How to Protect Your Church from Theft and Vandalism Part 2

It’s autumn and that means the season of trick or treating, creative costumes, and spooky stories is upon us. While many of us take part in these light-hearted traditions and enjoy “spooky season” for what it is, there is often see an increase in mischief, theft, and vandalism. To help protect your church, we’ve created part 2 of How to Protect Your Church from Theft and Vandalism.

Keep your property free of trash and other materials
Trash and lose materials can be used to damage windows and buildings or even used to commit arson. Regularly walking around the church property and collecting trash and storing materials is not only good for the environment, but also helps protect your church from anyone looking for some easy mischief.

Limit access to your buildings
Vandalism and theft are often crimes of opportunity and limiting access to your buildings helps limit the number of opportunities someone has to do harm. Secure all doors and windows every time you leave the premises, keep track of who has keys to your buildings and only allowed trusted individuals to keep them. If keys are ever lost or stolen, have the locks changed immediately.

Perform background checks on employees and volunteers
We’d like to think that everyone we hire or take on as a volunteer has the best intentions. Unfortunately, our kind-hearted and forgiving nature can be easily taken advantage of by those that are looking to do harm. It’s important to perform background checks on all employees and volunteers to help reduce the chances of hiring someone that may harm your church.

Train ushers to help protect donations when they are taken
Background checks are a great first step when it comes to helping ensure only trusted individuals are working within your church. However, proper training is also necessary for both employees and volunteers. Training your ushers to protect donations and keep them secure during and after service is an important step in protecting church funds.

Establish a church watch program
Even if you have a security system and cameras installed on your property, it’s a good idea to consider establishing a church watch program to regularly monitor the property for suspicious activity. Simply driving by your church or making your way through the parking lot on your way home from work may be enough to spot suspicious activity and investigate anything that doesn’t seem right.