Securing the Sanctuary-Christian Warrior Training

The best way to help Christian Warrior Training in its mission is to upgrade your subscription.Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Threads | TikTokI have two classes coming up in the next few weeks. If you are in the general area, come join me and make your security team great again. Don’t forget to follow me on whatever social media platform you are on. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

If this roll call briefing helps you, please consider upgrading your subscription to help us protect churches everywhere.Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn | Threads | TikTokI have two classes coming up in the next few weeks. If you are in the general area, come join me and make your security team great again. Don’t forget to follow me on whatever social media platform you are on. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

If you find this briefing helpful in defending your church, please consider a paid subscription.Weekly Roll Call Briefing — April 3, 2026 | Paywall Removed at Condition REDWe are at Condition RED heading into Easter weekend, and this week’s Weekly Roll Call Briefing reflects it.The briefing covers active IS targeting of churches confirmed in the 2026 DNI Annual Threat Assessment, Iran-linked attacks on Jewish institutions already underway in Europe, a 16-year-old arrested in the UK with a suicide vest and homemade explosives, weaponized commercial drones in active cartel use, and eight violent incidents against churches across the United States this week including a deacon beaten nearly to death and an Easter Sunday shooting threat against a Black congregation in Florida. The Training Focus this week is securing outdoor events and baptisms, with Easter sunrise services and public gatherings directly in view.The Roll Call Briefing is ordinarily part of the paid subscriber package. While we are at Condition RED, we are removing the paywall. Your safety team leader needs this information in hand before Sunday, and that matters more than the subscription wall right now. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

We removed the paywall during the current increased threat level. Paid subscriptions make all of this possible. Please consider upgrading to paid.The infographics for this week’s training are below for your use.Paywall note: I removed the paywall on this week’s Roll Call Briefing because of the current situation with Iran and the elevated threat environment for churches. I want every church to have access to this information.This post includes a video of me delivering the briefing, plus the downloadable PDF below. Use whichever works best for your team: watch the video together, review the PDF together, or do both.Normally, this weekly roll call briefing is an added benefit for paid subscribers. Most of this information is available across the site, I’m simply packaging it in one place to make it easy for Safety Ministry leaders to brief their teams. I will not put critical intelligence behind a paywall. We also provide free training to churches, you can access it anytime by using the Training link above.DON’T FORGET TO JOIN OUR WARRIOR BIBLE STUDY EACH WEEK. SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THEM BY EMAIL.INFOGRAPHICS👇 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

We removed the paywall during the current increased threat level. Paid subscriptions help us keep Christian Warrior running.The infographics for this week’s training are below for your use.Paywall note: I removed the paywall on this week’s Roll Call Briefing because of the current situation with Iran and the elevated threat environment for churches. I want every church to have access to this information.This post includes a video of me delivering the briefing, plus the downloadable PDF below. Use whichever works best for your team: watch the video together, review the PDF together, or do both.Normally, this weekly roll call briefing is an added benefit for paid subscribers. Most of this information is available across the site, I’m simply packaging it in one place to make it easy for Safety Ministry leaders to brief their teams. I will not put critical intelligence behind a paywall. We also provide free training to churches, you can access it anytime by using the Training link above.DON’T FORGET TO JOIN OUR WARRIOR BIBLE STUDY EACH WEEK. SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THEM BY EMAIL.INFOGRAPHICS👇 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

