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

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

Death of the Sheepdog Metaphor

© Looney Tunes

It turns out that a long-held metaphor for safety and security is somewhat off base. Started by David Grossman years ago, the “Sheepdog” grew to be the representation of people that protect others. However, it turns out that the classic sheepdog is somewhat of a misnomer.

Th Breed issue - It's important to note that there are a couple of dog breeding organizations that have various list of standards called “Breeds”. There is the “United Kennel Club” (UKC), founded 1898, has a classification of "Guardian" dog. The classic “Old English Sheepdog”, as a formal breed of the UKC, is in the “Herding” breed.

The “American Kennel Club” (AKC), founded in 1884, has no breed classification for “Guardian” breed but includes the Old English Sheepdog also in the “Hearding” breed.

It is also interesting that the UKC has only 3 “XXShepards” and 2 “XXSheepdogs” in their Guardian breed and 14 Sheepdogs and Shepards in the Herding breed combined.

The AKC has a breed for “Hearding” of which the Old English Sheepdog is a member.

Grossman’s analogy was picked up by the church world and adopted to mean protector of the flock. “Safety” teams all over the nation started printing T-shirts with the name “Sheepdogs” plastered all over the shirts. There is even a security company that copied the Looney Tunes Sheepdog Sam image as part of their company logo.

Although not an actual AKC recognized “Breed”, two groups of breeds of dogs are associated with livestock management. The Guardian breeds and the Herding breeds. The purpose of a herding dog is to control and move livestock such as sheep, cattle, and goats.

The purpose of a livestock guardian dog (LGD) is to protect livestock from predators by bonding with the flock, deterring threats, and creating a "landscape of fear" that keeps predators away from the herd. LGDs are not herders but rather deter predators through their physical presence and alerts. They must be trustworthy and attentive to their surroundings and the animals in their care to be effective. 

Less I be equated to a dog that chases sheep, I’d sooner take on the moniker of Gatekeeper of the House of God.

If you are looking for the best metaphor for church security, it would be the scriptural Gatekeepers mentioned all through the bible. 1^st Chronicles 9:21-27 describing the organization of the Gatekeepers and Levites responsible for guarding the Tent of Meeting (later the Temple) and managing its resources. 

Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the Gatekeeper at the entrance, with 212 chosen Gatekeepers registered by genealogy and appointed by David and Samuel. These Gatekeepers served on all four sides of the sanctuary, with relatives assisting for seven-day periods. Four Levites served as chief Gatekeepers, overseeing the chambers and treasuries, guarding the house of God day and night, and opening it each morning.  

We have chosen the biblical Gatekeeper to represent what we are as protectors of God’s people.

The Role of Gatekeepers - Created by SermonCentral on Sep 8, 2023

At every gate, there are Gatekeepers who monitor and control access. Gatekeepers play a vital role in the security and prosperity of a home, city, or nation. They need to have spiritual discernment to recognize danger and take prompt action. Gatekeepers are like watchmen on the walls, responsible for protecting the people and defending the truth of the Gospel. They guide and teach others, intercede through prayer, and guard God's secrets. Gatekeepers hold the keys to open or close gates, and they keep watch for the Lord's return. They are protectors and defenders.

To be a Gatekeeper, certain qualifications are necessary. One must have a personal relationship with God and be clean and trustworthy. Being alert, strong, courageous, and wise is essential. Gatekeepers must be disciplined, prayerful, and obedient to God's Word. They should be readers and doers of the Bible, ready to wait in God's presence and sacrifice their time for gatekeeping. Praise and worship should be a regular part of their lives. Gatekeepers must also be ready to intercede for individuals, families, churches, cities, and nations.

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And with that, the metaphor of the shaggy headed cartoon sheepdog herding the sheep into pens dies a timely death.

ATTENTION GATEKEEPERS:

Red Dot Sights now accepted for Texas Private Security and LTC handgun qualifications

It took us a long time to research this issue and find how it was connected to the Private Security qualification. Thank you Mike Walker. We have recently discovered that Red (Green or whatever color) Dot and Holographic (Eotech) sights are now acceptable for both Texas Private Security handgun proficiency qualification and Texas LTC handgun proficiency qualification. Evidently they got added to the Texas LTC proficiency qualification a while back and since the Private Security proficiency accepts the LTC course of fire it is included in the Private Security course of fire.

No Optical Enhancers (magnification) are included, but the non-magnified version of electronics are.

The question would be “Is this advisable?”. In my humble opinion you should be able to qualify with both. If you already have one you understand the challenges of hunting down the dot upon handgun presentation. It takes time to find that dot. It takes lots of practice to come up/down on that dot quickly. And what if that darn battery went south on you since you last changed it? The dot defiantly has long range advantages. You can easily hit the target at 100 yards if the target doesn’t get covered by the dot.

Some red dot sights cannot be turned off while others have a “Time-out” period and others have a “Shake-and-wake” feature. Make sure you check the battery condition often and have a habit of changing out those batteries on a timely basis.

Conclusion: We will now accept Red dot sights for Private Security and LTC handgun proficiency qualifications. 

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