VI - Self-Defense Archives - Page 10 of 42

Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide

Terrorists, criminals, anarchists, and disrupters are attacking houses of worship (HoW). They assume HoW are soft targets; gun-free zones where media coverage and notoriety can be easily achieved through defenseless active killing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools ]

In response, more HoW are establishing and training their own armed volunteer security teams.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program ]

One resource for these teams is the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)‘s 116-page PDF, Mitigating Attacks on Houses of Worship Security Guide.

A List of Active Killer Incidents at Houses of Worship and Religious Schools

Photo credit: David von Diemar, https://unsplash.com/@davidvondiemar Some people in leadership at churches still question why it’s necessary to have an armed and trained church security/safety team as part of their dedicated ministry efforts.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Active Killer Advice Compendium ]

The following list should be reason enough:

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

• Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, Houston, Texas, Apr. 23, 2026
A juvenile and an 18-year-old female were arrested in Lexington, North Carolina, after allegedly planning a mass casualty attack on a Jewish day school in Houston, Texas. Court documents show that the conspiracy the female was allegedly planning was to “kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense and Church Security: Breathing and Mental Techniques to Reduce Anxiety ]

• Eden Church, Houston, Texas, Mar. 15, 2026
A 23-year-old man wearing a backpack and armed with a loaded gun and more than 100 rounds of ammunition was tackled by a security guard inside the church before he could open fire. While on the ground, he allegedly shouted, “I’m going to kill [the pastor], who is a fake prophet. I am a prophet called Warlock.” The security team and members of the church assisted the guard in restraining the man. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Biblical Case for Being a Christian AND a Warrior ]

• Temple Israel Synagogue, West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, Mar. 12, 2026
After waiting in the Temple Israel parking lot for more than two hours, a 41-year-old man, in a Hezbollah-inspired act of terror, rammed his pickup truck through the front doors of this 3,500-member family / 12,000-member Reform Jewish congregation, drove down a hall, opened fire through the windshield with a rifle after striking the congregation’s director of security, knocking him unconscious, and after which the vehicle burst into flames, engulfing the structure. The attacker exchanged fire with armed synagogue security personnel, then killed himself during the gunfight. Large quantities of commercial-grade fireworks and 35 gallons of gasoline were found in the back of the truck. All 140 students in its early childhood center, along with staff and teachers, were unharmed. At least 63 law enforcement officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Counterterrorism Guide: Situational Awareness to Hinder An Attack

The Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team (JCAT) is a US interagency collaboration based at the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), which is aligned under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

Working with intelligence analysts from NCTC, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), JCAT’s primary mission is to improve counterterrorism information sharing between federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government agencies and the private sector. The latter is where that information is adaptable for personal self-defense and church security teams in being situationally aware to pre-indicators of criminal and terroristic attacks.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SITUATIONAL AWARENESS ]

One resource is JCAT’s Counterterrorism Guide For Public Safety Personnel, offering content to assist self-defenders and church safety volunteers in:

Enroll in the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification Program

Church security teams usually consist of every-day volunteers: men and women who are passionate about doing all they can to protect their congregation from natural and man-made threats, but who are not professionally trained in law enforcement, military defense, or medical emergency skills.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

SemperVerus highly recommends the Sheepdog Church Security Academy Safety Member Certification program as an excellent online training curriculum that prepares volunteers to handle the full spectrum of threats churches face today—emergency response, disruptive persons, violent intruders, and abuse. Students gain practical skills rooted in legal clarity, real-world tactics, and biblical values.

Bill of Rights Anniversary September 25, 1789

The United States Declaration of Independence excerpt: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Important US Dates to Commemorate ]

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Read the Presidential Proclamation: Constitution Week.)

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution comprise the Bill of Rights. Passed by Congress on September 25, 1789 (and officially ratified December 15, 1791), these God-bestowed civil rights (that are “self-evident truths,” that “provide for the common defence,” are “the Blessings of Liberty,” and are “unalienable Rights” endowed by our Creator) place strict limitations on government power over American citizens.