Where Thieves Break Through

Preventing and Stopping Theft

This article is based on the "Safety Team Fundamentals" Safety Member Certification training module [1].

In the Bible

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal (Matthew 6:19).

The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment (Proverbs 21:7).

Thou shalt not steal (Exodus 20:15).

Introduction -

No one likes being stolen from, unless it's a porch pirate booby trap. If thievery is not the oldest profession, it's at least close to the top. Dogs were first domesticated not as pets, but as guards. Guarding against thieves was as common in Jesus' day as it was before Him and as it is today.

The objects of theft have been added to over the millennia. The list is endless. Also multiplied are the methods thieves and robbers use to steal.

In the News -

Churches, their attenders, and their staff are targets of several kinds of theft. Seven of them are:

• Robbery
• Fraud
• Embezzlement
• Mail Theft
• Vehicle Break-ins
• Common Theft
• Cyber Theft

Burglary:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 11, 2025 - A burglar climbed over a fence, broke a 125-year-old stained glass window to enter a church, took a 125-year-old jeweled crown worth $30,000 off a statue, and exited through the broken window, all within ten minutes. The entire sequence was recorded by surveillance cameras. [2].

Robbery:

Atlanta, Georgia, February 8, 2025 - Late on a Saturday afternoon, a deacon (age 79) was sweeping the walkway in front of a church. A man came off the street, physically accosted the deacon, pushing him down, and left with his wallet. The robbery was caught on video. [3].

Fraud:

South Tampa, Florida, 2024 - A church in South Tampa planned to erect a middle school on its campus. It had the land, raised the money, and hired a contractor. However, the general contractor submitted forged invoices to the church amounting to over $700.000. This was revealed when the named subcontractors said they were never paid. The general contractor was arrested and charged with fraud, wire fraud, and forgery. The church has since found an honest contractor and the school is expected to be completed in time for the 2025-2026 school year. [4].

Embezzlement:

Fernandina Beach, Florida, 2019-2024 - A person who was a church secretary for 11 years embezzled more than half a million dollars over the last five years. New persons on a church board discovered discrepancies, and the board hired an outside auditor who uncovered a pattern of paying for trips and merchandise from the church's bank accounts. [5, 6].

Mail Theft:

Wylie and Flower Mound, Texas, July 6, 2025 - The staff at a church reported that the church's mailbox, which is in the parking lot, had been pried open several times. Surveillance video showed a man opening the mail box and revealed his license plate number. Using license reader records, police were able to track the thief's trips from Houston to Wylie on the dates the mailbox had been opened. He is now in jail awaiting trial. [7].

Vehicle Break-ins:

Rockingham County, North Carolina, July 2025 - Vehicles in several church parking lots have been broken into and items stolen. One woman said the window on her truck was broken and her purse stolen. Her purse and wallet were found minus the IDs and credit card. Police are advising people to lock their vehicles and not leave valuables in them. [8].

Common Theft:

Dearborn, Michigan, June 13, 2021 - When the Sunday morning service had ended, a parishioner went to the restroom. She set her purse on the counter and went into a stall. When she came out, her purse was missing. A search was made, but it was not found. Four day later, it was still missing. It had $350 in cash, credit cards, keys, and personal ID. [9].

Kansas City, Kansas, November 20, 2016 - On a Sunday morning, while a church's administrative assistant was teaching a Sunday School class, two people came into the church, went into the office, and walked out with Christmas money collected for needy families (about $50) and the administrative assistant's wallet. A member of the community gave the church money to replace the stolen funds. Later, someone used the administrative assistant's credit card to make a purchase at a store. [10].

Cyber Theft:

Hammond, Indiana, July 15, 2025 - The largest church in Indiana announced to potential victims that the church's computers were locked in a ransomware attack, and the attacker (Rhysida) had the personal data of employees and members. Rhysida was demanding a ransom of $594,000 and threatened to sell the data to the highest bidder.[11].

To Stop a Thief -

In 1974, Stoeger Publishing Company released a book by George C. Nonte, To Stop a Thief | The Complete Guide to House, Apartment & Property Protection. [12].

Nonte's book may be dated and is limited to protecting real estate from thieves, but it does have basic principles, and the title can be applied more broadly to include religious institutions.

