This isn’t normally a topic of mine, but recently, I visited a large church on the West Coast. The pastor had invited me to chat backstage before the service, so I arrived early to meet him. However, the security team wasn’t having any of that nonsense. Obviously, churches of all sizes must deal with over-enthusiastic visitors or the occasional security risk, but this situation was different. I mentioned my friendship with the pastor, yet the guard insisted he could not be disturbed while preparing for the service. Even when I suggested he verify the invitation, he refused to bother him, so I headed into the sanctuary to find a seat.
I initially found an open seat on the second row, but the worship service was soon interrupted when the same security guard told me to move because the pastor had guests arriving. I complied and moved back a few rows, only to be asked to move again a couple of songs later to accommodate the pastor’s family. By the time I finally settled, I was relegated to the very back row of the sanctuary. After the service, I was again barred from going backstage, so I simply went home. The next day, the pastor called, frustrated that I hadn’t shown up, unaware that his own security team had repeatedly displaced me.
It is clear that while the guard likely meant well, his actions highlighted a significant gap in communication and protocol. Many churches struggle to balance hospitality with safety, often failing to implement clear church security policies that account for invited guests. In this instance, the individual wasn’t acting as a professional security officer, but rather as a gatekeeper who inadvertently hindered the pastor’s ministry instead of protecting it.
I suggested he ask the pastor (since the pastor invited me), but he refused to bother him.
So, I walked back out to attend the service. There was an open seat on the second row, so I took it. The worship service had already started, but before long, the same security guy told me I’d have to move back because the pastor had guests coming (probably me, huh?).
So, I moved back a few rows. Then, a couple of songs later, the security guy asked me to move again because the pastor’s family needed seats.
I kid you not. At that point in the service, by the time I found a seat it was on the back row of the sanctuary.
Of course, after the service, I was barred from coming backstage, so I went home. The next day, the pastor called, upset that I hadn’t come to the service!
I’m sure that the “security” guy meant well and was trying to help the pastor. But the problem was, he wasn’t really a security guy—just a volunteer from the congregation who had been asked to serve. It was obvious from the moment I saw him that he had no training at all.
Pastors, Executive Pastors, and other church leaders – we live in perilous times. It’s not just an issue of me getting access to the pastor or a good seat; it’s an issue of safety and security for everyone in the building.
We live in a world with a lot of mental health problems, angry ex-church members, cancel culture, and, if you’ll forgive the term, outright crazy people.
I know you’ve hesitated time and time again to use professionals because you don’t want your church to look like airport security to a visitor. But those times have gone.
The truth is that highly trained security professionals can be invisible to the congregation if that makes you more comfortable.
The bottom line? Budget for trained security. Either reputable agencies or a full-time internal security team. They know how to give the right people access and the wrong people the door.
The safety of your congregation, visitors, staff, and guest speakers is more than worth the cost.
This article originally appeared on PhilCooke.com and is reposted here by permission.
