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Church Security Team Pistol Qualification Course

Keith Graves, founder and trainer of Christian Warrior Training, has developed the following 43-round course-of-fire pistol qualification for his church security team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview with Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training ]

Before allowing people to carry a firearm to protect the congregation, they must demonstrate competency with their weapon; at the very least, safe drawing and re-holstering, accurate shot placement, reloading magazines without prompting, and malfunction and stoppage clearing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, What to Take to the Shooting Range—Including a Prayer ]

He says, “A proper annual qualification test is a non-negotiable requirement for church security. You know exactly where your incident will occur: in your sanctuary, your parking lot, your classrooms. Your qualification course should reflect that.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Firearms Training: A Directory of Shooting Drills ]

To qualify, he requires that all rounds must be verified on target; any miss from the target is considered a fail. If at any point a person’s firearm has a malfunction or stoppage, it’s up to the person to clear it and continue with the course-of-fire within the set time limit, otherwise it’s considered a fail. He allows 3 attempts to qualify; after 3 the person must practice and schedule another qualification session.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Organizing, Training & Running a House of Worship Armed Congregant Security Team ]

Watch him demonstrate the course-of-fire in the video below:

Self-Defense and Church Security: Breathing and Mental Techniques to Reduce Anxiety

When stress and anxiety take hold during life-threatening criminal or terrorist self-defense and church security encounters, your body can feel like it’s working against you—your heart races, your chest tightens, and your mind starts spinning. But one of the most powerful tools for calming your body and mind is breathing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Concealed Carry Daily Prayer ]

Spiritual First Aid^™ has created two complimentary resources to help you regain your composure in critical incidents.

1. Breath-Based Grounding Techniques: 3 Evidence-Based Exercises to Reduce Stress and Restore Calm introduces three evidence-based breathing skills to help bring you back to a state of calm and focus:

Box Breathing — a structured method used by Navy SEALs to regulate stress.
Resonance Breathing — a rhythmic pattern to balance the nervous system.
Coherent Breathing — a slow, steady technique that promotes relaxation.

For example, here are the steps in the Box Breathing Pattern:

Self-Defense In Spiritual Warfare: Know Your Enemies

The resulting corollary of the 5 SemperVerus components is SELF-DEFENSE.

Practicing SELF-DEFENSE is the strategic, tactical, and intelligent ability to responsibly protect yourself from menacing spiritual and physical threats.

Notice the inclusion of the spiritual aspect that is often overlooked when considering self-defense. In the SemperVerus Brotherhood™, where we Stay True to what is right and Stay True to our aim, we are vigilant to be situationally aware (including spiritually aware) so that we’re prepared to ward off the enemies of our soul.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: Spiritual Self-Defense ]

The pastor of Ada Bible Church, in Grand Rapids, MI, Aaron Buer, preached the 4-part sermon series titled Enemies of the Soul, which examines the reality and nature of spiritual warfare in our daily lives. He explores how attacks to our soul come from three directions: the devil, the world, and our own nature (the flesh). His final sermon explains that we defend ourselves from these threats by consciously and constantly putting on the armor of God. Watch each of the videos below to sharpen your everyday defenses and protect your soul.

Gentle Response De-Escalation Training for Church Security Teams

Gentle Response is the organization founded by John Riley, a retired police officer and certified crisis intervention specialist with the National Anger Management Association. He and his team travel all over the United States conducting Conflict De-escalation Training seminars.

SemperVerus attended this excellent seminar, held in Immanuel Church, Holland, Michigan, May 14, 2023. With Mr. Riley’s permission, here are notes we took during that seminar and scenario training:

• “A gentle response defuses anger” Proverbs 15:1 (MSG)

• Conflict de-escalation: lowering the intensity of an agitated person to minimize a potentially volatile situation from becoming a critical violent incident.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Prayer for Church Security Team Members ]

• Peacemaking and de-escalating people’s anger is the goal, while staying alert to your own personal and public safety. When overwhelmed, stay safe and be an expert witness.

• Mindset Priority: Each church security team member must have a “ministry mindset” — Every contact (even eye contact) is a ministry opportunity to represent the mission of the church. Don’t let your actions be heavy-handed and damage that mission.