Security seminar is set at OKC church

The House FM Radio will host a free Church Security Seminar from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at Quail Springs Baptist Church, 14613 N May.

Open to the public, the event will cover topics surrounding church security and best practices for congregational security teams. The seminar is certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) for two hours of continuing education credit for law enforcement officers.

Church security has become a hot topic for many churches, with recent attacks on congregations in Texas and South Carolina spurring questions about how churches need to approach security. While large churches may have more access to security resources and personnel, a small church may be left wondering how to approach protecting its congregation.

“A lot of churches have operated in the past or currently on the theory of ‘we have never had anything happen here,’” said Travis David, owner and operator of Peacemakers Security and Consulting. “And by God’s grace, that is great. However, with the increase of violent incidents starting to occur in more churches, every church needs to take a serious look at how to protect their congregation and the impact on their church.”

“We want churches to take the philosophy of pray, prepare, prevent and prevail when it comes to security,” he said.

Church leaders and security teams of all denominations and sizes are encouraged to attend the seminar to learn how to prepare a security plan, be prepared for incidents and other practical ideas to consider when putting together a security team.

The two-hour seminar will include a 30-minute questionand-answer segment, and attendees will be given materials to help improve security in their churches. Members of the Oklahoma City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies will be available during the questionand-answer session.

David, the speaker for the seminar, has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience and has served as the head of security for Quail Springs Baptist for the last five years. In addition to his thousands of hours of law enforcement training time, he holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and Advanced CLEET Certification.

The event is sponsored by 88.5 The House FM and My Praise FM.