Vereb Hitt About US

Security in the church is something that is on all of our minds these days, especially with the recent headlines. Candidly, the biggest hurdle for Christians trusting the sovereign God is that we see the need for security but second guess ourselves, "If we implement a security plan do we trust God?" The quick answer is yes!

Jesus changed his schedule because it was "not His time." In John 7 vs. 1 "Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him." Jesus, who performed miracle after miracle, not to mention raised the dead - changed HIS schedule. In other words it's ok to make changes to protect ourselves because others are out to harm us. A quick study of scriptures offers a lot of encouragement to Christians struggling with this issue. We know from reading 1 Chronicles 9:21 and following there was an established security force for the tabernacle and there were rankings. Some were responsible for guarding the building itself, other for the items of worship, furniture, others for the baking and other areas of interest.

Following quickly behind the "is having security, trusting God" question is the "if we have security then how much?" question and Nehemiah provides us with great insight. He starts with a basic security plan (rebuild the wall) and then adjusted to the increased need for security. As the tension and threat increased he increased the security, "only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail." Finally we see in Nehemiah 4:23, "during this time, none of us - not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guard, who were with me - ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all time, even when we went for water." So the answer to the "how much security question" is entirely dependent on your situation, your leadership style and governed by your local and state laws. So this is where you begin:

Does your church or para-church group have a security plan?
If you have a plan is it up to date or need adjusting for the current situations?
How do you handle emergency incidents here in the US?
What would you do if a mission team member is seriously injured or dies out of the country?
Do the team members in the mission field know who to call in an emergency?
Do you have a Crisis Management Team?

At Vereb, Hitt and Associates we have examined these church security issues and have developed consultation modules to help you establish:

Crisis Management Policy
Contingency plans in the event of crisis
Crisis Management Team (CMT)
Risk Assessments for countries you plan to travel
Train volunteers and team leaders
Train CMTs

The second module is the Incident Response Team (IRT) which is responsible for preventing or handling of a local church incident when it occurs. For example, what will you do in the event of an emergency during a worship service? This module assists you in establishing policies that fit your environment and leadership style. We can assist you in establishing:

A church wide security plan and policy
Identification of team members
Communication
Physical Security hardware (CCTV and Access Control)
IRT Contingency Planning
We will assist in making sure you are compliant with all local ordinances and laws
IRT Training

At Vereb, Hitt and Associates, we firmly believe that God is sovereign in all things. We also believe that preparation is an act of faith. Vereb, Hitt and Associates are comprised of a group of committed Christians and seasoned short term missionaries. Their staff has over 60 years of combined state and federal law enforcement and private security experience. They have reached the highest levels of certification and training in the private security field and have consulted with some of the largest corporations in the United States. They were intimately involved in the establishment of such policies at their home church and look forward to assisting you with the decisions needed to help you in establishing your own Crisis Management or Incident Response Teams.

Crawford Hitt is a current member of the Overseas Security Council and the American Society for Industrial Security International where he is certified as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP). He is a former security sales consultant where he advised some of the nation's largest companies on physical security, executive protection and risk assessments. He has 12 years experience in state law enforcement, 11 years in private security and 12 years experience as a security sales consultant specializing in physical and electronic security systems. He has led over 60 short term mission trips to seven different countries. He serves on the Missions Leadership Team for his home church, Fellowship Bible Church, Roswell, Georgia and was intimately involved in establishing its crisis management and security plans.

Steve Vereb was the Resident Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Defense in Atlanta and retired after 30 years of federal law enforcement service. He was a guest instructor at the Army Logistics Management College and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and a certified federal firearms instructor. He was involved in a number of high level investigations and has testified before Congress. He has led short term mission trips to Banda Aceh, Indonesia for tsunami relief, Kyrgyzstan and other locations in Europe and Central America. He serves on the Missions Leadership Team at Fellowship Bible Church. He was intimately involved in establishing its crisis management and security programs and is the Crisis Management Team chairman.

Vereb, Hitt and Associates, LLC
PO Box 446
Woodstock, GA 30188
Toll Free 888-331-7225
www.verebhitt.com