Articles with training

What to Take to the Shooting Range—Including a Prayer

Whether you go to the shooting range to qualify for volunteering on your church security team or to train to improve your personal armed self-defense skills, you go to increase your defensive marksmanship to be consistently accurate.

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

The more you train, the more you become proficient in handling firearms and the safer you are as a defender, because you know you are responsible for every bullet that leaves your gun.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety ]

The time you spend at the range is not an expense, it’s an investment, since…

Don’t Be a Victim of Crime: Learn How to Refuse To Be A Victim®

The national award-winning personal safety program, Refuse To Be A Victim®, developed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), presents practical, easy-to-understand preventative strategies you can use to avoid situations where self-defense may be required.

Experts agree the single most important step you can take to ensure your personal safety is to make the decision to refuse to be a victim.

This 4-hour (or less) classroom instruction seminar focuses on teaching you proactive courses of action, rather than reactive. By making yourself a more difficult target to prey upon, you lessen your risk of a criminal attack. That means having a personal safety strategy in place before you need it.

Basic Principles of Crime Prevention:

  • Always Be Aware of Your Surroundings
  • Trust Your Instincts
  • Always Have a Personal Safety Strategy in Place
  • Take a Refuse To Be A Victim Seminar

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: 14 Ways to Walk Like You Drive ]

Firearm training is not part of the Refuse To Be A Victim curriculum. The NRA has other courses that focus on firearm training and can be taken separately. Instruction in physical combat is also not part of the curriculum.

The seminar teaches lessons about common weaknesses that criminals may take advantage of, and presents a variety of corrective measures that are practical, inexpensive, and easy to follow.

The Refuse To Be A Victim seminar covers topics that pertain to everyone; it’s appropriate for young adults to senior citizens. The program materials also include a special module for parents, which discusses safety tips for children ages pre-school to high school.

TOPICS COVERED IN THE SEMINAR:

Interview with Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training

If you’d like to be interviewed to share best practices of your own church security/safety team, contact SemperVerus by emailing staytrue@semperverus.com.


SemperVerus interviewed Keith Graves, founder and trainer of Christian Warrior Training, which empowers churches with the knowledge and tools they need to create a safe and secure environment for their members.

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

Why have you focused your tactical attention on providing your professional expertise for church security teams?
Churches are often seen as safe havens, but they are not immune to violence or threats. As a retired police sergeant and a believer, I’ve witnessed the rise in targeted attacks on places of worship. I focus on church security because it aligns with the biblical call to protect the flock (Acts 20:28). A well-trained security team ensures that worshippers can gather safely and focus on their relationship with Christ, knowing that someone is standing guard.

Interview with Matt Witte, Church Safety Consultant

If you’d like to be interviewed to share best practices of your own church security/safety team, contact SemperVerus by emailing staytrue@semperverus.com.


SemperVerus interviewed Matt Witte, Church Safety Consultant at Blue Arrow Consultants, LLC, which believes that individuals, church security teams, and businesses utilizing threat assessment knowledge to make a location more secure—and to prepare people for what dangers may occur—can lessen the need for force, reduce the chance of physical harm, and minimize liability.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Tactical Training for Individuals and Church Security Teams to Thwart Active Violence Incidents (Part 1) ]

Why is it important for a church to organize a safety/security team?
It’s important for the church to have a safety/security team because even back in the days when the disciples were with Jesus they had the mindset of protection among themselves. They may not have dealt with the same threats that we do today, but none-the-less it’s our duty as church members to protect our flock.

Along with that, no matter the size of your church, it’s crucial to have some kind of medical response team ready to jump in when the need arises. The devil is always at work to disrupt or destroy where people gather to worship Jesus. We need to be ready for whatever he plans to use against us.