"To stop a thief" can be understood in three tenses: Prevention, Detection, and Remediation.

Prevention,

The ideal tense of stopping a thief is prevention. When a theft of any kind occurs, two questions arising are, "How could this have been prevented?" and "How can we keep it from happening again?" If these questions sound familiar, they're the same questions asked after other serious incidents such as a violent intruder, child abuse, a fire, an accident, etc.

Barriers:

Some kinds of theft, such as burglary, can be prevented or made extremely difficult with barriers. In the burglary in Philadelphia, the thief climbed over one barrier (the fence) and broke another (the window) [2]. Apparently, these were not difficult enough. Some suggestions are

1. Strengthen the window with a shatterproof film,
2. Install a small-grid security screen on the outside of the window (this also deters vandalism), and
3. Razor wire inside the top of the fence.

We don't know how strong the mail box was at the church in Wylie, TX, but it was locked - the thief had to pry it open [7]. With something like that, some thieves will try to get in no matter how strong the box is.

The mailbox is in the covered entry outside the doors to the parking lot. When the staff called police, it had already been pried opened "several times." If they had called the first time, the following thefts might have been prevented.

Fencing the parking lot and locking the gates would have forced the thief to break the lock on a gate, cut through the fence, or park outside and go over the fence. Alarms on the fence, the gates, and the mailbox activating loud sirens could have been a deterrent.

Parishioners locking their vehicles is an initial barrier to vehicle theft, of both the contents and the vehicles themselves. Taking time to break windows during a service slows a thief down and the sound of breaking glass attracts the attention of anyone outside. An alarm on a vehicle is an additional deterrent, especially if it is very loud. Not leaving valuables in view also reduces the chances of a vehicle being broken into.

A double-signature requirement and required verification of transactions are procedural barriers to embezzlement as well as regular audits..

Quality antiviral software kept up-to-date is an electronic barrier to hacking and cyber theft. A procedural barrier is rejecting phishing attempts, whether by email, pop-up notification, text messages, or any way the solicitation or phony warning is delivered, even by snail mail. Staff and church officers need to be educated on how to avoid phishing.

A healthy skepticism and verification of providers and contractors is a procedural barrier to fraud.

Online tithing keeps offerings out of the reach of cash thieves in the church.

Deterrents:

Keeping the grounds in good shape and having no shrubbery close to windows lets would-be thieves know that the church cares about the property and leaves no place to hide. Another deterrent is having some of the surveillance cameras easily visible. Have notices by the doors that the place is monitored and there are alarms in place. Regular patrols at random times also serve as deterrents. Who wants to get caught in the act?

Observation:

Patrols before services and classes and when the buildings are closed can spot signs of attempted entry or items in place to use for breaking in. Watchfulness when people are there for classes, services, or events can detect thieves by their appearance and behavior. If would-be thieves know they are being watched, that can be a deterrent. A friendly greeting by a safety team member may change a thief's mind about going through pockets, book bags, and purses.

Observation also includes monitoring surveillance cameras. Although this is for detection, a monitor screen in the foyer showing the view from a camera may be a deterrent.

The church safety team has a direct role in protecting offerings from theft. Team members escort the ushers to the counting room and watch the counting of the money and the insertion of funds into the safe.

Detection,

Detection may stop a thief in the act. This is by both in-person and remote observation. Let's say you are on patrol coming around a corner and spot someone trying to open a window? An attempted break-in may turn into a foot race and a 911 call.

Develop a working relationship with local law enforcement. They can have officers regularly patrol the campus when the buildings are unoccupied.

Surveillance cameras should be monitored by somebody. Then a theft attempt can be seen in action. Selected safety team members should have access to the cameras on their mobile devices. If they are alerted by an alarm, then they can get into the camera(s) covering that location.

Sensors and alarms are key detection tools. Have gate, fence, door, and window alarms that can be armed from a central location. The alarms should have backup batteries so they can operate when the power is off. Entry alarms should tie in to law enforcement. Safety Directors and Safety Team Leaders should also receive alarms.

Educate the congregation on recognizing and reporting signs of thievery.

Accountability and transparency on church finances can detect embezzlement early. Checking the books and the bank accounts regularly can also deter it.

