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June 28, 2011

Are Churches an Easy Target for Vandalism and Burglary?

Vandalism and burglaries are a real threat—prepare your church.

 by Michelle Dowell


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A church business manager told me that two times in the past couple years his church was vandalized. He was grateful the church’s insurance covered most of the cost, but for the most recent case, his church won’t be able to use the sanctuary for more than a month while it’s being repaired.

An Internet search revealed to me that other churches are facing similar problems. The search results showed several news stories of church vandalism, burglary, and robbery throughout the country within the last month. One was a news story of a county in Tennessee investigating at least 23 church burglaries.

One newspaper article in Alabama reported Sherriff Dave Sutton as saying that churches are targets for thieves due to their lack of visibility and their valuable sound systems. The article follows with advice to churches and their communities of how to protect churches:

“(Thieves) are getting a little bit brazen,” Sutton said. “What we ask is people check the churches near you (often), even if you don’t go to church there.”
Sutton said if county residents check on the churches and alert authorities about any suspicious activities, church burglaries could be curbed.
Wayne Russell [a church administrator of a rural church that recently experienced two burglaries] advised staff members at other churches to take even more precautions.
“I recommend talking to security officials and seeing what they recommend,” he said. “You must have deadbolt locks. If you have old keys floating out, definitely remedy that.”

An average of 4,500 churches are the victims of burglary each year, with the median burglary loss estimated at $2,000, according to Securing Your Property, a training resource from ChurchSafety.com.

Unfortunately in some cases, a burglary or robbery can happen during a church service. In one recent case, a gunman came in by an unlocked back door while the offering money was being counted (fortunately no one was hurt). In another case, a man sat in the back pew until the offering. Then he showed his gun and took the money (fortunately no one was hurt in this case, too).

Sometimes it’s possible to recognize people who pose a risk during church services and activities, according to Dealing with Dangerous People, another ChurchSafety.com training resource that lists what to look for and how to respond to a dangerous person.

Has your church been a victim of vandalism or burglary? If so, have you put measures in place that have helped?

For more help on how to protect your church, check out these downloadable resources:

Michelle Dowell is the editorial coordinator for the Church Management Team at Christianity Today International.

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Posted by Michelle Dowell on June 28, 2011 8:00 AM

Related Tags: church property, facility, fire, insurance, property, risk, safety, security, theft, violence, vulnerabilities

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