Church security training...

I received an email today from the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, an organization I've never heard of in my life. The email somehow slipped through the filter on a listserv that I moderate, which disturbed me a bit, but what I read was unbelievable.

The email was an invitation to a seminar designed to give church leaders and members guidance for surviving an active shooter incident - a gunman at large in the sanctuary. (Kind of strange that this came just days after the incident in Maryville.)

Here's what they said about the seminar...

The Center for Personal Protection and Safety will be conducting a one day Church Security Training Seminar on March 24th at Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Avenue, Leawood, Kansas.

Topics covered include:

• Seminar geared to a train-the-trainer environment
• Shots Fired: Guidance to Surviving an Active Shooter Incident
• Pros & cons of outsourced security guards supporting ministry organizations
• Keys to creating a healthy and safe workplace environment within your Church or Ministry
• Keys to recognizing signs of a potential crisis before it occurs
• Strategies for handling a difficult person in a public environment
• How to develop a Crisis Management Plan for your Church or Ministry
• How to train church leaders and congregation members to travel safely
• Interactive Session - Lets talk about your specific issues

The cost? Just $250 per attendee. (I told a friend about it and he wondered if that included a Kevlar jacket.)

For those unable to attend the seminar, a video training program - Shots Fired: Guidance to Surviving an Active Shooter Situation - available online at www.shotsfireddvd.com/preview.You'll need a user name and password for that. They provided that in the email.

User: ministry
PW: shotsfired

I'm still shaking my head. How to survive an active shooter incident in your church. What's next?