Churches need security as religious violence spreads across America
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In the America of our childhood, churches were inviolable territory; sanctuaries of refuge, worship, community and peace. They were the only place where the noise of the world was silent and respect took its rightful place. These were the last places anyone thought would need safety plans and emergency drills. Today these sacred walls are threatened not in theory but in cold, documented reality. The data reveal a disturbing truth: Houses of worship are being targeted with increasing frequency, violence and lethal intent.
Nearly 380 violent incidents at religious institutions in the last 25 years have resulted in almost 490 deaths and hundreds of injuries. These attacks are not limited to troubled neighborhoods or high-crime areas. They broke out in rural chapels and suburban neighborhoods during silent Sunday services. Evil emerged where grandmothers prayed, children sang, and families came together in faith.
These are not abstract statistics. They are real people, real congregations, and real communities; They are scarred forever. Several recent tragedies stand as a stark reminder of how vulnerable houses of worship have become.
The deadliest attack on an American house of worship in the past decade occurred in November 2017 at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. An armed attacker opened fire during Sunday services, killing 26 people and wounding 22 people.
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Christina Osborn and her children Alexander Osborn and Bella Araiza visit the makeshift memorial for the victims of the shooting at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church on November 12, 2017 in Sutherland Springs, Texas. (AP/Eric Gay)
A year later, in October 2018, worshipers at the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were targeted once again simply for their faith. 11 people who gathered for prayer and brotherhood were killed.
More recently, in August 2025, violence at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis invaded a place dedicated to children and learning. An attacker attacked a church school community, killing two teenage students and wounding 21 others.
Just weeks later, in September 2025, worshipers at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, were the targets of another shocking attack. An attacker crashed a vehicle into a church building during Sunday services, set it on fire and opened fire on the congregation. 4 people died and 8 people were injured in the attack, and a peaceful morning of worship turned into chaos and sorrow.
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These are just a few of hundreds of examples. They reflect a bitter truth: No sect, no region, and no community is immune from this.
It is impossible to ignore the pattern. Acts of violence against places of worship that transcend sectarian and geographic boundaries occurred in more than 30 states. No church is too quiet, too humble, or too far off the cultural radar to be considered untouchable.
Violence in churches may occur less frequently than other crimes, but frequency is not what matters. The result is this. When violence invades a house of worship, the damage is catastrophic and deeply personal. These are not anonymous buildings. These are sacred spaces filled with families, children and elderly people who reasonably assume they are safe.
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Attacking a church is not just a crime. This is an attack on the idea that the Holy Land still exists in America.
This trend did not emerge in a vacuum. This reflects a wider cultural decay, a society increasingly indifferent and at times openly hostile to faith and tradition. In many corners of society, sacrilege eventually turns into acceptance of heretics. Words create climates, and climates eventually create actions.
The deadliest attack on an American house of worship in the past decade occurred in November 2017 at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. An armed attacker opened fire during Sunday services, killing 26 people and wounding 22 people.
The result is inevitable. The comforting mantra of “it can’t happen here” has become untenable. Churches need not just prayers and platitudes, but practical, responsible safeguards that recognize the world as it is, not as it was.
This is not a call to fear. This is a call for clarity. Accepting that evil exists is not paranoia; this is common sense. And when evil attacks, it doesn’t target hard targets. It targets the most vulnerable, families in the pews, children in Sunday school, and the faithful in prayer.
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Churches should be proactive guardians of their flocks, not passive observers of risk. This is bigger than a Psalm or a sermon. This is about the soul of America.
Churchgoers flee the sanctuary during an attack at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, on Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Metro Detroit Crime News)
Just as schools train against modern threats, churches need to implement layered security, field trained security teams, coordinate with law enforcement, and rehearse emergency response. Security must be as conscious as the sermon and as disciplined as the choir. Preparation is management.
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When the places where we pray, teach our children, and sing our hymns are under siege, the problem is no longer the security of the church, but the character of a nation that still claims to value freedom.
This is our moment to wake up, think clearly, and act boldly. Not only to protect churches, but also to protect the idea that Americans can worship openly without fear. This idea is not optional. This is basic.
Erin Mersino is vice president and president of Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation for Defenders of Faith and Liberty.