If this assessment helped you, please consider a paid subscription. It helps us in our mission to protect churches.Attack at Michigan Synagogue: What Churches Should Learn From Today’s IncidentToday a serious attack unfolded at a synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The incident occurred at Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the United States. The synagogue sits on a large campus and includes an early childhood center and preschool, meaning young children were present on site during the incident.According to early reporting, a suspect rammed a vehicle into the building and entered armed with a rifle. The vehicle caught fire after the crash and there were reports of possible explosive materials associated with the vehicle. A security officer was struck by the vehicle during the attack and transported to the hospital.Security personnel engaged the attacker and stopped him. The suspect is dead.Most importantly, no children from the preschool or early childhood center were injured.That detail alone changes how churches should look at this incident.This was not simply an attack against a worship service. This was an attack against a religious campus with children present.There is another detail worth noting. The FBI Detroit field office had posted earlier this year about conducting active shooter preparedness training at the synagogue in January. That shows the congregation was not ignoring the threat environment.Preparation does not guarantee an attack will never happen. What preparation can do is increase the chances that the attack is stopped quickly.Based on the early information available, that appears to be what happened here.Share this bulletin to other Christians. What Churches Should Learn From ThisThere are several lessons churches should take from this incident.First, the attack did not begin as a typical active shooter scenario. It began as a vehicle assault. The attacker used a car to breach the building before the shooting began.That means churches need to think about vehicle access to their buildings.A simple question every church security team should ask right now is this:How close can a vehicle get to your main entrance?Many churches spend time thinking about armed threats but very little time thinking about vehicles. Yet vehicle attacks are becoming increasingly common around the world because they are easy to execute and difficult to stop without physical barriers.Second, this incident highlights the risk associated with church campuses that include childcare or preschool programs.Temple Israel has a long running early childhood center serving young children. Many churches operate similar programs. These ministries are wonderful and necessary, but they also create a different security environment.A church with a nursery, preschool, or daycare is not simply a place of worship. It becomes a mixed use campus that may be occupied throughout the week.That leads to the third lesson.This attack happened during weekday operations, not during a Sunday service.Many churches build their security plans around Sunday morning crowds. But offices, counseling sessions, preschools, and ministry programs often operate during the week with far fewer security personnel present.Those weekday hours can become a vulnerability if churches do not plan for them.Another lesson from this incident appears to be the role of immediate armed response. Security personnel at the synagogue confronted the attacker and stopped him. While one security officer was injured when struck by the vehicle, the attacker was prevented from continuing deeper into the building.That likely prevented a far worse outcome.This reinforces something I have said for years when working with church security teams:Police are minutes away.Security teams are already there.Finally, this incident shows the danger of layered attacks.The attacker used a vehicle. There was gunfire. There was fire from the vehicle crash. There were reports of possible explosives.Church security planning needs to recognize that incidents rarely unfold exactly the way we imagine them.Prepared teams think through multiple possibilities instead of preparing for only one scenario.The Larger Environment We Are Living InIt is important to understand that this attack did not occur in a vacuum.Right now the world is experiencing a period of heightened hostility toward both Jewish and Christian communities. Extremist rhetoric has become increasingly open about targeting religious groups.In recent months there have been repeated calls from various extremist actors encouraging attacks against Jews and Christians. These calls circulate widely online and often inspire individuals who want to act on their own.Religious institutions have become symbolic targets.Earlier this week I warned that we were in an environment where an attack was likely to occur. Unfortunately, today we saw one.Churches need to recognize that the threat environment has changed. That do

If you find that this helps you protect your church, please consider a paid subscription. It helps us make content like this to help protect churches. Why I’m Reposting This InterviewTwo years ago I interviewed a retired Joint Terrorism Task Force investigator who spent years working Hezbollah cases. With the current tensions involving Iran and its proxy networks, the information in this interview is still highly relevant.Many of you joined the channel after this was originally published, and this conversation explains how these networks operate and why churches should understand the threat environment.What This Interview Covers✅ How Hezbollah cells operate inside the United States✅ How terrorist networks fund themselves through criminal activity✅ Why churches can become symbolic targets✅ How surveillance and reconnaissance often happen before an attack✅ How sleeper cells are structured and activated✅ Why situational awareness inside churches mattersIf you are responsible for protecting a church or serving on a safety team, this interview will give you a better understanding of how these networks think and operate. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

Help us protect churches by upgrading your subscription. It is how we keep CWT running!LINKS FOR GEAR AT BOTTOMonight I will be hosting a short live session to discuss the current conflict involving Iran and what it could mean for churches here in the United States.International conflicts often create ripple effects at home. When tensions rise between the United States and hostile regimes, security agencies begin watching for retaliation, proxy activity, and lone actor threats. Churches are sometimes included in these concerns because they are open gatherings with predictable schedules.During this livestream I will walk through the latest developments, discuss the realistic risks churches should understand right now, and look at what Scripture teaches about protecting the innocent. We will also spend some time looking at Romans 13 and what it means when the Bible speaks about restraining evil.The goal of this discussion is awareness and discernment so that churches can remain open, continue worshiping Christ, and operate with wisdom during uncertain times.GEAR LINKS* My “homework” bag that holds my PDW & has body armor inside* T shirt body armor under $300* My encrypted comms* My Glock 45 MOS* My recommended rifle I do recommend putting a different brace on it This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

The roll call briefing is a benefit to those that are gaciously providing a paid subscription to help CWT reach more people. There is no paywall this week due to terror developments.Paywall note: I removed the paywall on this week’s Roll Call Briefing because of the current situation with Iran and the elevated threat environment for churches. I want every church to have access to this information.This post includes a video of me delivering the briefing, plus the downloadable PDF below. Use whichever works best for your team: watch the video together, review the PDF together, or do both.Normally, this weekly roll call briefing is an added benefit for paid subscribers. Most of this information is available across the site, I’m simply packaging it in one place to make it easy for Safety Ministry leaders to brief their teams. I will not put critical intelligence behind a paywall. We also provide free training to churches, you can access it anytime by using the Training link above.DON’T FORGET TO JOIN OUR WARRIOR BIBLE STUDY EACH WEEK. SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THEM BY EMAIL. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

