Worship without Worry.  

Violent critical incidents can occur anywhere even in places of worship which are seen as a sanctuary or safe haven. The reality of today is that places of worship are just as vulnerable to active shooter events as schools and businesses. 

Many people assume their safety upon entering a church. Leaders, however, cannot assume anything when it comes to safety of congregants, staff and volunteers. They need to consider a church security plan and emergency preparedness as they carry out day-to-day operations of the facility. Frankly, church leaders must ask, “How would our institution react, survive and cope, if we came under attack from a violent intruder?”

Preparing congregations of all sizes and religious beliefs starts with ALICE Training: the #1 Active Shooter Civilian Response Training for all Organizations.

ALICE Training created a specific program for houses of worship to:

  • Maximize survival of congregants, staff, volunteers and leadership
  • Provide accountability by documenting completed training and preparation
  • Reduce liability by implementing and training in alignment with state and federal standards of care for violent intruder events

ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. The easy-to-remember acronym provides preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations to proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. ALICE’s options-based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional “lockdown-only” approach.

Before we train on the acronym, our ALICE Training team can offer on-site assessments to help the organization detect threats in the first place. Then, we shift to training to help you plan and prepare for a day we pray never comes.

ALICE Training Options for Houses of Worship

Whether you are an individual, a family or on the leadership team of a congregation, we’ve got you covered!

Unsure which active shooter, mass shooting, or aggressive intruder situation training option is right for you?

See Other ALICE Training Options >>

[50% of Incidents] Take place on Sunday

In the incidents studied by the FBI, 50% took place at Places of Worship on a Sunday.  Specifically, just six events resulted in 21 people killed and 27 wounded.   The ages of the shooters ranged from 24 to 69.

Source: FBI Report, “Study of Active Shooter Incidents between 2000 and 2013.”

50%

Greeters & Ushers

These volunteers are usually the first people your members see on Sunday. They’re typically friendly, always smiling, shaking hands, directing guests and passing offering plates. Because these folks are used to directing foot traffic and helping people, it only makes sense to train them to respond and lead others through potentially life-saving decisions.

Deacon, Pastors, & Ministers

As the highest leaders on staff, these individuals absolutely need active intruder training. The training will be useful every day of the week while they work at the house of worship, as well as on Sundays when they shepherd an entire flock.  

Teachers & Others

Teachers work with people of all ages and abilities who naturally look to them for guidance on different topics. If violence occurs during a worship-related class, the teacher and other room leaders must know how to help their students. ALICE Training has been adopted by over 4,500 school districts for this exact reason. ALICE’s options-based strategies will help religion teachers feel empowered to make the best decision for their classroom, rather than hopelessly endure a difficult situation. 

LEARN HOW TO CERTIFY YOUR PLACE OF WORSHIP >>

News Highlights – Places of Worship

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Subjects of Concern, Matters of Faith

The new topic of conversation is ALICE. Like most acronyms, it’s easy to be dismissive of the whole thing. I’m going to remember all that? But with regular training, and some visual reinforcement, plus having clearly designated people with the task of handling those first couple of steps IMMEDIATELY – whether we’re talking about a funnel cloud, a gas leak or a guy with a gun seen in a stairwell – it’s a very workable method to teach preparedness. So we’re talking, at my church, about “Run-Hide-Fight,” and about ALICE, and about who does what.  Read more

Church Security on the Minds of Pastors and Buckeye Firearms Association

The pastor at Trinity Baptist Church on the northeast side said his sermon this Sunday will remember those lives lost in the church massacre in South Carolina, as well as address security in the house of worship.  Read more

Over 18,000,000 trained.  Let’s see what Some have to Say!

“Yes, I’ll be training my church on what to do, not just to hide and wait, but do things that are going to save their lives.” December 2014
Don McConnell, Rock of Grace Family Ministries
“So we’re talking, at my church, about “Run-Hide-Fight,” and about ALICE, and about who does what. Not who’s going to be a hero, or how we’re just going to pray enemies away from ever opening our door, but having the basics of assembly and evacuation ready to undergird our faith with action.” November 2015
Jeff Gill, Pastor in Licking County

Not sure which ALICE solution is right for you?

Contact one of our Program Directors to Learn More.