Safe and Secure: The Alban Guide to Protecting Your Congregation

By Jeffrey W. Hanna

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566992117
• ISBN13: 9781566992114
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Alban Inst
• Length: 110 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Safe and Secure

Methodist minister Jeffrey W. Hanna draws on his law enforcement experience as the author of Safe and Secure-The Alban Guide to Protecting Your Congregation, which examines the need and ways to provide for safety and security in churches. Safe and Secure, just published by the Alban Institute, offers guidelines to protect congregations from harm. Once considered a safe haven, churches today have begun to look at how secure they really are. While some have taken precautions to protect their congregations, many churches are not prepared to deal with security issues. Prior to receiving his M. Div. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, Hanna worked as an undercover sheriff's detective and received his BS in Criminal Justice from Ashland College in Ashland, Ohio. In his first book, Hanna offers methods for recognizing and dealing with security issues ranging from safeguarding church finances to protecting congregations from hate and anti-religious groups. Other topics discussed include building maintenance, personnel practices, and criminal and civil liability. As senior pastor of Galion First United Methodist Church in Galion, Ohio, Hanna deals with congregational safekeeping daily. "In years gone by, church doors stayed open round the clock. Lawsuits, embezzlement, and church shootings were things that happened to others. Today's headlines, however, tell us that crime has taken up residence even in our midst," notes the author. "No one enjoys talking about safety and security issues, particularly in the church. But we are called to be good stewards. That includes protecting our buildings, assets, and most importantly, people." Noting the importance and timeliness of Safe and Secure, Dale E. Galloway, Dean of the Beeson International Center says: "This desperately needed book will not only help your church become a safe and secure place, but may well save your church. The old saying `An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,' was never more true than it is right now." "Church leaders have a responsibility to help provide safe and secure surroundings for their people and set in place controls that prevent abuse. Jeff Hanna offers guidelines and tremendous insight into the issues of ministry involving security for church staff, volunteers, officers, and facilities, including the legal and ethical ramifications that could scar congregations for generations," says Thomas L. Duncan, Senior Minster, Lake Shore Presbyterian Church in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.