Christian Warrior is made possible thanks to paid subscribers. Without them, none of this would be possible. Thank you!What We Covered in This Live SessionIn this briefing, we discussed:* The recent Iranian fatwa calling for violence against Americans and what that means in practical terms.* The risk of lone actors responding to ideological calls for violence.* Hezbollah’s presence inside the United States and the possibility of proxy activity.* Recent violent incidents in D.C. and Austin and why we monitor without speculation.* Why churches remain potential symbolic and practical targets.* The difference between structured terrorist networks and unstructured homegrown extremists.* Why we should expect an increase in isolated attacks during periods of international conflict.We also covered practical posture adjustments for churches:* Reviewing safety team roles before every service.* Increasing visibility at controlled entry points and in parking areas.* Securing side and rear doors.* Conducting exterior sweeps during transition times.* Confirming radio and backup communications.* Maintaining a calm, professional presence.* Communicating clearly with the congregation about security.Finally, we addressed the biblical foundation for preparedness, including:* Psalm 144, training under God’s authority.* Ecclesiastes 3, recognizing the season we are in.* Mark 13:33, remaining watchful.The goal is not fear. The goal is readiness, discernment, and faithfulness without turning the church into a bunker. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

This newsletter happens because of paid subscriptions. If this helps you, please consider upgrading your subscription.OPERATIONAL ADDENDUM-Weekly Roll Call BriefingWeek Ending March 6, 2026Threat Level: HIGH (ORANGE) – MaintainedSituational UpdateOvernight developments confirm active military conflict between the United States and Iran. Israeli leadership losses are being reported and Iran has launched missile strikes at regional targets.At this time, there are no confirmed, specific threats directed at U.S. churches.This addendum supplements the March 6 Weekly Roll Call Briefing. The original guidance remains in effect.What This Means for Church SecurityWar involving Iran does not automatically translate into domestic attacks. However, historical patterns show elevated risk in four areas:• Proxy network activation or sympathizer activity• Lone actor radicalization influenced by online messaging• Cyber disruption or infrastructure interference• Demonstrations tied to Middle East escalationThis is an awareness adjustment, not a panic adjustment. Do not do anything that impedes new people coming to worship at your church. We must be open and welcoming and not turn our churches into a bunker. New people will be turning to Christ this week and we will not impede that.Operational Reinforcement for This WeekMaintain HIGH (ORANGE) posture.• Confirm exterior coverage before, during, and after services• Verify radio function and backup communication plans• Monitor parking areas and perimeter behavior more closely• Document suspicious surveillance or drone activity• Ensure leadership contact lists and law enforcement coordination are currentNo additional restrictions are required at this time unless local conditions dictate otherwise.Leadership ReminderCalm leadership is critical. Congregations will hear headlines. Safety teams must not mirror anxiety. We remain disciplined, observant, and steady.The original roll call briefing remains active and should still be used for team discussion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.christianwarriortraining.com/subscribe

Paid subscribers make this article possible. It cost lot of money to keep CWT moving and you make that possible! Christian Warrior Training is banned from posting on YouTube for another week. I can’t post this video there, but the information is very important. Please pass this on to others so they can learn from this incident. A Potential Active Shooter Stopped at the Door: Sacramento, Ash Wednesday 2026On Ash Wednesday in East Sacramento, a 20 year old man returned to St. Mary’s Church during a school Mass with a loaded handgun. Earlier that day he had dropped off a younger sibling. He came back armed.An off duty Sacramento police detective was on campus as a volunteer parent observer. He was not there casually. He had an assignment. While monitoring the area, he saw the young man attempting to enter the church during the service.The detective intervened before the suspect could gain entry. A loaded handgun was recovered. Additional ammunition and a camouflage jacket were later located. After the arrest, investigators found handwritten notes at the suspect’s home that referenced violence and contained threats. Prosecutors described the evidence as preparation for a violent incident.No shots were fired. No one was injured. The incident ended at the threshold.That is the detail that should hold your attention. It ended at the door.The detective did not stumble into success. He was functioning under a defined role. He was present with purpose.Churches often confuse attendance with security. A few men standing near the back wall is not a plan. Assignment creates clarity. Clarity creates attention. Attention prevents tragedy.If you want to replicate this outcome, you must formalize responsibility. Who is covering exterior approach. Who is observing the parking lot during children’s programming. Who is watching the vestibule. Who is mobile inside the sanctuary. If no one owns it, no one truly watches it.This was not luck. It was structure.Situational Awareness Is a DisciplineMost people miss two critical steps in prevention. They fail to recognize the anomaly, or they recognize it and hesitate.Situational awareness is not a personality trait. It is trained pattern recognition. It means understanding what “normal” looks like for your church so that “not normal” stands out immediately.In this case, a young man attempting to enter a school Mass while armed did not fit the setting. Something about the approach, posture, timing, or behavior triggered attention. That early recognition changed everything.Your team must be trained to identify approach behavior, not just weapons. Purposeful movement toward an entrance. Unusual clothing for the environment. Scanning behavior. Repeated attempts to enter. Lingering without a clear social reason. Hands concealed when engagement would normally be casual.If your team waits to see a firearm, you are already behind.Early Action Beats Perfect InformationThe intervention happened before entry. That is decisive.Many teams hesitate because they want certainty. They want to be sure they are not overreacting. They do not want to appear rude. They do not want to escalate.Meanwhile, the person with intent is closing distance.A calm, direct engagement at the door can prevent an active shooter event. A simple, confident contact closes the gap. It buys time. It forces conversation. It disrupts momentum. In many cases, it exposes intent.You do not need theatrical commands. You need composure and proximity. Two trained people approaching early is often enough to stop the progression.The best place to win is outside the sanctuary.The Door Is a Line of DecisionOnce an attacker enters a crowded worship space, your options narrow and your risks multiply. Children panic. Parents freeze. Sound and movement create confusion. Friendly fire becomes a concern. Medical response becomes chaotic.Every church security plan should treat the primary entrance as a decision point. Exterior observation feeds vestibule control. Vestibule control protects the congregation.This does not require a fortress mentality. It requires discipline.The Sacramento incident reinforces something simple: layered coverage works. Exterior awareness, interior readiness, defined roles, and the willingness to act when something does not look right.Acts 20:28 and the Weight of Attention“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” (Acts 20:28, ESV)Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders were not casual. “Pay careful attention” is active language. It implies vigilance, sobriety, and personal accountability.A church safety team operates under that same principle of careful attention. You are not elders in the formal sense, but you are entrusted with oversight in a physical dimension. You cannot protect the congregation if you are distracted, careless, or passive.Notice the order in the verse. “To yourselves and to all the flock.” Self governance comes first. A distracted man

