|
Often
I am asked why would a church feel the need to start a Safety or Security
Ministry. Let’s address a couple of the most important reasons for a
church to start a team. 1 - What is the primary reason to start a security
team? Safety of the members and guests! Your
Church should be prepared to evacuate in case of a fire, move the members and
guest to safe areas if there is a tornado, and treat the victims if there are
medical needs. Other
cases a safety team member may just talk to a person who was having a problem
and needs to talk to a caring person. The primary reason to start a team is
because we care for the members and guests of our churches and need to have
care givers in place. 2 – Due Diligence The definition of Due diligence in
civil litigation (also known as due care) is the effort made by an ordinarily
prudent person or reasonable party to avoid harm to another party. Failure to
make this effort may be considered negligence. The
churches insurance company may not be willing to cover the awards in a lawsuit
claiming the church permitted a violent event to happen if they believe the church
has not completed their due diligence. This could be to a child who walked out
of a toddler area, a fire exit that was filled with summer bible school items,
a child taken by a parent with custodial rights, a robbery in a dark parking
lot, a physical assault or lastly an active shooter. Although the number of
assaults and shootings in churches is rare, it is increasing. If a team has
been proposed and the church management team declined to implement it, can the
church be held liable for the incident? Will the insurance company say the
church in negligent and decline to pay a multi million dollar award? With
the noted rise in church violence you need to think about these items:
3 – Peace of Mind for the church body Summary
|