Tuesday Nov 21, 2023

Hidden Safety Issues in Our Church Buildings

Is your church a safe place? That sounds like such a rude question, doesn't it? But I only ask because I love the church so much! Study after study shows church attendance declining, but I want to see our churches regain the central role they once held in our communities, where people saw them as safe and trustworthy havens for everyone.

Welcome to another episode of The Unlovely Truth. I’m your host, private investigator Lori Morrison. Join me for another captivating true crime story, where physical, spiritual, and emotional safety takeaways are waiting for us. If you are listening, I believe you have a unique calling—to become a different kind of PI, not a typical private investigator, but a person of impact!

This is Season 4, Episode 44. We are going to flip the script today. Self publishing expert, founder of Beatitudes Publishing LLC and Andre Lende is going to ask me some questions about my newly released book, “Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches”.

Feeling unsure about taking the first step? That's perfectly okay. This training is crafted to be effective at any stage of your journey. Immediate positive changes are within your grasp, and, most importantly, you'll have the flexibility to customize solutions to your church's unique needs. I'll be your guide throughout, supporting you in this crucial endeavor. Together, we can reclaim sanctuary not just within our buildings but also in our communities.

1 Samuel 17:32-37 TLB

“Don’t worry about a thing,” David told him. “I’ll take care of this Philistine!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “How can a kid like you fight with a man like him? You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!”

But David persisted. “When I am taking care of my father’s sheep,” he said, “and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If it turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this heathen Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of the lion and the bear

will save me from this Philistine!”

Saul finally consented, “All right, go ahead,” he said, “and may the Lord be with you!”

A true sanctuary isn’t just a building. It’s the community that inhabits the building. There were threats to the flocks that David tended, and there are threats to our flocks today. David says that when a predator comes after a lamb from his flock, he goes after it! He sees what needs to be done and he does it.

Part of making our churches true sanctuaries is to recognize that each one of us needs to have David’s attitude. He doesn’t look at how intimidating Goliath is, any more than he worried about bears or lions. Each in its own way was a threat and David was willing to be responsible to take care of threats.

I hope that each one of us will take a look around at our churches and see where there may be physical, emotional, or spiritual threats. If you need a bit of help doing that, I hope you’ll grab my book. There's a link in the show notes for where to grab your copy. And stay tuned to be one of the first to find out when the video training that dives even deeper becomes available.

Let me know what you think! Send me an email a lori@theunlovelytruth.com or message me on social media. I love it when people are willing to have those hard, but impactful conversations!

Visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.

Link to buy Reclaiming Sanctuary: Enhancing Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Safety in Our Churches