faith Based Security Network? Church safety folks are joining the FBSN from all over America. They now have members in 46 states. The organization is led by one of the most knowledgable church safety experts in the country: Carl Chinn. Learn more