Research On Religion » embezzlement

Jim McGuffey on Church Security (encore presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 08:00:38 +0000

We then dive into a discussion about the biggest threats to churches. Jim explains that the number one problem is that churches do not think much about security, highlighting the figure that only about 15 – 20% of churches have security programs in place. Tony brings up the issue of how congregants might react to a visible security program by speculating that this might either ease the fears of parishioners or, paradoxically, make them more concerned about potential threats. After all, if there is an armed security guard patrolling the church grounds, it is only natural to assume that there must be some problem there. Jim agrees that this latter response is something that concerns pastors and elders. If they do create a highly visible security presence with cameras and guards, this may make the church appear less welcoming and scare away members. Overcoming this mentality is often one of Jim’s greatest challenges.

He also notes that church staff often only start thinking about security after a well-publicized shooting and they tend to overlook more common incidents such as burglary, theft, or vandalism. Indeed, given that physical violence is often rare yet what we focus on, churches typically find themselves more vulnerable to “mundane crimes” such as embezzlement because they don’t give much thought to these things.

Jim then walks us through a typical church security assessment that he would conduct for a house of worship. While not in any means comprehensive, this portion of the interview might be very valuable for clergy or congregants if for no other reason than simply to make them aware of some common sense things they can be alerted to. Although a regular security may sound like “overkill” for a church, Jim points out that one of the main impacts of crime on a church is to tarnish its reputation, especially with incidents that are committed by internal members of the church community. Tony asks if there are certain types of vulnerabilities that church face relative to private businesses or residences and Jim reviews a number of these. One of the more interesting things that churches often neglect is a process of background checks on volunteers; paid staff are often vetted, but volunteers — often the main source of help for many congregations — are often assumed to have pure motives and hence don’t need to have their backgrounds or intentions examined.

Please note that during our discussion of conducting background interviews for volunteers, Mr. McGuffey’s phone failed thus we have a brief interruption in the flow of the conversation. Despite these technical problems we finish strong by talking about how Jim generates interest in his services, noting that what he offers is not simply a service for Christians, but is available for congregants of all faith. Recorded: January 9, 2013.

Jim McGuffey on Church Security

tonygill — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:00:15 +0000

In the wake of several highly publicized shootings, we look at how safe churches are, and what they can do to improve their safety, with Jim McGuffey, and independent security consultant with A.C.E. Security Consultants LLC and an expert on church security. We start with Jim’s background, both religious and professional, to understand where his insights into this issue come from. Jim spent time in the military, civilian police, and the armored car business before setting out with his own consulting company. He has also been extensively trained in a vareity of security programs with the licensing to prove it. More importantly, Jim spent time in several denominations including a stint as a church elder. He credits the latter experience with his ability to understand the specific difficulties with trying to protect churches from falkling prey to a variety of illicit behavior, including both bodily and property crimes. He explains how he came to specialize in church security, a service he provides to various religious groups free of charge. We then dive into a discussion about the biggest threats to churches. Jim explains that the number one problem is that churches do not think much about security, highlighting the figure that only about 15 – 20% of churches have security programs in place. Tony brings up the issue of how congregants might react to a visible security program by speculating that this might either ease the fears of parishioners or, paradoxically, make them more concerned about potential threats. After all, if there is an armed security guard patrolling the church grounds, it is only natural to assume that there must be some problem there. Jim agrees that this latter response is something that concerns pastors and elders. If they do create a highly visible security presence with cameras and guards, this may make the church appear less welcoming and scare away members. Overcoming this mentality is often one of Jim’s greatest challenges. He also notes that church staff often only start thinking about security after a well-publicized shooting and they tend to overlook more common incidents such as burglary, theft, or vandalism. Indeed, given that physical violence is often rare yet what we focus on, churches typically find themselves more vulnerable to “mundane crimes” such as embezzlement because they don’t give much thought to these things. Jim then walks us throgh a typical church security assessment that he would conduct for a house of worship. While not in any means comprehensive, this portion of the interview might be very valuable for clergy or congregants if for no other reason than simply to make them aware of some common sense things they can be alerted to. Although a regular security may sound like “overkill” for a church, Jim points out that one of the main impacts of crime on a church is to tarnish its reputation, especially with incidents that are committed by internal members of the church community. Tony asks if there are certain types of vulnerabilities that church face relative to private businesses or residences and Jim reviews a number of these. One of the more interesting things that churches often neglect is a process of background checks on volunteers; paid staff are often vetted, but volunteers — often the main source of help for many congregations — are often assumed to have pure motives and hence don’t need to have their backgrounds or intentions examined. Please note that during our discussion of conducting background interviews for volunteers, Mr. McGuffey’s phone failed thus we have a brief interruption in the flow of the conversation. Despite these technical problems we finish strong by talking about how Jim generates interest in his services, noting that what he offers is not simply a service for Christians, but is available for congregants of all faith. Recorded: January 9, 2013.

Gary Friesen on Christian Reconciliation Services and Peacemaker Ministries

tonygill — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:00:01 +0000

When conflict besets your Christian congregation, who ya gonna call? Peacemakers! (Cue the Ghostbusters music.) In this fascinating episode, we delve into the expanding world of “Christian reconciliation services,” organizations that help train congregations to manage conflict and also help to mediate problems when they arise. We talk with Gary Friesen, the executive vice president of Peacemaker Ministries, a non-profit organization founded in 1982 that has been on the forefront of this reconciliation movement. Tony became aware of this when his own congregation was undergoing turmoil and was surprised to find that the Christian reconciliation “industry” is fairly extensive and growing. (Note: We do NOT discuss the conflict in Tony’s church, nor do we deal with any identifiable specific cases out of respect for the disputants.) Our conversation with Gary begins with his background as a lawyer and how he ended up with Peacemaker Ministries. He also gives us an overview of the other people in their organization and fills us in on the general services that Peacemaker offers. We discuss how the business started acknowledging the fact that it is difficult for an entrepreneur — be it a for-profit or non-profit — to hang up a shingle and hope that business and revenue pours in. Gary acknowledges how Ken Sande, the founder of Peacemaker Ministries, sacrificed and poured a great many of his own resources to make the ministry work. We then look at the training activities that Peacemaker Ministries engages in, comprising about 80% of their business, and how they are now expanding internationally in places such as China. This brings up the topic of a training conference that they are sponsoring in Denver, CO in the coming month. Gary then reviews the typical strategy that his organizations employs in resolving conflict. He emphasizes that the first goal is always to have the disputing parties figure out how God can be glorified in the situation that they are in, not an easy task for people to think about in the midst of argumentation. The next step is to ask each participant in the dispute to reflect upon where they may have been wrong, as Gary notes that the vast majority of conflict is resolved when each party admits to their own sins. The last two elements of their reconciliation teaching involves helping disputants reach out and offer forgiveness. We then move on to the actual process of reconciliation that Gary and others on the staff have been involved in, noting again that Peacemaker Ministries puts most of their effort into training others to handle conflict. Gary covers the typical types of conflicts that arise in church providing general examples of each. Such disputes include conflicting visions about the direction of a church, issues of wrongful discharge, embezzlement, immoral conduct (often sexual in nature), contract disputes with outside providers of services such as construction, and tort claims. Gary points out that many churches nowadays have clauses in their by-laws or constitutions that try to mitigate the likelihood of going to court, a sign of how the increasingly litigious nature of our society is impinging on the operation of houses of worship. We finish up with a discussion with some of the larger trends affecting conflict in churches, examining whether conflict is more likely to appear in growing or declining denominations, the change in legal culture, and whether or not the presence of reconciliation services might bring more conflict about. Recorded: July 25, 2012.