When Protestors Come to Church
Does your church or nonprofit have a plan to ethically, lawfully and appropriately respond to a protest?
AUDIO-ONLY VERSION
Distressed by protest? Don’t be caught off guard by disruptive activists. Learn how to be peaceable and proactive.
It’s a beautiful Sunday morning as the pastor pulls into church to begin preparations for the day’s worship services. Unusually, people are already assembled there at an early hour. But they’re not parishioners – they’re sign-waving protestors. The minister is confronted with a decision:
Call the police.
Confront the protestors.
Do nothing and see what happens as members begin arriving for the day’s events.
Each option carries risks. What should he do?
And what about the TV news truck that just arrived? Does he talk to reporters? And if so, what should he say?
While protests at churches and nonprofits are nothing new, recent political tensions have heightened concerns. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, activists called on sympathizers to disrupt Catholic masses on Mother’s Day. Disruptions followed in parishes including those in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. In related activity, numerous instances of vandalism and destruction occurred at churches and pregnancy resource centers, including one firebombing.
Abortion is far from the only issue igniting tensions. Churches have been disrupted over:
Support for the state of Israel
Support of gay causes
Opposition to gay causes
Advocacy of gun rights
Numerous other issues
Most of these protests, in theory, are not violent. They are annoying, cause anxiety and can lead to outrage, but seldom is anyone physically harmed.
However, your church’s response, or lack of one, could influence whether conflict is escalated. Acting out of impulse or “winging it” are unlikely to yield positive results. It’s far better to know the law, know protestors’ rights and have a game plan in mind before a protest occurs.
In this webinar, Vaughn Baker, president of Strategos International, discusses the best way to plan for and respond to protests.
VIDEO TIMELINE OF IMPORTANT TOPICS
0:40 – Introduction of Vaughn Baker, president, Strategos International
1:55 – The importance of understanding church protestors’ goals
2:35 – Having a pre-planned response to church protests helps limit emotional and unproductive responses
3:20 – Some common goals of church protestors
4:50 – Protestors may seek to provoke and elicit negative reactions from church members.
5:10 – Are only “political” churches at risk of being protested?
7:57 – The increasing polarization of society is leading to an increase in protests and protestors
9:20 – What are the types of protest that may occur on church property?
10:10 – It’s wise to have a designated area where people can protest
11:17 – What are the legal rights of protestors?
14:04 – Consult with law enforcement and legal counsel in order to understand the rights of protestors on public and private property.
15:42 – Church security teams and pastoral leadership should lead the response to a protest, not individual church members.
17:14 – An example of a “textbook response” to church protestors
18:40 – The use of force in responding to protests
20:09 – How should a church respond to protests if it does not have a security team?
21:00 – When should a church contact law enforcement in regards to a protest?
21:40 – Protestors and live worship feeds; the importance of a delay
23:27 – What are church practices that could inflame a protest?
25:47 – It’s common for churchgoers to become incensed and overreact to a protest. How can leaders help them remain calm?
27:23 – How can training prepare security teams to handle protests?
28:24 – How churches and nonprofits can minimize risk for insurance purposes
31:28 – Do churches tend to overreact to protests given that most are benign and nonviolent?
32:22 – What are signs a protest may be turning violent?
35:48 – What are the best and worst outcomes of a protest at your church or organization?
37:12 – How should a church respond if one of its members is a high-profile person who may be drawing protestors?
38:15 – The importance of codes of conduct for churches
39:21 – How should we respond if a protest turns violent?
40:43 – A training opportunity for churches in the National Christian Protectors Conference hosted by Strategos International
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