The FBSN is a network of security and law enforcement professionals dedicated to continuously improving security of faith-based organizations.
The FBI defines a mass murder as four or more killed in a single attack. In 187 years of American liberty, that had never happened at a church. That changed on September 15th, 1963. Four little girls were killed at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham by cold-blooded murderers.
the FBSN NOW has members in 46 states
& Washington D.C.!
That ushered in a new era of violence at churches; those attacks are all too familiar now. 187 years of no mass murders; then the Tree of Life Synagogue attack was the 15th mass murder at a faith-based organization in the 56 years since that first attack. This paragraph will be updated someday soon with the name of another town and the name of another ministry. We don’t know where or when, but it is coming.
In addition to that most violent pattern, evil in many forms is invading American sanctuaries. Every day brings news of some church, charity or ministry affected. Sexual, physical and domestic abuse, arson, theft, vandalism and other attacks are increasing due to the deliberate erosion of regard for anything or anyone associated with moral values.
But something else began happening in American sanctuaries. Few noticed that movement at first. A group of Americans, strong in faith and action, who had vested interests in their children and friends, began to move to the back of the room. Some even moved clear out of the sanctuary, and into the children’s hallways and parking lot around their church. They were not moving to get away, but to watch.
Today, they are not only watching; they are prepared to intervene should evil come after their family or friends in a house of worship.
Many now recognize them as Church Security. These are parents, grandparents and others who recognize that just as they serve God, there are others who serve evil. There are many faith-based organizations (charities, outreaches, other houses of worship and ministries of various kinds) which are not really churches, so we prefer the term faith-based security.
The FBSN is a member-owned professional organization serving those faith-based security and involved law-enforcement professionals with 5 services critical to strengthening faith-based security (as seen at the bottom of this page). The FBSN goes beyond individual preparedness as the first faith-based security association to bring together the people of all types and locations of ministries as a national connected network. It’s time to stop being silos and stovepipes of information.
The guiding values of the FBSN are transparently, unapologetically and invariably Christ-centered. We believe it is right for His church to lead the way in standing against evil as that is the very model of Christ (Romans 12:9). Of all religions under attack in America, none are more commonly the site of actual blood spilled than Christian organizations.
We invite all faiths however, to join us in this endeavor to stand against the tangible evil we have seen repeatedly strike the innocent in Houses of Worship and ministries of all faiths. We do not proselytize, but we will protect and share best practices of stopping and overcoming evil with other faiths who sincerely seek answers.
If you are committed to protecting those in your ministry or faith-based community, please go to the membership tab and consider the membership options. If you would like to give towards our efforts, please go to the DONATE link on this page. We sincerely appreciate all charitable donations as we work to protect American ministries.
Upcoming Events
Networking
The FBSN is a national network of local individuals and coalitions. It is a framework for developing, advancing and connecting local professionals with those in their area and beyond. There are many coalitions springing up across the U.S. The FBSN does not replace them, but rather connects them as chapters. The FBSN will assist new regions in chapter development or help individuals tap into the national momentum and resources if there is no chapter in their area.
Benchmarks
The FBSN collects data on operating budgets, team profiles, most common incidents and other measures to help teams compare operations and recognize normal in this relatively new endeavor of faith-based security.
Best in Class
(Practices & Resources)
The FBSN collects best practice ideas from members, then forms them into one-page documents. Knowing what works well for others is the first step towards building a plan specific for any ministry.
The FBSN identifies those businesses with the highest applicability of products or services for members, then works to establish demonstrable discounts for members and / or sponsorships of the FBSN with those companies.
Threat Information
The FBSN works to develop and improve methods for discovery, documentation and dissemination of current threats. The faith-based safety coalition of Colorado Springs has done this since 2008 with many cases of success. FBSN operations are modeled on the successful methods of the Colorado Springs area pioneering partnership of law-enforcement and ministries.
Public Policy
As the FBSN grows, we hope to (someday) campaign for legislation applicable to the safety and security operations of ministries. Some jurisdictions still have stiff laws requiring licensing that may work for large churches, but small churches with little or no funds are unduly burdened by the mandates. The FBSN cares about those small churches.
Membership
Please consider becoming a member of the FBSN. To do so, visit the membership page on this site.