Developing an Effective Armed Church Security Team

Christian churches today are encountering a variety of evolving threats that go beyond just “active shooters.” These threats include protest, activism, terrorism, and even religious threats. A well-trained security team needs to be able to handle this uncertain environment. The ability to immediately defend against a lethal threat is crucial and requires:

• A full range of critical gun handling and tactical skills.
• Training that correctly instructs and provides sufficient repetition to establish habits of action.
• Teaching situational awareness and decision-making through stressful reality-based training.

You do not need to be law enforcement or military to serve on an armed church security team. We train novice civilians to safely and effectively eliminate a lethal threat. We prefer serving or retired cops as team leaders because of their experience de-escalating potentially lethal confrontations.

The foundation for proper training is instruction plus practice—persistent practice. Our methodology is based on training tactical and combative skills to help you assess your situation, make effective decisions, regain the initiative, and win the fight.

All of our training begins with an interactive plan that describes exactly what you need to do to accomplish your training objective. This plan draws from 15 years of training content we created: scripts, videos, manuals, courses, webinars, seminars, and, most importantly, methodology. The plan and IP are delivered using a blended platform of online and in-person methods, assuring that the instruction you receive is faithfully practiced.

Our Program Offerings

Our program offerings can be accessed as stand-alone courses or integrated as an ongoing training program for your Church. The building blocks for our programs are:

• Firearm fundamentals.
• Individual tactics.
• Team tactics.
• Tactical communications.
• Tactical medical. 
• Train the trainer.
• Team Leader School.

The cost of our programs starts at $750 for our 4-hour on-site reality-based training short course, which accommodates up to 10 participants. The Tier 4 firearm fundamental program costs $800 per student and our 3-day Team Leader School for Church security team leaders is $1,295 per participant. Our advanced programs, Tier 3 Individual Tactics, and Tier 2 Team Tactics are priced based on the specific design of the training program, which is customized for each church.

The Persistent Training Program

While several of our programs are available for purchase individually, we recommend a multi-year approach to developing, training, and deploying a qualified armed Church security team. This approach allows for the implementation of a persistent training program that has four tracks and provides an ongoing platform for training team members, upskilling members, and growing or replenishing the ranks. The four tracks are:

1. Training. This training involves a sequential process of introducing, building, and mastering skills, initially for the existing team and then, as needed, for new members.
2. Practice. Group or individual practice guided by a training plan and focused on building or mastering specific skill sets.
3. Certification. A requirement for new team members and a periodic assessment for all team members to ensure their skill set.
4. Replenishment. Onboarding new team members to address attrition or accommodate growth.

To start, a multi-year persistent training program costs around $1,500 per participant for the initial year, and then $500 per participant for each subsequent year. For a security team of 10 members, the cost for the first year would be approximately $15,000, and then $5,000 per year after that. The training objective is to have all team members proficient in Tier 2 Team Tactics. 

The Next Step

Please schedule a one-hour briefing via Zoom with us. During the session, we will discuss your program needs and give you a better understanding of what a program for your Church would entail, including the estimated cost. To set up your briefing, please contact info@defend.center.