Request Church Safety: Protecting Your Congregation
This in-depth course is designed specifically for houses of worship seeking to create a safe and secure environment for their members. You’ll learn how to recognize early warning signs of violence, develop a customized Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), and understand how to effectively respond if a threat arises. From practical planning to tactical response and life-saving medical care, this course equips faith-based leaders, safety teams, and volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to protect their congregations. The class blends real-world data, case studies, and hands-on exercises to ensure participants leave prepared to take meaningful action.
Things You Will Learn
- How to identify behavioral indicators and potential threats before violence occurs.
- How to build and maintain a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for your church.
- Practical steps for improving physical security and lockdown procedures.
- How to integrate volunteers, staff, and law enforcement into your safety planning.
- When and how to implement Run, Hide, Fight strategies within your facility.
- Guidance on the role of armed congregants and lawful use of force.
- How to conduct tabletop and live exercises to test your plan.
Available Dates and Times
TBD
Cost for Class
$100 per student, utilizing your church’s facilities; and there is required minimum of 5 students per class. OwnGuard Solution’s classroom space would be an additional fee.
Prerequisites
N/A
Location
Your church’s facilities (or we have classroom space available for an additional fee, not included in the above price).
In Gwinnett County, close to Buford, Dacula, Duluth, Grayson, Lawrenceville, and Suwanee, Georgia.
How Time Will Be Spent
3 – 4 hours total time
This course is structured as an interactive training session combining classroom instruction with guided discussion and scenario-based exercises. The format encourages teamwork, reflection, and practical application of concepts learned.
Participants will spend their time as follows:
Module 1: Recognizing threats and behavioral indicators.
Module 2: Developing and testing your Emergency Operations Plan.
Module 3: Implementing Run, Hide, Fight and armed-response considerations.
The class includes group exercises such as evaluating facility security, identifying safe rooms, and running simulated decision-making drills. Depending on class size and participation, the session may range from 3 to 4 hours, including two short breaks.
Note: No shooting is involved in this course.
What to Bring to Class
- Open mind with a willingness to learn.
- Notepad and pen or pencil.
Usually Provided
N/A
Class Policies
- No firearms, loaded or unloaded, or ammunition shall be presented or handled by students during any classroom portion of training.
- No photos or videos of any portion of class.
- Be on-time to class so as not to interrupt other students.
- No children allowed in class.
- Students must successfully complete the entirety of the class in order to receive a certificate of completion.
- No food or beverage as the shop has plenty.
- If you are sick or think you are getting sick, stay home. If you come to class sick, you will be asked to leave without any refund.
Cancellation
Cancellation 48 hours or more ahead of class time will result in a one-time re-schedule. No refunds are offered. Cancellations made within 48 hours of class time will forfeit the entirety of the class cost paid, i.e. no refund.
Request Church Safety: Protecting Your Congregation
Submit this request form to have OwnGuard Solutions contact you about protecting your congregation and next steps.