Security

The news report yesterday began with these sad words: "A scary yet familiar scene unfolds during a Sunday morning church service...."

This time the tragedy played out at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois. It could have been anywhere. The pastor was shot dead as he preached.

Our prayers are with the people of First Baptist Church.

In my sabbatical I have shifted to my study of worship. As part of my plan, I recently visited a very large, non-Lutheran congregation. I would guess that there were about 1,000 people attending the worship service. It was the first service of the day with another to follow about 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first. There were people everywhere.

Traffic flow into the building was easy. The hallways are very wide and can accommodate the crowds. I simply followed the flow of people to find the auditorium. Once seated I made note of the emergency exits. I don't know when or how I developed this habit, but I usually know how to get out of a theater, hotel, airplane or church. I still live by the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared."

I suppose it was the size of the crowd and the free and easy access to this church that made me think about security. I know some churches have security guards. Often they are not in uniform. Uniformed security personnel inside a church could raise anxiety and make the environment feel less safe. As I write that, I realize that I am a member of a congregation with a uniformed guard who watches the parking lot and helps people cross the street. I feel safer for his presence. I frankly do not know what security measures are in place at the megachurch I was visiting.

We do not live in a particularly safe world. However, statistically speaking, chances are pretty good that we will all be physically safe in church next Sunday. But, the news report did include that word "familiar." The number of church related tragedies seem to be increasing.

What does your congregation do to make itself safer? How far is going too far in taking precautions? Is it a good idea to practice a fire drill on a Sunday morning? Should ushers and greeters be on the lookout? For what? Or who?

If you receive this message by email, please log onto the blog website to share your comments. http://niselca.blogspot.com/.