Remediation,

Remediation includes assessing the loss, recovery from the loss, evaluation of barriers, procedures, etc., and strengthening the church's defenses against theft.

Depending on the kind of loss and the insurance policies, the theft loss may be covered, partially or entirely. When a contractor defrauded the South Tampa church, the congregation raised enough money to hire another contractor and build the school [2]. In Kansas City, a member of the community donated money to replace the stolen charity funds [10]. However, we cannot always count on covering the loss.

Next, we need to consider how the theft happened and how to keep it from happening again. Then we need to implement the protective measures, whether physical or procedural. Educate church staff and volunteers in these measures.

Training -

All safety team members should be trained and certified through Sheepdog Church Security's Safety Member Certification course with its eight classes. For those of you who need the biennial recertification, the training modules are being updated, and one is already complete. There are also training courses for safety ministry leaders.

Conclusion -

Protect your church and its members from all kinds of theft. Learn how to stop a thief.

References -

1. Kris Moloney, "Safety Team Fundamentals," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/courses/safety-member-certification-2025].
2. 6abc Digital Staff, "Photo released of suspect after jeweled gold crown worth $30K stolen from Center City church," WPVI 6ABC, January 13, 2025 [https://6abc.com/post/police-release-surveillance-images-suspect-wanted-after-jewled-gold-crown-worth-30k-stolen-center-city-church/15795046/].
3. Dave Urbanski, "Video: Thug attacks elderly church member sweeping in front of neighborhood house of worship, steals his wallet," Blaze, February 12, 2025 [https://www.theblaze.com/news/video-thug-attacks-elderly-church-member-sweeping-in-front-of-neighborhood-house-of-worship-steals-his-wallet].
4. Tony Marrero, "Contractor accused of defrauding South Tampa church in school building project," Tampa Bay Times, June 5, 2025 Updated June 6 [https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2025/06/05/south-tampa-church-holy-trinity-contractor-arrest-lawsuit/].
5. Olivia Lloyd, Church secretary steals $570,000, takes Grand Canyon helicopter tour, FL cops say, Miami Herald, updated April 10, 2025 [https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article303939191.html].
6. Jessica Eturralde, "FL Church Employee Charged With Embezzling Over $500K," Ministry Watch, April 16, 2025 [https://ministrywatch.com/fl-church-employee-charged-with-embezzling-over-500k/].
7. Amber Kite on information from the Wylie Police Department and the Collin County Jail, "Houston man arrested, accused of stealing mail from North Texas church," KDFW Fox 4, July 30, 2025 [https://www.fox4news.com/news/houston-man-arrested-accused-stealing-mail-from-north-texas-church].
8. Lauren Tear, "Church parking lot car break-ins under investigation in Rockingham County," WFMY, July 27, 2025 [https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/church-parking-lot-car-break-ins-under-investigation-in-rockinghamm-county-purse-stolen-stoneville/83-1ce5a10c-75fe-478a-80cd-c642673af12a].
9. Compiled by Joe Slezak from Press and Guide, Press Release, Guide Intern, and Guide News, "DEARBORN POLICE BRIEFS: Purse stolen at church, vacant houses vandalized, catalytic converters cut off vehicles," Press & Guide, updated June 17, 2021, [https://www.pressandguide.com/2012/08/21/dearborn-police-briefs-purse-stolen-at-church-vacant-houses-vandalized-catalytic-converters-cut-off-vehicles/].
10. Mary Rupert, "Community member steps forward to replace funds stolen in church theft," Wyandotte Daily, November 22, 2016 [https://wyandotteonline.com/community-member-steps-forward-to-replace-funds-stolen-in-church-theft/].
11. Paul Bischoff, "Cybercriminals give Indiana megachurch 7 days to pay $600K ransom after data breach," Comparitech, Updated: July 29, 2025 [https://www.comparitech.com/news/cybercriminals-give-indiana-megachurch-7-days-to-pay-600k-ransom-after-data-breach/].
12. George C. Nonte, "To Stop a Thief | The Complete Guide to House, Apartment & Property Protection," Stoeger Publishing Company, ISBN-10: ‎0883170280, ISBN-13: ‎978-0883170281, Published January 1, 1974; available on Amazon at [https://www.amazon.com/stop-thief-George-C-Nonte/dp/0883170280#detailBullets_feature_div].