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Free Resource

Church Security Risk Assessment Worksheet

A free resource from Safely Gathered · safelygathered.com

Work through each section with your security team coordinator or a trusted leadership team member. Check each box where your church currently meets the standard. Use the Notes column to flag gaps or assign next steps. This worksheet is a starting point — we recommend you partner with local law enforcement to ensure there are no blind spots in your assessment.

Recommended: Review this worksheet at least once every 6–12 months and after any significant incident or facility change.

Note: This worksheet is designed to cover the essentials that apply to most churches, but your specific campus, congregation, and community may require additional considerations. Adapt freely. The goal is a safer church, not a completed checklist.

Section 1 — Physical Access & Entry Points

Controlling who enters your building is the first layer of security. Most church incidents begin at unsecured or unmonitored access points.

We have identified and documented all entry and exit points on our campus.During services, only one exterior door remains unlocked from the outside.All exit doors remain unlocked from the inside and have a person stationed nearby during services.Entry points are monitored by a designated volunteer or staff member during every service.We have a clear key management and access control policy that is documented and enforced.Exterior doors are self-closing and lock automatically from the outside.

What Safely Gathered Does With This: Safely Gathered assigns volunteers to specific entry posts for every event — every volunteer knows their station before the service begins, and leadership can confirm coverage at a glance.

Section 2 — Exterior & Parking Lot

Parking lots are consistently identified as one of the highest-risk areas on church campuses. Incidents in parking lots are common, and they are often the first place a threat enters the property.

Our parking lot is covered by at least one designated volunteer during every service.Parking lot lighting is adequate — all areas are well-lit during evening services and events.Surveillance cameras cover the parking lot and main exterior entry points.Volunteers assigned to parking lot patrol follow a varied circuit route — not a predictable pattern.Patrol volunteers know exactly who to contact and how if they observe a threat.Signage notifies visitors that the property is monitored.

What Safely Gathered Does With This: Safely Gathered sends instant SMS alerts to every approved volunteer the moment a threat is reported — no app download required. A parking lot volunteer can notify the entire team in seconds.

Section 3 — Interior Coverage & Sanctuary

Interior coverage requires zone-based thinking. When everyone is on "general duty," everyone assumes someone else is watching. Clear zone assignments eliminate that gap.

Our campus is divided into defined coverage zones (e.g., sanctuary, lobby, hallways, fellowship hall).Each zone has a designated volunteer assigned to it during every service — there are no uncovered areas.Sanctuary coverage includes at least one volunteer near each exit point.A volunteer or staff member is stationed near church leadership during services.We have a discreet method of communicating between team members during a service (not radio calls that would alarm the congregation).We have a designated Incident Commander — one person who takes command during an emergency.Our team conducts post-service debriefs or uses an incident log to track anything that occurred.

What Safely Gathered Does With This: Safely Gathered includes a dedicated team chat and real-time incident reporting — volunteers can communicate discreetly and log incidents during a service, giving leadership a clear record after every event.

Section 4 — Children's Ministry & Vulnerable Populations

Children's areas require controlled access, designated coverage, and documented policies. Background checks and two-adult rules are standard minimums. Failing to enforce these standards creates both safety risk and legal liability.

All volunteers working with children have passed a formal background check.Will you require background checks for volunteers working with minors.A two-adult rule is enforced in all children's and youth ministry settings.Children's wing entry and exit is controlled — only authorized individuals may enter.A designated volunteer is posted at the children's wing entrance during every service.We have a documented check-in and check-out procedure for children.A "sweeper" is assigned to do a final check of the children's area at the end of every service.All children's ministry volunteers have read and acknowledged our child safety policy in writing.

What Safely Gathered Does With This: Safely Gathered includes a policy acknowledgment feature — volunteers confirm they have read and understood your safety policies before gaining access to your site in the app.

Section 5 — Communication & Emergency Alerts

A group text is not a communication system. When a real emergency occurs, messages get buried, not everyone sees them in time, and there is no way to confirm who received the alert. Your communication system should be structured, fast, and reliable.

Every security volunteer knows exactly who to contact in an emergency and how.We have a method of alerting the entire security team instantly — without disrupting the congregation.Our alert system does not rely on a group text thread.All team members have current emergency contact information for local law enforcement.We have an established relationship with our local law enforcement agency.Our communication system works for multi-site or multi-building campuses.

What Safely Gathered Does With This: Safely Gathered sends emergency SMS alerts to every site user the moment a threat is reported — no app download required, works on any phone browser. Multi-site churches can manage each campus independently under one account.

Section 6 — Volunteer Structure, Policies & Documentation

The most common failure in church security teams is not a shortage of volunteers — it is a shortage of clarity. Teams with good people but no documented structure, roles, or policies carry significant operational and legal risk.

We have a named Security Coordinator who is responsible for the overall program.Every volunteer has a clearly defined role with documented responsibilities.We have a written security policy that all volunteers have acknowledged in writing.Our policy includes a code of conduct that sets clear behavioral standards for team members.Our policy addresses the church's position on firearms on the property.We have documented emergency procedures for: active threat, medical emergency, fire, and severe weather.Security policies are reviewed by leadership at least once every 6–12 months.When a volunteer leaves the team, their access is removed and their responsibilities are formally reassigned.We conduct security drills or tabletop exercises at least once per year.

What Safely Gathered Does With This: Safely Gathered stores your security policies digitally and requires volunteers to acknowledge them before gaining access to the platform. When team members change, access is controlled centrally — institutional knowledge stays with the church, not the individual.

How to Use Your Results

There is no pass/fail score. Every unchecked box is a gap — and every gap is a starting point. Prioritize the sections with the most unchecked boxes first. Share results with your senior pastor and key leadership. Gaps in children's ministry and communication should be treated as immediate priorities. Repeat this assessment every 6–12 months, and after any significant incident, staffing change, or facility update.

This worksheet is provided free of charge by Safely Gathered — volunteer security coordination software built exclusively for churches.
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Safely Gathered

Volunteer security coordination for churches

We understand that implementing everything above represents a major investment of time and effort. That's exactly why Safely Gathered exists — to take as much of that operational burden off your plate as possible, so your team can focus on the mission instead of the logistics.

✓Event scheduling with post assignments
✓Private team chat — separate from personal phones
✓One-tap emergency alerts to every volunteer
✓Digital policy acknowledgment & records
✓Real-time incident logging
✓Multi-site management under one account
✓30-day free trial — begins when you activate your first site
✓Works on any phone browser — no app download needed

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