Following the tragic shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, congregational leaders are paying increasing attention to matters of security for people who attend worship and other ministry activities. To help our congregations to prepare for and respond to acts of violence to the best of their ability, the Northeastern Pennsylvania calls attention to the following resources:

Church Mutual, the Synod’s insurance carrier, has partnered with industry experts to keep people safe before, during and after a violent attack. Firestorm, a nationally recognized leader in crisis management, and ALICE Training Institute, the number-one active shooter civilian response training organization in the nation, present the following three-part webinar series: [1] “How to Spot the Warnings,” [2] “Handling an Intruder,” and [3] “Communicating during a Crisis.” Access the webinars and a PDF summary of each session here: https://www.churchmutual.com/6421/Armed-Intruder.

US. Department of Homeland Security

In addition, please download and review the “Houses of Worship Security Practices Guide” prepared by DHS.