Getting Your Team Started Begins With Choosing The Right Leader...

Sometimes the most difficult thing with any project is getting started. And this is also true when it comes to starting your church safety team. "Where do we start?" Let's try and answer that question in this article...

I advocate the "Jesus Method" - do not take volunteers: select the right people. Jesus told His apostles, "You did not choose Me, I chose you." This is the approach to take. Do NOT advertise in your church bulletin, or announce from the pulpit, that you are searching for the right person to lead the safety team. And be sure you spend time in prayer before you launch this ministry - and it is a ministry (see Acts 13).

First, the church staff, or board, needs to decide who is the right person to undertake this task. The first task is to choose the right man (or woman) for the job. This person needs to have the right characteristics in place. You make this choice based on the type of person that is needed.

The qualifying factor you look for first is "does he understand the need for a safety program?" If you assign someone to form a team, he must first be convinced that protecting the flock when they gather is necessary. If he is not convinced, your safety team will not be, either.

In about the last 20 seminars I have conducted, I have surveyed the audience, asking them if they knew that over 230 people have been killed while on church property since 1999. Of the hundreds I have asked, only about 10 have raised their hand indicating they were aware of such a fact.

The person you choose lead the team must be someone who is up to date on the facts about church-related violence. The most reliable source for this is my friend Carl Chinn. Monitor his website to stay informed (www.carlchinn.com).

Church safety must be something that your leader is informed about, including the facts about the violence occurring on church property across the country.

Quite frankly, he must be a man who passionately loves the flock, who, like the men on the Titanic, is willing to go down with the ship! He must be a man who is so under the influence of the love of God, that he is even willing to die for the flock if need be.

It sounds a bit dramatic, but it is so. He must be like Red McDaniel who, over 30 years ago, charged toward Alvin King in the sanctuary of First Baptist in Daingerfield, Texas. King had intentions of killing them all (he had over 300 rounds of ammo in a bag around his neck). Mr. McDaniel charged toward King and drove him out the back door, while taking gunfire to his chest (witnesses saw the smoke coming out of Mr. McDaniel's back). Mr. McDaniel lost his life in the tragedy, but saved hundreds.

In Romans 16 Paul writes, "Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila, who have worked hand in hand with me in serving Jesus. They once put their lives on the line for me..." These are the kind of people you're looking for. It is not known for sure what these two did (a married couple) - but they did risk their own lives for Paul.

So, in conclusion, your leader...

Has strong protective instincts
Has a deep concern for children
Can pay attention to detail
Is a passionate lover of people
Has a good reputation in the church...

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAN to lead your team is a must. No one understands this better than God. This was - and is - the way He operates. When He wanted the children of Israel out of Egypt, He chose Moses. To get them into the promised land, He chose Joshua. He chose Gideon, He chose Deborah, He chose Samson, He chose David, He chose Solomon....

YOUR SAFETY TEAM LEADER MUST HAVE A HEART LIKE JESUS...
John 18 records that when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, several of his disciples were with him. He stood up to the soldiers, insisting that his disciples be let go. That was his shepherd heart - and it is the kind of heart He has placed inside your safety team leader. Such a heart does reside in your leader - you just have to find him.

The Lord Jesus is our perfect example of protecting the sheep, even to the point that He would lay down his life for them. The Bible makes it clear He loved us enough to lay down His life. And it is that kind of love that He has poured into our hearts. If He loved the church enough to “save it” - should we not do likewise? He “gave Himself” for the church - and we are privileged to do the same. Your safety team leader possesses this kind of heart...

BELOW: GREG MCHENRY was at a church in 2008 when a gunman came in with a .12 gauge shotgun. McHenry stood in front of a child and took the bullets - and died as a result..