Interview With John Correia of Active Self Protection About Church Security Teams
SemperVerus interviewed John Correia, founder and owner of Active Self Protection, which has as its mission, “To help others develop the Attitude, Skills, and Plan to better protect themselves and their loved ones from harm” through research-informed evidence-based lessons.
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What are your recommendations for church security team members for crowd control and threat management based on the White House Correspondents Association Dinner shooting?
They’re actually very different kinds of incidents. The WHCA Dinner is venue security and executive protection which is very different than church safety. A church safety team functions best as part of hospitality and caregiving, not as security.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, WHCA Dinner Shooter: Is Your Situational Awareness Keen Enough? ]
What are some of the lessons ASP teaches in its “Self-Defense and the Way of Jesus” presentation?
It’s a multi-hour presentation, but our focus is on spiritual fitness first and foremost and developing a warm, growing, healthy relationship with Jesus as the core of our being. Self-defense as a principle is part of that, but of course, we need to consider use of force and deadly force in light of the person and work of Jesus on our behalf and on behalf of someone who threatens us. So, minimizing force, being a good, sane, sober, moral, prudent person, honoring the image of God in each person, and also having the emotional and spiritual stability to set and enforce healthy boundaries is the core of the message.
