The Tools We Have

I was talking with a good friend of mine that also speaks around the country to churches about security.  He deals more with the WHY it’s important and leaves the HOW are we equipped to do it to me.  We often talk about the alarming trend that we see of churches responding in fear of an mass murder event happening at their location and forgetting that although we are warriors called into service of protecting the church, many churches only are training for these events and neglecting the other tools of ministry in security that they need to have in order to properly serve the hurting and the broken. 
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Something that I stress during our training seminars is that we have to put aside our pride and arrogance in order to have a heart of service.  I regularly hear of church security members responding poorly to situations because either they don’t train how to handle a variety of situations or the only tool, they have is a gun.  A friend of mine says that if the only tool we have is a hammer then everything looks like a nail.  I always enjoy teaching churches how to handle a variety of situations.  They come into a situation and realize that they have not been equipped to respond properly.  By the time they are done, they are hungry to train more and in additional areas beside just the worst case.  

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One thing that we forget is something Dr. George Thompson the founder of the Verbal Judo Institute called the 5 UNIVERSAL TRUTHS:

1. All people want to be treated with dignity and respect.
2. All people want to be asked rather than being told to do something.
3. All people want to be told why they are being asked to do something.
4. All people want to be to be given options rather than threats.
5. All people want a second chance.

Our ultimate goal is to GENERATE VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE.  If we are not doing that well then we are doing a disservice to why they church is there in the first place.  We have some great guys on our security team at my home church.  They understand that the church is here for the HURTING AND THE BROKEN.  Often times you will see one of our security members, not watching someone from a distance, but engage them to find out what is going on and ultimately get them the help they need or maybe it is just a cup of coffee and conversation.  Recently I was told of a church that had an altercation with a drunk person at their church that moved to the parking lot.  It did not end well for the drunk person and was devastating to the church.  Details have not fully come out and I would love to read the report of what happened one day.  I would like to see what kind of training they have received and how they communicated with this person. 

This leads me to some other points that are often forgotten or not trained.  Some of the other points that I train during a seminar are:

• Always Keep Professional Face
• Always Treat Others As You Would Want To Be Treated . . . Under Identical Circumstances
• Never Inflate People With Adrenaline
• Flexibility Is Strength - Rigidity Weakness
• Redirect Rather Than Resist.

Part of that pride and arrogance that we all have to battle is a thought process that we are all great communicators.  In our mind we may think so, but when the situation arises that we have to handle a stressful situation either personally with our wife or kids, at our job, or when we serve in our church most realize during the seminar that they do not communicate well.  Many recognize that they use the exact phrases or attitudes that we cover in the seminar, as things to avoid. 

Many people who serve on our security teams don’t know what EMPATHY is or how to EMPATHIZE with someone.  I have been in that boat and God has had to work on my heart over the last several years.  Without empathy in our service we are often going to respond poorly when the adrenaline is rushing through us.  Here are some more points that I cover during a seminar.  I am not going to elaborate on the points but put this out there just so you can assess where you are at with empathy.

Empathize

• How is Your Relationship with Christ?
• To See Through The Another’s Eyes
• Construct A Verbal Means to Relate to the Other Person
• You Do Not Have To Agree… Simply Understand The Others Perspective.

My heart is to see churches around the country to be able to protect their sheep from the worst-case scenario and the everyday junk we all deal with in our lives in a well-trained way.  Many people think that they will RISE to the OCCASION, when in fact they will SINK to the LEVEL of their TRAINING.  If we are doing security correctly and realize that not everyone that comes through the doors of our church are going to look or act like us and that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are a threat, but rather greeting these people so that you diminish the threat and may just be meeting an essential need they may have to just connect with someone.
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If you don’t have the necessary tools, it’s ok to admit it and then get the necessary training to expand your tool belt when dealing with people.