Bob sat quietly in his office at the church in Lubbock staring at an application that he already knew was going to create problems.
The application belonged to Frank.
Frank had attended the church for years. He loved the congregation. He showed up consistently. He was passionate about protecting the church and was one of the first people to volunteer when church leadership announced plans to create a formal security team. On paper, Frank looked like a great candidate. He owned firearms. He had a Texas License to Carry. He was eager to serve.
There was just one problem.
Everyone knew Frank had a temper. Church business meetings had a way of bringing it out. It didn't take much for a disagreement to turn into a red-faced argument. People had seen it happen more than once.
Bob understood something many churches are now beginning to learn.
Owning a firearm and being willing to serve does not automatically qualify someone to protect a congregation. So instead of making the decision based on personal feelings, Bob followed the church's newly developed screening process. Background checks were completed. References were reviewed. Character standards were evaluated.
In the end, Frank was respectfully declined.
Several months later, Bob's decision proved wise when a disagreement in the church parking lot escalated into a physical altercation that required law enforcement intervention.
The church's screening process had prevented a potentially dangerous situation from becoming far worse. As more Texas churches establish volunteer security teams, Bob's story raises an important question. What qualifications should volunteer church security team members actually have?
Bob and Frank's story is not unique.
Across Texas, churches of every size are creating volunteer security teams to improve church safety and protect their congregations. Whether it is a small rural chapel or one of the larger houses of worship in Dallas-Fort Worth, church leadership is recognizing that security measures are no longer optional.
The desire to protect places of worship is admirable. Church leaders want to safeguard their people, their ministries, and their church campus. They want to be prepared for medical emergencies, disruptive individuals, violent threats, and even the possibility of an active shooter event.
But building a church safety team creates a new responsibility.
The greatest threat to your church may not be the stranger who walks through the front door. It may be the wrong volunteer who isn't qualified to handle the job.
Many churches assume that anyone with military experience, a License to Carry a Handgun, a background in law enforcement, or an interest in firearms automatically qualifies to serve on a security team. That assumption can create significant liability.
A volunteer who has a reputation for anger, poor judgment, confrontational behavior, or an inability to control emotions can quickly become one of the biggest risks facing your Church Safety Ministry.
Texas law gives churches broad flexibility when creating volunteer security programs. However, that flexibility does not remove the church's responsibility to use good judgment when selecting security team members.
The most effective security team members are often the least noticeable people in the room. They remain calm when others become emotional. They communicate effectively and understand conflict resolution. They can deescalate disruptive situations without turning a small problem into a major incident.
Many church security situations never involve weapons.
Instead, Volunteer Security Teams frequently deal with custody disputes, disruptive visitors, domestic conflicts, intoxicated individuals, mental health episodes, medical emergencies, and emotionally charged confrontations. A volunteer who becomes angry easily or enjoys confrontation can make these situations dramatically worse.
A Church Safety Team member who escalates conflict can expose the church to lawsuits, bad publicity, injuries, and significant financial loss. In some cases, a poor decision made by one volunteer can threaten the future of the church's entire mission.
That is why church safety begins long before any discussion about firearms, concealed carry, or emergency response tactics.
It begins with character.
Most churches understand the importance of background checks.
Background checks can identify criminal history, prior arrests, and other warning signs. They are an important part of any church safety program and should be required for all volunteer security personnel.
However, background checks alone do not tell the whole story.
A person can have a completely clean criminal record and still be a terrible fit for a Church Safety Team.
Church leadership should speak with ministry leaders, staff members, and other volunteers who have worked closely with the candidate. They should evaluate how the person handles criticism, conflict, stressful situations, and disagreements.
Social media can also provide valuable insight into a person's temperament. Does the candidate routinely engage in hostile arguments online? Do they seem obsessed with confrontation? Do they demonstrate sound judgment and emotional maturity?
These questions matter.
The goal is not simply to find people who can respond to danger. The goal is to find people who can prevent situations from becoming dangerous in the first place.
One of the biggest mistakes churches make is focusing entirely on weapons while ignoring security training. A License to Carry a Handgun is not the same thing as being qualified to serve on a Church Safety Team. Effective volunteer security requires ongoing security training and continuing education.
Training programs should include topics such as:
Strong training standards help security team members make better decisions under pressure. More importantly, they help volunteers recognize situations where force should never be used. The best security personnel understand that avoiding violence is usually a better outcome than winning a confrontation.
Many churches assume that former law enforcement officers automatically make ideal volunteers. While former law enforcement officers often bring valuable experience, they still need to understand the unique environment of places of worship.
Churches are not police departments.
Volunteer security teams do not possess law enforcement powers. Their mission is not enforcement. Their mission is protection. Texas law provides certain protections and civil immunity provisions for churches that take reasonable steps to provide security. However, churches can still face significant liability if volunteer security members act recklessly or outside established security protocols.
This is why documented policies, training requirements, incident procedures, and proper supervision are so important. Your Board of Directors should understand exactly who is serving on the Church Safety Team, what training has been completed, and what authority volunteers have while serving.
In addition, you should check to see if your church's general liability insurance excludes firearms use.
The strongest Security Teams for Houses of Worship are built on three things.
A church security program is not about finding the toughest people in the congregation. It is about finding the wisest.
Bob and Frank's situation serves as an important reminder. The volunteer who creates the biggest liability problem is rarely the person with the least experience. It is often the person with the least self-control.
Before you hand someone a radio, a security badge, or responsibility for protecting your church community, ask yourself one question:
When pressure rises and emotions run high, is this person known for bringing peace into the room or creating more conflict?
The answer to that question may be more important than every other qualification combined.
Bob's church did not avoid a major problem because they got lucky. They avoided a problem because they had a process.
As churches across Texas continue building volunteer security ministries, the temptation will always be to focus on equipment, firearms, and emergency plans. Those things matter. But they are not where protection begins.
Protection begins with selecting the right people.
The most valuable security volunteer is not necessarily the best shooter or the one with the loudest voice or most enthusiasm. It is the person who demonstrates calm judgment, emotional control, proven character, and a servant's heart.
Those qualities are difficult to measure.
But they are often the qualities that matter most when a crisis arrives.
Building a Church Safety Team is about more than radios, training classes, and emergency response plans. It is about stewardship. Every church leader has a responsibility to protect the people, ministries, and resources that God has entrusted to them.
The reality is that every church has a Frank. Every congregation has people who are eager to serve, passionate about protecting others, and willing to step forward when help is needed. The challenge is determining whether those individuals have the temperament, judgment, and emotional maturity necessary to serve on a Church Safety Team.
Through our partnership with USCCA, Insurance For Texans can help churches access resources, training opportunities, and guidance to build a legally sound, defensible, and insurable church safety ministry.
Before you hand someone responsibility for protecting your congregation, make sure your church is asking the right questions.
Learn how True Texas Church Insurance can help your church evaluate security team liability exposures, strengthen its risk management practices, and build a safer ministry for years to come.
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