April 13, 2016
Simply having a church safety team is not enough, especially if team members cannot respond properly to medical emergencies or threats against the pastor or members of the congregation. Team members must train continuously to master appropriate skills for the roles they’re assigned.
Begin initial training immediately when members join the team
Schedule an initial training session soon after bringing new team members into the fold. Subjects to cover with all team members should include:
Ongoing training should increase with responsibility
All team members benefit from regular training about emergency response procedures. Some team members, such as medical responders, may require additional certifications, for which you will have to arrange instruction from an expert trainer. Generally, training should increase as responsibility increases. Consider these ongoing training topics:
Use a variety of training tactics
People learn in different ways. Safety and security team training typically follows one or more of these formats:
Document training
Record the type of training and certification that safety and security team members obtain, not only to track training progress, but also to allow the ministry to defend itself legally in the event of a lawsuit involving the ministry’s response to an emergency. Maintain training records for at least five years after training completion.