Global Courant
According to a recent survey of pastors, more than half of Protestant churches in the US rely on armed congregants as part of their security plan.
About 81% of churches — or four in five pastors — said they have at least one security measure in place to prevent potential attacks, and 54% said they have armed members in their congregation, according to a survey of 1,000 pastors released last week. released by Lifeway Research.
More than one in six pastors — or 17% — said they hadn’t implemented seven of the possible security measures noted in the survey, and 2% said they weren’t sure, according to Lifeway.
Fifty-seven percent of pastors claimed to have “a deliberate plan for an active shooting situation,” which was the most popular option. The second most cited option had armed church members.
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Radio communication between security personnel and a gun ban in church buildings were the next most popular security options, at 26% and 21% respectively.
Twelve percent of pastors in mostly black churches said they have uniformed police present at their services, compared to just 4% of white pastors. Thirty-four percent of black congregations enforced a gun ban, while 21% of white churches did.
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Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, stressed the critical need for a security plan at churches.
“Churches are not immune to violence, disputes, domestic strife, vandalism and burglary,” McConnell said. “Although loving one another is a core Christian teaching, churchgoers still sin and non-churchgoers are invited and welcomed. So real security risks exist whether a congregation wants to recognize them or not.”
The Geneva Presbyterian Church is seen after a fatal shooting in Laguna Woods, California, on May 15, 2022. (REUTERS/David Swanson)
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Lifeway’s survey took place from Sept. 6 to Sept. 30 and involved one pastor per interview, the research group said. The sampling error rate, according to Lifeway, is no greater than plus or minus 3.2% at a confidence level of 95%.
Jon Brown is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to jon.brown@fox.com.
