The 4 Types of Disasters Your Church Needs to Be Ready For
Updated: Jun 8
Today I wanted to talk about why it’s so important to have a well-trained Church Safety team in your church and the 4 main types of disasters your church needs to be ready for at all times. As a Risk Manager these are things I think about every day, and encourage you keep in mind as well.
The success of any Safety Ministry begins with the right people. And the right people are the ones who are knowledgeable in the different dangers that threaten congregations.
This begins by properly classifying the types of disasters facing our modern churches:
Natural Disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires
Human-Caused Disasters like theft, active intruder, vandalism and sexual abuse
Technological Disasters like power failures and computer hacking
Insider threat
But simply knowing these threats exist isn’t what makes a Safety Ministry well-prepared.
What truly matters is building your team of staff and volunteers in the proper ways to overcome and prevent these disasters.
But how can you be sure you have the right people on your Church Safety Team?
Here are five key questions to ask about someone in determining if they fit the mold:
Is the person faithful to their Church and Family?
Is the person conscientious?
Does the person get along well with others?
Can the person be discrete?
Can the person pass a criminal background check?
Answering yes to all of those is a great place to start.
Once you have the right people on your Church Safety Team, the next step is training them to properly prepare for, prevent and overcome everything the disasters listed above can throw your way. Which is exactly why we are creating the Risk Mitigation Technologies, LLC Church Safety and Security Academy.
It is everyone’s responsibility and privilege to do God’s work keeping our congregations safe and secure. So, let’s ensure we have the right people with best possible training to safeguard our most important assets.
BIO
Joseph “Paul” Manley ("Paul") is the Founder and CEO of Risk Mitigation Technologies, LLC, a Training and Independent Consulting Firm with a focus on violence detection, prevention, response and recovery. Paul is a retired Massachusetts Police Lieutenant, Violence Prevention and Threat Specialist, Security Expert, and Trainer.