Sheepdog Church Security

Every church safety team needs a solid foundation. This course lays it out step-by-step. It begins with why church safety is necessary and what kind of team your church needs—calm, alert, and servant-hearted. You’ll learn the practical side of patrols, including how to cover your facility, monitor key areas, and watch for warning signs without being disruptive. We’ll also cover how to conduct safety inspections, respond to protocol breaches, secure financial contributions, and support the ministry with situational awareness, not show of force.

Then we move into communication—using radios, relaying clear messages, and avoiding confusion in emergencies. The course wraps up with traits of an effective safety team member and what it means to serve with excellence. It’s the best place to start whether you’re new to safety or ready to reset your foundation.

What You’ll Learn:

– Why church safety ministries are needed
– How to patrol, observe, and report
– What to check in weekly safety inspections
– How to respond to safety/security breaches
– How to protect offerings and financial resources
– How to use radios for clear, calm communication
– The character and conduct of a safety team member

Note: This course is module one of the full Safety Member Certification. It’s built to give every team the foundation they need before moving into more specialized training.

Active shooter incidents in churches are rare—but they’re real. And when they happen, they happen fast. This course prepares your team for that worst-case moment by training them to detect danger early, move quickly, communicate clearly, and stop the threat without hesitation.

We cover the full spectrum of violent intruder response: spotting pre-attack indicators, deploying your team tactically, locking down rooms, using cover, coordinating with law enforcement, and making split-second decisions under pressure. You’ll also learn how to protect innocent bystanders, secure high-risk areas, and adapt your plan for the unique layout and needs of your church.

If your team is armed, we’ll help you understand what works—and what doesn’t—in an actual shooting. If your team isn’t armed, you’ll learn how unarmed defenders can still make a critical difference by disrupting the attacker’s plan.

This module gives you tools, tactics, and confidence to lead your congregation through one of the most dangerous threats a church can face. It's not about fear—it's about readiness.

Every church faces moments of disruption—someone angry, unstable, confused, or just looking to provoke a reaction. This course teaches your team how to respond without making the situation worse. You’ll learn how to stay calm, maintain control, and resolve conflict before it escalates into something dangerous.

This module walks through the warning signs of aggression, the psychology behind disruptive behavior, and how to use voice, posture, space, and words to de-escalate effectively. It also covers when to disengage, when to call for backup, and how to shift from verbal control to physical response if absolutely necessary.

We emphasize protection without provocation. Your team doesn’t need to win arguments—they need to keep people safe. And that starts with learning how to bring calm into chaos.

Whether you're dealing with an upset parent, a disruptive guest, or someone suffering from a mental health crisis, this course equips your team with the confidence and clarity to handle it wisely, respectfully, and biblically.

Churches should be sanctuaries, but predators often target places where trust is high and awareness is low. This module gives your team the training they need to protect children, the elderly, those with disabilities, and others at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

You’ll learn how to identify grooming behavior, recognize signs of abuse, and respond appropriately when concerns arise. We cover real-world patterns seen in sex trafficking, domestic abuse, and manipulation tactics that often go unnoticed.

This training doesn’t just cover what to do—it changes how your team sees. It builds a mindset of proactive vigilance that protects the vulnerable not just through reaction, but through presence, awareness, and follow-through.

Your team will also gain clarity on reporting responsibilities, how to support survivors, and how to create a ministry environment where people feel safe and seen.

If your church has children’s ministry, senior outreach, disability support, or simply welcomes hurting people—you need this training.

This module tackles one of the most serious questions any church safety team must answer: When is it right to use force—and how do you do it responsibly?

We start with the biblical foundation. Scripture is clear that protecting others is righteous, but the way we act must reflect our faith. From there, we walk through the real-world principles of proportionality, restraint, and intentionality in conflict.

You’ll learn what constitutes a legal use of force, how to recognize justified threats, and how to avoid the legal and spiritual consequences of overreaction. We cover de-escalation, defensive tactics, and how to intervene in a way that protects everyone—including the attacker—when possible.

The course includes legal insights from Attorney Andrew Branca, one of the nation’s top experts on use-of-force law, to help you understand liability, state laws, and legal protections for church responders.

This training is not about turning volunteers into warriors—it’s about teaching them how to be wise, steady, and equipped protectors when the moment demands action.

Arson and Fire Safety Module

This module provides essential knowledge on arson and fire safety practices, equipping church safety team members to reduce fire risks and handle emergencies effectively.

Key Learning Points:

1. Understanding Arson and Its Risks: Learn what arson is, why churches may be targeted, and strategies to make the church less vulnerable to intentional fires.
2. Fire Safety Awareness: Identify fire hazards commonly found on church property and how to mitigate them.
3. Creating a Fire Response Plan: Develop an effective fire response plan tailored for church settings, ensuring a safe and organized evacuation.
4. Fire Safety Inspections and Drills: Conduct thorough fire safety inspections and plan regular fire drills to keep church members prepared and aware.
5. Education on Fire Safety: Learn techniques to educate church staff and members on fire prevention, safety procedures, and emergency responses.

Storms and Disasters Module

This module equips church safety team members to prepare for and respond effectively to severe weather events, natural disasters, and man-made hazards, ensuring church members' safety during emergencies.

Key Learning Points:

1. Recognizing Safety Issues in Severe Weather: Understand the risks posed by storms, tornadoes, and other natural disasters that may affect church operations.
2. Developing Response Plans: Learn how to create actionable response plans for different types of environmental hazards, including sheltering in place and evacuation protocols.
3. Implementing Safety Procedures: Gain skills in monitoring weather conditions and guiding church members in safety measures until authorities give the “all clear.”
4. Preparing for Prolonged Emergencies: Plan for extended sheltering during events like severe winter storms, ensuring readiness for long-duration emergencies.
5. Understanding Responses to Man-Made Hazards: Learn appropriate actions for chemical spills and contagious disease outbreaks that may impact church activities.

Mass Trauma Emergency Module

This module prepares church safety team members to respond to mass trauma incidents, teaching them essential, life-saving skills to manage casualties until professional help arrives.

Key Learning Points:

1. Providing Immediate Life-Saving Care: Learn to stabilize trauma victims in high-threat situations, applying essential first aid skills to keep individuals alive.
2. Applying a Tourniquet: Master the use of tourniquets for severe bleeding control on both victims and oneself in emergencies.
3. Setting Up a Triage System: Understand how to prioritize care when faced with multiple casualties, enabling efficient and effective response during mass trauma events.
4. The 3 B’s of Buddy Care: Focus on critical needs—Bleeding Control, Breathing, and Body Heat—to manage trauma effectively.
5. Principles of Self-Care and Buddy Care: Gain skills in providing care to others and yourself in urgent, life-threatening scenarios, ensuring sustained support until help arrives.