U.S. churches divided over members packing heat :: 01/31/2020

Amid concern about high-profile shootings, most Protestant congregations have taken precautions to protect people who attend their services, but they are divided over members carrying weapons, according to a survey.

The survey by LifeWay Research found 80% of Protestant pastors say their church has some type of security measure in place when they gather for worship, the Baptist standard reported.

The paper noted that since 2000, 19 fatal shootings have taken place at churches. Armed attacks also have taken lives at Jewish synagogues, a Sikh temple and an Amish school.

"Churches are some of the most common gatherings in any community, and that makes them targets," said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. "Most churches understand this and have responded in some way."

While most churches have taken security precautions, there is debate over members carrying a weapon.

Nearly half of the pastors, 45%, say part of their security measures include having armed church members.

Combined with the percentages who say they have uniformed police officers or armed security personnel on site, 51% of the pastors surveyed intentionally have firearms at their worship services as part of their security measures.

The survey found 54% of evangelical pastors says they have armed church members while 34% of mainline pastors say the same. Half of pastors in the South (51 percent) and West (46 percent) has armed church members. But just 33% in the Northeast say they do.

The survey found 62% say their church has an intentional plan for an active shooter situation. The larger the church, the more likely it is to have made plans for a potential armed attacker.

And more than a quarter of churches have radio communication among security personnel.

Some churches focus on keeping all guns away from their worship services. The survey found 27% have a no-firearms policy and 3% percent have metal detectors to screen for weapons.

"While methods vary, most churches start with the resources they have to prepare for what they hope will never happen," McConnell said. "With planning, a church can be prepared without being distracted or paralyzed by the threat. Pastors are trying to balance two responsibilities — protect those on the inside, while being as welcoming as possible to those on the outside."

Researchers conducted a phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors from Aug. 30 to Sept. 24, 2019.

https://www.wnd.com/2020/01/u-s-churches-divided-members-packing-heat/