MERRY CHRISTMAS from Gatekeepers & NOCSSM

We want to wish all our Gatekeepers and NOCSSM subscribers a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Church Security Concerns:

As usual, every church and Christian ministry is advised to heighten their security measures during the Christmas season. This past year has seen it’s share of church violence and I am sure that in 2026 we will see a lot of the same if not more.

Domestic Friction: Christmas brings in family relatives that are unfamiliar to the church. The usual “Uncle Buck” that forgot to take his medicine type of disturbance threat. Christmas can also bring bad memories and grief that can send the unbalanced person into a mental Crisis state that has to be dealt with carefully.

Terrorist activities seems to be growing both here and abroad. The Christian private school threat is also growing.

Increased vigilance during Christmas church services:

Advanced DLR surveillance and interdiction –

• Aggressive Friendliness - Send an experienced PPO to approach the “Individuals of Concern” (Don’t Look Right), and talk to them before they get inside the main sanctuary.
• I would advise churches to sweep the sanctuary between services. Check under all the seats for anything left behind.
• Patrols around the exterior for door/entrance compromise.
• Maintain good communications with parking crew.

Churches adding to armed security:

I believe that in this age of information overload from social media and non-traditional press coverage churches are getting the message that churches are now accepted as a higher risk environment than in years past. We have a continual stream of churches that are deciding to formalize the forming of a church security team. That is NOT a couple of guys with License To Carry. A common mantra we hear from students who come through our “Gatekeeper Program©” is that they wanted to do it the “Right Way”. That is not seeing what is the least amount of time you can spent on professional training by doing on-line training. Would you want the brain surgeon who took as little time as possible learning to operate on your brain? I have regular comments from retired LEOs and Military that our instructors are some of the best they have been privileged to learn from. Instructors that have been up through the ranks in the private security field. Each of our instructors having at least 20 years of private security in the Christian ministry world.

2026 NOCSSM National Church Security Conference

The twentieth annual national church security conference will be held August 15, 2026. We are lining up some the best from our two decades of conferences.



The conference will feather national speakers like Greg Love of MinistrySafe, Chuck Chadwick of Gatekeepers, John Riley of Gentle Response and more.

Hosting this year’s conference is Rock Creek Church of Prosper, Tx. Just north of Dallas. Early Bird Tickets go on sale soon.

Have a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

Chuck Chadwick

President

Gatekeepers

SAVE THE DATE!!!!

We are very pleased to announce that NOCSSM’s 20^th Annual National Church Security Conference will be held August 15^th, 2026 at Rock Creek Church, 2860 W First St, Prosper, TX 75078

Early bird registration will be available in January 2026!

Nationally recognized subject matter experts will be brought in from across the U.S. Stay tuned for updates coming soon.

EDUCATE

As a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, NOCSSM is the oldest and most respected name in Church Security and reflects real world professional church security experience in some of the largest churches in America. Hundreds of churches have benefited from our training and resources.

TRAIN



The Christian Security Institute™ (CSI) is licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety – Private Security Bureau – Licensed #F01109

CSI is a Texas state licensed training company that trains security officers.

SERVE

The Gatekeeper Program™ trains, certifies and licenses your volunteers as professional Security Officers commissioned under the Texas Department of Public Safety – Private Security Bureau. They are then deploys them back to your church under commercial security contract for a few dollars per hour.

Licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety – Private Security Bureau – License #B15671

National Organization of Church Security and Safety Management 501 (c)(3) 

P. O. Box 248 | Aubrey, TX 76227

www.nocssm.org | (214) 305-5616