Over a year ago, Indianola First Baptist Church Pastor Guy Burke began having meetings with church leadership about safety during services and church events.
While most churches deal with manageable safety issues during some Sunday services, the most violent scenario imaginable has not been far from Burke’s or other area pastors’ minds.
On Sunday, the worst did happen at First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs in Sutherland Springs, Texas, when 26 year-old Devin Kelly opened fire on the small congregation, killing 26 and wounding 20 others.
Sutherland Springs is a town of just over 400 people. To put that into perspective, some of Sunflower County’s smallest communities, like Drew, Ruleville and Moorhead, have well over 1,000 residents.
Much like the June 2015 church massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., the event reminds both pastors and congregates that houses of worship are not immune to such violence.
“Over the last year and a half, we’ve been really intentional about making some security decisions to enhance the safety of our environment,” Burke said.
Burke, and other area pastors, found out about Sunday’s shooting shortly after dismissing their own flock at around noon. Their initial reaction was one of grief for the small church of about 56 regulars.
“First, our hearts break because our brothers and sisters in Christ are faced with this tragedy,” Burke said.
Herron Wilson, who leads a congregation of around 80 regulars per Sunday service, said it is difficult to imagine such darkness coming into a house of worship.
“We’re called upon to be vigilant in prayer,” Wilson said. “We’re even called up in Scripture to weep with those who weep.”
Like the survivors and families surrounding the Charleston massacre in 2015, Christians struggle to dig deep to find hope in the face of such violence.
“We do believe in a sovereign God, who works all things together for the good of those who love him,” said Eric Zellner, pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Indianola.
“The Human Face of Evil”
A laminated sign is posted on the door of First Baptist Church, telling worshippers who may be running a little late for the Sunday service, they will have to use an alternate door to access the sanctuary.
This is done for safety reasons.
It was not done with any particular scenario in mind, Burke said, but it underscores the precautions church leaders feel they must take this day and age to protect their worshippers and foster a safe environment for families.
“We actually had two gentlemen from the state convention in Jackson to come, and they did a walk-through of our campus to help us see some things,” Burke said. “And they talked about the drastic side of an active shooter and some things that have been learned.”
This is something that has been on the agenda of the Southern Baptist Convention, Burke said, and now it is something that most pastors will have to consider.
“That’s what’s difficult for me,” Wilson said. “When I think about Sunday morning worship, I don’t think about the human face of evil showing up.”
Still, Wilson said the next course of action for his church is to address security concerns moving forward.
“We’re meeting with the deacons this week to talk about security,” Wilson said. “I’ve never thought about that before.”
Wilson said he now feels it could be necessary to provide security for Sunday morning worship and evening programs at the church.
The Charleston mass shooting occurred during a weeknight Bible study.
“We’re forced to think about it,” Wilson said. “It’s hard to wrap your mind around it.”
Zellner said that policies are already in place at First Presbyterian that address safety during worship services.
“We have a session-appointed security team,” Zellner said. “They’ve taken security precautions.”
Zellner said the team has prepared for catastrophic events, including a potential active shooter.
Still, these spiritual leaders must strike a balance between providing a safe and secure location to worship and also a welcoming venue.
There may be some subtle and mostly unnoticeable changes with many churches’ safety protocol this Sunday, but don’t expect any to be too drastic in the short term.
For the long run, pastors like Burke, Wilson and Zellner will continue to look for ways to shore up security while attempting to ramp up their ministries.
Burke, for one, said his church will meet to seek what next steps need to be taken to help ensure the safety of those on church grounds.
“We need to be responsible and good stewards and good leaders,” Burke said. “We need to be proactive and not reactive.”
