church security – SemperVerus

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 a church security/safety team as part of their dedicated ministry efforts. The following list should be reason enough:

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• Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, Manchester, UK, Oct. 1, 2025 (Yom Kippur)
A man, wearing a vest that looked like an “explosive device,” used his car and knife in an attack outside a synagogue on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, killing two people and injuring four others. The attacker was prevented from entering the synagogue by worshippers, security staff, and police.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Criminals and Terrorists Overwhelmingly Select Gun-Free Zones For Mass Attacks in Public Spaces ]

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Sept. 28, 2025
A man rammed his truck into the church and opened fire. He then set the church ablaze. At least four people died and eight others were injured. (Also see Wikipedia’s List of Attacks Against Latter-Day Saint Churches.)

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Tactical Training for Individuals and Church Security Teams to Thwart Active Violence Incidents ]

• Annunciation Catholic Church and School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aug. 27, 2025
A former male student at the Minneapolis Catholic school, identifying as female, fatally shot two people and wounded 21 others during a back-to-school Mass.

By semperverus
Posted on 10/02/202510/02/2025

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).

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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:

By semperverus
Posted on 09/29/202510/02/2025

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.

Church Security Demands a Higher Standard Than Mere Every Day Carry

Volunteering during worship services and church events as an armed security team member is not the same as being a cursory, every day, concealed firearm carrier for your own self-defense. It requires a higher level of commitment. If you’re going to carry a weapon to protect congregants, you need to approach shooting as a professional skill.

[ Bookmark the SemperVerus CHURCH SECURITY INTELLIGENCE CLIPBOARD ]

So says Keith Graves, retired police sergeant and founder/trainer of Christian Warrior Training, in his article, Holding Armed Church Security to a Higher Standard.

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

He writes, “The responsibility of protecting the flock requires more than occasional practice and casual familiarity with your gun. You need to train as if one day you may face the unthinkable—an armed threat during a service. The odds may be slim, but they are not zero.”