5 Security Priorities Every House of Worship Should Address

Houses of worship face unique security challenges. You want to maintain an open, welcoming environment while ensuring the safety of your congregation. Where do you start?

After conducting dozens of assessments for churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples, we've identified five priority areas that consistently provide the greatest security improvements with practical, achievable steps.

1. Access Control and Visitor Management

Your facility likely has multiple entry points. Do you know who's entering your building during services and events?

Quick wins:

• Designate one main entrance during services
• Position greeters at all open entrances
• Create a simple visitor check-in process
• Install signage directing visitors to the main entrance

This isn't about creating barriers—it's about creating awareness. Your greeters serve dual purposes: hospitality and situational awareness.

2. Children's Ministry Protection

Your children's areas require special attention. Parents entrust their most precious to your care.

Essential steps:

• Implement check-in/check-out procedures with matching tags
• Establish a two-adult rule (never one adult alone with children)
• Install windows or half-doors for visibility into classrooms
• Create clear volunteer screening procedures
• Designate separate restrooms or escort policies for children

3. Emergency Response Planning

Does your staff know what to do if a medical emergency occurs during services? What about a fire? An active threat?

Start here:

• Create simple response procedures for common scenarios (medical emergency, fire, suspicious person, severe weather)
• Establish clear communication methods (radios, group text, hand signals)
• Identify and train key response team members
• Know where your AED is and who's trained to use it
• Schedule at least one walkthrough drill per year

4. Building Security Assessment

Walk your building with fresh eyes—or better yet, have someone else walk it.

Look for:

• Unlocked or propped doors that should be secured
• Dark areas around the building perimeter
• Broken locks or doors that don't close properly
• Key control issues (too many people with keys, keys not tracked)
• Blind spots where someone could hide

Many security vulnerabilities can be fixed with basic maintenance, better lighting, or simple procedural changes.

5. Safety Team Development

You don't need armed guards. You need aware people who know what to do.

Build a basic safety team:

• Recruit 4-6 volunteers willing to be trained
• Define clear roles (medical response, building security, communication, children's protection)
• Provide basic training (first aid, situational awareness, de-escalation)
• Meet quarterly to review procedures and scenarios
• Make them visible but not intimidating

Where to Begin?

Start with children's ministry and emergency response planning. These provide immediate value and typically require minimal budget—just clear procedures and training.

Then move to access control and building security. Finally, formalize a safety team to maintain and improve your security program over time.

Remember: security isn't about creating a fortress. It's about creating awareness, having a plan, and being prepared. Your congregation should feel safer, not scared.

Need Help Getting Started?

We specialize in helping houses of worship develop practical security programs that align with your mission and culture. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your specific needs.