Securing Church Operations: A Seven Step Plan for Ministry and Safety Leaders

I was recently asked to join our church safety advisory committee. The committee was reforming to put together church safety policies and procedures. I went looking for a few Facebook groups to join looking for ideas. In one group I joined was post by Simon asking people to take a look at his book. I clicked on the link and read the description. I knew this was the information I was seeking! Simon's 7-step plan is laid out in an easy to read and understand format. He presents each step at the precise level of detail necessary. Throughout he gives suggestions on how to get each step started. These starting points are invaluable in my opinion. Simon presents the material from the point of view of protecting churches but other soft targets could use the information as well. Schools and places of business just to name a few. Don't be put off by the occasional Bible reference - that's the target audience. I'm glad I discovered this book. I feel as I would have been lost without it. I've read the book cover to cover twice now. First to begin to digest, second to highlight and get ideas fresh in my mind for our committee. I've been able to bring up a few of Simon's points in our discussions already. I've even been asked to order enough copies for everyone on the committee. That is my emphatic endorsement for this book! I purchased an early, first printing. There were a few small things that needed editing assistance. I do not count those as a detractor from the material presented in the book. I just felt fair in being honest with giving such a glowing review.

As a new Church Safety/Security Lead of our church , This book as been a great resource to walk me through the process of making sure our Safety Team and Church Leadership are in alignment. As well, it has help me to to identify what Policy and Procedures for the Safety Team need to be updated and/or created.

This is a well written, thorough, thought provoking book. You can never (in my opinion) know it all. I lead a small group of men at my church in our safety group. I’ve said from day one I don’t know it all and after reading this book it pointed out huge gaps in our safety program. Simon really points out a lot of good things to cover when you are setting up your own safety program. This is a must read, and reread book.

Expensive for only 157 pages. Most are for notes. It doesn’t give you a comprehensive overview of what is actually needed to start a church security operation. There are many other books that are much more thorough and comprehensive compared to this one. This one is more spiritual based which is great but doesn’t have the specifics you need to have a strong security team. Look for other books!

This books forms the basis of our church security program. It is full of practical advice and real-life examples. As a parishioner, I used Simon's recommendations to start an all-volunteer safety team at our church that has been. The pastors were fully on board when I explained the examples Simon gives in this book. Remember, it's not just about mass-shootings which are high profile but rare. It's also about protecting children from predators who, unfortunately, are very common in our churches. These preventable tragedies have multi-generational impacts; turning a blind eye won't make this problem going away. Whether you are a pastor or parishioner who is concerned about the safety of their church, this book is a must-have resource.