The Community Climate - Part 1

Evaluating the Opportunities and Risks of Your Community

From the Bible

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Introduction

When a realtor was asked how he began evaluating a property, he said, "Location! Location!"

When evaluating the opportunities and the risks for our church, location is a key consideration. "But God wants us here," is our response. Of course He wants us here. He also wants us to consider how to best do His work in this place. The climate of the community - not the weather, but the social climate - includes assets to use, blessings to experience, needs to be met, challenges to face, and risks to guard against. The risks include crimes against the church and its people. Here we will focus on the risk of crimes.

Without going into controversial detail, the community climate affecting church safety may also include the political climate.

On the Web

The Heritage Foundation, March 17, 1995 - Patrick Fagan wrote that the root cause of most crime in this country is the breakdown of the family. Emotional and relational stability are more likely developed in a stable, functional, two-parent family. Breakdown of families leads to the breakdown of community. One result is an increase in the rate of violent crime. Studies and statistics are cited to support this conclusion.[1]

*Note: Since the publication of this article, broken families have become more common, adversely affecting the social climate of many churches' surrounding communities.

PLoS ONE, March 3, 2023 - A research paper which has been reposted by several organizations and agencies considers the relationship of places of worship to crime in their communities. This was based on a statistical analysis of crime in the immediate neighborhoods of places of worship (churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques) in Washington, DC.

The analysis seems to indicate that places of worship may attract crime by being soft targets.[2]

United States and United Kingdom, 2000 to 2015 - Three Australian scholars studied the concentrations of crime in areas of 25 cities in the USA and Britain. Three categories of crime were considered: theft, robbery, and burglary. These crimes tend to be more concentrated in certain sections of major cities while less prevalent in others. Theft in general (excluding robbery and burglary) was most common (however this was the broadest category), followed by robbery, then burglary.[3]

*Note: The social climate of the church's local community will depend on where it is located in a large city.

The Christian Post, September 24, 2023 - Pastor and Christian author Sam Rainer diagnoses the decline of neighborhood churches. Many are unaware of demographic changes in their communities. Others may flee the changing neighborhoods for greener pastures. They have become inward-centered, forgetting what it means to be the salt of the earth in their locations.

Some neglect their property, becoming unattractive. Others overvalue their property, becoming uncaring and unwelcoming, even hostile.[4]

*Note: Not adapting to changes in the community's climate may make a church less respected and more likely a target of crime.

Knowing Your Community's Social Climate

Guides to destination cities describe the local climate, such as average temperatures through the seasons, the precipitation, average humidity, etc. They also describe hospitality, local events, etc.

Hopefully, we know all these things about where we live, work, and worship. We also should know about the social climate of our church's location. If we live there and are active in the community, we already know - or should. But if we come to church from a different community and/or do not associate with our neighbors, it is something we need to learn.

The social climate of a community is generally related to its crime rates. According to studies by an economics professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, counties which are more religious generally had higher church attendance and lower rates of alcoholism and drug use along with crimes related to these vices.[5]

Crimes in Places of Worship

Crime in the community will also impact the church. Its members may be victims. The church itself may be a victim, especially property crimes, such as general theft, burglary, and larceny.

Nationally

The FBI has released tallies of crimes in houses of worship from 2010 through 2021. The data can be found on the FBI's Crime Data Explorer.[6]

These are grouped into two categories: "Violent Crimes" and "Property Crimes."

• Violent crime
• Homicide
• Rape
• Robbery
• Aggravated Assault
• Property Crimes
• Arson
• Burglary
• Larceny-theft
• Motor Vehicle Theft

Here are the data for 2017-2021:

Of special note is the number of homicides in places of worship in 2017 - it was 7. This is the number of homicidal incidents, not the number of persons who were killed. Included in it is the shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where 26 were murdered.

Attempted murders with no fatalities are counted within Aggravated Assault. For 2017, the Cathedral of the Cross shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, where six persons were wounded is counted as one incident. Again, the number of incidents is counted, not the wounded.

State and Local Crime Data

In the FBI Crime Data you can choose to see the stats for a state or a locality. Here it is for the City of Dover, Ohio (pared down to six offenses):

You can see here that there were significantly more homicide and robbery incidents in 2021 than in the previous four years combined, while aggravated assaults were way down. The question is, "What does this mean for a church in or near Dover?" Do note that most of the crimes involve some violence, but since robbery is also a property crime, most are against property.

Neighborhood Data

In a smaller city like Dover, these figures are for the city as a whole. However, in a large city (such as St. Louis or Cleveland) with several distinct population centers, in addition to the suburbs, each area or suburb may have a social climate of its own.

Frankly, certain demographic statistics are linked to the level of crime in a neighborhood. This is not based on race or ethnicity, but on social issues, such as education, employability, and family life. Neighborhoods with more single-parent homes and persons on welfare are more likely to have higher rates of alcoholism, drug addiction, and crime. Gang activity increases crime and crosses lines between neighborhoods. In some areas, this has become a culture of violence.

Many churches in these areas minister to the socially disadvantaged in their surrounding neighborhoods, but they also have a greater risk of crime on the church campus or in the church itself. It may be property crimes, such as burglary or arson. It may be violent crime, often not against the church itself but against a person or persons who are there.

Our weekly articles cover a few examples of church violence related to the community social climate, such as the shootings at New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ (2010), Victory for the World Church (2012), Word Tabernacle Church (2014), and Glorious Church of God in Christ (2020), as well as the stabbings at Grace Baptist Church (2020).

