Church leaders worry about security in light of Illinois shooting

The Rev. Tony Foeller will forever remember the moment he learned the Rev. Fred Winters had been gunned down Sunday while preaching his sermon inside First Baptist Church of Maryville, Ill.

Anger, revenge, fear, anxiety, compassion and determination ran through Foeller's mind.

"Then came the most sobering thought of them all," said Foeller, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Anna, Ill. "Here's a guy my age, with a beautiful wife and precious children just like me, doing what I do every Sunday, mercilessly gunned down while standing in the pulpit telling people the truth."

Foeller said First Baptist Church of Anna has addressed safety concerns such as recently securing its preschool area through locking doors, signing children in and out of the room where they are being kept and having a minimum of three workers in each department. But Foeller said his church has not begun thinking of how to deal with a situation like the one in Maryville.

"This event should certainly snap a lot of church councils and boards of directors into action," Foeller said.

Though Winters was not a close friend, Foeller said he knew the pastor by name and through meetings the two had attended throughout the state.

Jeffrey Hawkins, executive director of the Christian Security Network, said most churches are soft targets for violent acts because of their lack of security. The Christian Security Network has tracked 141 violent incidents in Christian churches, ministries and schools in 31 states this year.

"Because the other crimes don't make the national headlines, church and community leaders think the shooting is an isolated incident and they may never be a victim," Hawkins said. "Churches are very easy targets, and that's the problem. If you're a criminal, you look at a venue that doesn't have security cameras and personnel."

For those churches without a security plan, Wright advises the congregations to complete an assessment to establish specific risks they face and then start acting upon those plans.

"Though churches may have in common the risks that they face, their situations will be different," Wright said. "Churches should look at their particular congregation and assess what their risks and resources are."

Missouri law bars individuals from carrying a concealed weapon on church grounds unless the pastor grants permission or the church posts a sign of at least 11 inches by 14 inches alerting the public that they may carry the weapons inside their building.

The day following the shooting, Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau placed signs alerting worshippers of a ban on concealed weapons at all entrances to the church building, said the Rev. Jeff Long, pastor of the congregation.

"One of our laypersons has offered to work up a training session to advise on a plan of action should an emergency like a shooting occur," Long said. "The slaying is a wake-up call for churches to put in place some procedures and to be watchful."

St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau finalized in 2007 a policy that informs staff and key lay leaders when an intruder is on the premises, said the Rev. Mark Martin, the associate pastor.

But Martin said it is difficult to know how to prevent such a tragedy in any church in a free society.

"It's the same issue that all public buildings have, whether it's schools, churches, libraries or the mall," Martin said. "We're all public buildings."

The Rev. John Rice, senior pastor of New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson, said his congregation likely will not institute any security measures in response to the deadly shooting, which he views as an isolated event.

"Nobody is safe in this world," Rice said. "My own thought is we're not inclined to do anything that would not let the church keep its character of openness. ... We won't respond in any way but offer our prayers."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

Pertinent addresses:

7110 State Highway 162, Maryville, Ill.

409 Morgan St., Anna, Ill.

225 S. High St., Jackson

300 N. Ellis St., Cape Girardeau

804 N. Cape Rock Drive, Cape Girardeau