BELLMEAD, Texas — Over the last several years there has been an increased security presence at many churches across Texas. Local churches are on heightened alert after a shooting at a mega-church in Houston.
- One local church in Bellmead, “Church of the Open Door” has 12 members apart of it’s safety team.
- To keep “Church of the Open Door” from becoming a vulnerable target, church leaders do not restrict it’s congregations from bringing in guns.
- To keep the sanctuary a safe place for the church family, church leaders are staying vigilant, and after the Lakewood shooting, they’re now living with increased awareness.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Officials say Sunday morning's shooting at Houston Mega-Church Lakewood Church could have been much worse, if it wasn't for the quick actions of two off-duty officers.
A local pastor told 25 News how they’re prepared to prevent a tragedy from happening.
“We like a lot of other churches here in Waco have gotten a lot more on high alert and raised up safety teams,” said Pastor Ronnie Holmes.
Pastor Ronnie Holmes has been the pastor of “Church of the Open Door” in Bellmead for more than 30 years.
But it's been only recently that he and his congregation have had to worry about mass shootings.
“We understand that there’s a threat, whether it’s somebody mentally imbalanced, or somebody that’s angry at a moral position that we’ve taken, and we’ve got a lot of people to be responsible for,” said Pastor Holmes.
The church's safety team goes through security training, and firearm training.
“They’ll be worshiping God with their eyes open and their heads on a swivel,” he said.
Holmes said to keep “Church of the Open Door” from becoming a vulnerable target, they do not restrict it’s members from carrying guns.
“I want people to know that if they’ve come in here intended to do harm. This is not a going to be a good place with those intentions. It won’t go well for you,” he said.
To keep the sanctuary a safe place for the church family, church leaders are staying vigilant.
And after the Lakewood shooting, they’re now living with increased awareness.
“We don’t want everybody to have to live a that level. But the safety team that’s on duty for that particular service. We want them to be on that level,” he said.
Church of the Open Door does have safety protocols in place if an event like Lakewood church were to occur.