• At New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ in Richmond, CA, members of one gang came in to shoot members of another gang.[7]
• At Victory for the World Church in Stone Mountain, GA, an argument among gang members after a funeral led to a shooting in the parking lot.[8]
• At Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, NC, a troubled teen fired into a group of boys playing basketball on the church's parking lot.[9]
• At Glorious Church of God in Christ in Brooklyn, NY, a homeless man shot and killed the person at the church who had been helping him.[10]
• At Grace Baptist Church in San Jose, CA, a man staying at the church's homeless shelter stabbed several other persons, some fatally.[11]

The social climate of the community may lead to other crimes affecting the church, such as burglary, robbery, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, and arson. These are more likely than deadly-force assaults.

The best place to get specific current neighborhood reported crime data is usually from the police department - that is if they are willing to share it. You should be able to get records for recent years from their annual reports. We can also learn from these local reports what crimes were committed in or against churches since the reports say where the crime happened and who the victims were.

Also keep an eye on what is going on in the area. How many one-parent families are there? What is the graduation rate for the school(s)? How about unemployment? Is there gang activity nearby? How about drugs and alcohol? Do prostitutes roam the streets?

What you find out about your church's neighborhood should open your eyes to the needs for ministry as well as risks the church faces.

Risk Assessment

We need to evaluate the crime risks for our church. This would be part of an overall risk assessment. "How to Conduct a Risk Assessment," an article in the Church Security Guide, explains this process. Its advice begins with consulting local resources, such as child protective services, the fire marshal, OSHA, and law enforcement. While we naturally focus on crime, it is beneficial to cover all areas of risk, including workplace safety.[12][13]

The Church Security Guide article is written for establishing a safety ministry. For an existing Church Safety Ministry, the Safety Committee can conduct this risk assessment. Because community social climates are constantly changing, the risk of crime should be periodically re-evaluated.

Re-evaluation is especially needed now following the events of the past three years. Crime in general has risen exponentially in many U.S. urban areas, and hostility against religious institutions and the stands they take has led to increases in arson, vandalism, and assaults. We need to know how this affects our local areas.

Following the risk assessment, we can plan on how to mitigate the risks. That will be the subject of Part 2.

Conclusion

What we find out about our church's neighborhood should open our eyes to the needs for ministry as well as risks the church faces.

Training Notes

Whatever the risks we face or how we plan to meet them, Safety Team members need to be trained to do the job of keeping the flock safe. Train your team members with the Safety Member Certification training modules.[14]

Skills in dealing with crime are covered in:

• Safety Team Fundamentals (patrols, basic security practices, communication)
• Active Shooter Response (lockouts and lockdowns, engagement)
• Deescalating Disruptive Persons (calming potentially violent persons)
• Protecting Children from Abuse (preventing and responding to personnel misbehavior and non-custodial parental abduction)
• Basic Use of Force Laws (how to effectively and legally defend yourself and others)
• Arson and Fire Safety (preventing arson)

Training is available in three formats:

• Team Certification (church-hosted classes)
• Individual Certification (self-paced online instruction)
• Online Events (live Zoom classes)

The 2023-24 Online Events school year is now in progress. It is open to both individuals and groups.

References

1. Patrick Fagan, "The Real Root Causes of Violent Crime: The Breakdown of Marriage, Family, and Community," The Heritage Foundation, March 17, 1995 [https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/the-real-root-causes-violent-crime-the-breakdown-marriage-family-and].
2. James C. Wo (2023), "Crime generators or social capital organizations? Examining the effects of places of worship on neighborhood crime. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0282196; Retrieved October 7, 2023 from Disabled World [www.disabled-world.com/communication/religion/religious-crime.php].
3. Marcos Oliveira, Carmelo Bastos-Filho, Ronaldo Menezes, "The scaling of crime concentration in cities," PLoS ONE, August 11, 2017 [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183110].
4. Sam Rainer (Op-ed Contributor), "Behind the decline: Unraveling the forgotten reasons of fading neighborhood churches," The Christian Post, September 24, 2023 [https://www.christianpost.com/voices/unraveling-the-forgotten-reasons-of-fading-neighborhood-churches.html].
5. Ingrid Wright, "Economics professor studies links between rain, church attendance and crime," University of Texas at San Antonio, January 12, 2022 [https://www.utsa.edu/today/2022/01/story/moreno-medina-links-rain-church-crime.html].
6. Crime Data Explorer, Federal Bureau of Investigation [https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend].
7. WGV, "2010 New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ Shooting," Sheepdog Church Security, Articles, April 11, 2023 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/2010-new-gethsemane-church-of-god-in-christ-shooting/].
8. WGV, "2012 Victory for the World Church Shooting," Sheepdog Church Security, Articles, February 28, 2023 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/2012-victory-for-the-world-church-shooting/].
9. WGV, "2014 Word Tabernacle Church Shooting," Sheepdog Church Security, Articles, February 28, 2023 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/2012-victory-for-the-world-church-shooting/].
10. WGV, "2020 Glorious Church of God in Christ Shooting," Sheepdog Church Security, Articles, June 19, 2023 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/glorious-church-god-christ-shooting].
11. WGV, "2020 Grace Baptist Church Stabbing," Sheepdog Church Security, Articles, July 25, 2023 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/2020-grace-baptist-church-stabbing/].
12. Kris Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide/].
13. Kris Moloney, "How to Conduct a Risk Assessment," Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-assessment/].
14. Kris Moloney, Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/].