Articles with interviews

Prepare for Teams of Terrorists, Says Gabe Suarez

Gabe Suarez is a no-holds-barred, full-throated, say-what-he-thinks, blunt, honest, speaking-to-the-point firearms and self-defense expert with decades of experience in martial arts and law enforcement, including being a SWAT sniper and assaulter. He was awarded the Police Medal of Valor for a gunfight against three armed robbery-homicide suspects and he’s the founder and trainer of Suarez Tactics, a training and consulting organization focused solely on developing the art of tactics and gunfighting. His YouTube channel is @suareztactics.

On his Patreon site, he’s written the forceful article, You and the Terrorist(s). With his permission, and because it has application for church security teams, we have summarized the article below (but you’ll want to subscribe to his Patreon site, read the full article there, and learn from all the site’s insightful self-defense content). As Gabe Suarez says, “We teach good guys how to prevail against the bad guys. Whether facing a common robber or a terrorist bent on mass murder, we teach you the skills to defeat them, and as well to live a life of excellence.”

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He begins by pointing to John Lott’s research paper, Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police?, in accepting the fact that private citizens defeat active shooters to a greater degree and with better results—collectively—than law enforcement.

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

Mr. Suarez stresses that, in today’s anarchistic world requiring the need of heightened self-defense, “we are not looking for a lone wolf terrorist, nor a drugged up psychiatric patient, but rather—as Sarah Adams notes—a well trained and dedicated terrorist known as a ‘Fedayeen’ (Arabic: ‘those who sacrifice themselves’).” He compares this combatant to the Kamikaze of WW2. He says, “Their goal is to kill as many Americans as possible and to die ‘gloriously’ in the process.”

The Ministry of Protection: Why Church Safety Teams Matter and How Serving in the Ministry of Protection Brings Clarity to the Calling

[The following is a guest article by Trevor DeGroote, a safety and protection professional with a background spanning law enforcement, private-sector operations, and consulting services. He’s the author of  Serving in the Ministry of Protection: Fulfilling the Call to Faithful Readiness in the House of God, which SemperVerus highly recommends every church security volunteer should read.]

In recent years, conversations around church safety have shifted dramatically. What was once considered a distant “what if” has become a practical, deeply necessary part of ministry life. Across the Midwest and beyond, churches are recognizing that the responsibility to create a safe environment for worship is not merely logistical; it’s pastoral. It’s spiritual. It’s an act of service and love.

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That’s what makes the concept of a church safety team so vital. These groups of volunteers, men and women from within the congregation, stand quietly at the intersection of faith and readiness. Their job is not to control, but to care; not to intimidate, but to ensure peace. When done the right way, a church safety ministry doesn’t make a church feel guarded. It makes it feel secure enough to worship freely.

Interview With Michael Elerick of Public Safety Training LLC

SemperVerus interviewed Michael Elerick, founder and president of Public Safety Training LLC and Church Security-101, which provides security training and safety consulting services to churches.

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Please describe Church Security-101 and explain the services you provide.
Church Security-101 is focused on one core mission: helping churches create a culture of safety and security so their people can worship, fellowship, and serve in peace. At the heart of what we do is helping ministries be both prepared and protected without losing their welcoming spirit. Our services fall into three main areas:

Church Security PDF Library: Multi-Source Free Manuals

On this page is a collection of guides, fact sheets, and manuals from a variety of sources that provide helpful information for church security teams. Return often as new documents are added when available.

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Bible | Medical | Best Practices | Training | Threat Analysis / Persecution of Christians | Terrorism | Spiritual First-Aid

Bible Info

        

The Biblical Case Why Every Church Needs Armed Security

Dillon Burroughs, PhD, writes for the Standing for Freedom Center and serves as an adjunct instructor at Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity. In his article, When the Church Becomes a Target: Shepherds Must Defend the Flock With Armed Security, he makes the biblical case why churches are obligated to maintain trained and armed security ministry teams. Excerpts from the article are below: