Praying Safe: The professional approach to protecting faith communities
Cunningham, Grant ; Gideon, Joshua
Synopsis "Praying Safe: The professional approach to protecting faith communities "
All across our nation, people of faith are scared.Attacks against religious institutions are becoming more common and more deadly. Worshippers are being killed at prayer and there seems to be no end in sight.But that's just the tip of the iceberg, because houses of worship are overwhelmingly 'soft targets' -- vulnerable to crime, manmade accidents, and natural disasters. Whether from the outside or the inside, our churches, synagogues, and temples are vulnerable.Which means the people praying in them are vulnerable.And what do the self-defense and security industries give us? Trite answers, soundbite "solutions", and self-serving sales pitches.It's time we do something different. It's time to make our houses of worship 'hard targets' -- fortified against attackers, disasters, and criminals.Finally, there's a guide to make that happen in YOUR worship community!PRAYING SAFE: The professional approach to protecting faith communities was written specifically to help congregations develop, implement, and maintain their own comprehensive, effective security plans.In simple, easy-to-follow steps, PRAYING SAFE lays out what you and your fellow congregants can do to make your community a harder target. It starts with analysis: what dangers does your congregation face? What vulnerabilities do you have? Then, it shows you how to decide the best ways address those dangers and vulnerabilities to help keep everyone safer.The book tackles the "big problem" that no one else will even talk about: What do you do first? What's most important? How do you decide where to start? This sidetracks a lot of security planning, but PRAYING SAFE shows you how to make that decision easy.It even confronts -- head-on -- the problems of getting your congregation on board with the solutions. By the time you're finished with the suggestions in the book, you'll even have the support of the naysayers (and let's face it: every congregation has more than a few of them!)Just as importantly, PRAYING SAFE shows you how to maintain your security posture over the long haul. Fact is, most security initiatives run out of steam over time, which leaves you right back where you started. By approaching the whole process systematically, you'll end up with security you can trust to be in place when you really need it.There is no other book like PRAYING SAFE. Get it, read it, follow it -- and make your worship community a hard target!