This newsletter is made possible by paid subscriptions. If you find this useful, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.A bus was driven into an office building in Idaho that was set to house federal agencies, including ICE and DHS. Gasoline was poured inside. This was not vandalism. It was a domestic terror attack directed at a symbolic target.A lot of people were surprised this happened in Idaho. They associate this kind of activity with larger cities. That assumption is dangerous.What concerns me more than where it happened is what happened before it.In the days leading up to the attack, I was watching Idaho 50501 on Facebook. The tone was shifting. People were openly discussing the building. They were naming ICE. They were saying something needed to be done.When someone raised concerns about St. Luke’s Hospital employees being affected, anonymous accounts claiming to work there responded by encouraging action anyway. That tells you something about where the emotional temperature was.This was not subtle.The language moved from disagreement to urgency. From frustration to moral justification. Once that shift happens, the risk level changes.After nearly three decades in law enforcement, I can tell you this: violence rarely begins with the act. It begins with permission. Groups give themselves permission first. They justify it. They convince each other it is necessary. By the time someone drives a vehicle into a building, the groundwork has already been laid.The Idaho attack did not appear out of nowhere. It formed in public view.Churches need to understand that.Churches Need an Intelligence Officer, Not Just a Security TeamMost church security teams focus on the physical environment. Doors. Cameras. Medical kits. Radios. Armed volunteers. All of that is necessary.Very few teams assign someone to monitor the information space.That is a mistake.If no one on your team is responsible for tracking local activist groups, then no one is watching the early indicators. You are waiting for something to show up in your parking lot instead of recognizing it while it is still forming online.Groups that oppose ICE have already targeted churches in other parts of the country. Sometimes it is because ICE agents attend the church. Sometimes it is because a church publicly supports law enforcement. Sometimes it is nothing more than a rumor or a social media post that creates an association.Real association or perceived association does not matter. If activists believe your church is connected, that belief can be enough to justify protest or disruption in their minds.That is why every serious church security team should designate one person as an intelligence officer.This does not mean infiltrating groups. It does not mean engaging in arguments. It means monitoring publicly available information.That person should:Monitor local activist pages and groups.Track tone shifts in rhetoric.Document repeated references to specific facilities.Note calls for “direct action.”Watch for event timing tied to your service schedule.This role should report regularly to the security director and senior leadership. A short weekly brief is enough. The purpose is awareness, not alarm.We already teach pre attack indicators at the individual level. Before someone throws a punch, their body shifts. Their jaw tightens. Their stance changes. The same principle applies in the digital space.Before someone drives a bus into a building, the language shifts.Opposition turns into agitation.Agitation turns into justification.Justification turns into a call for action.If you are not watching that progression locally, you are blind to the early stages of a threat.Assigning an intelligence officer is not paranoia. It is stewardship.Digital Pre Attack Indicators Churches Should Not IgnoreIf you assign someone to monitor local groups, you need to be clear about what they are looking for.Not every angry post is a threat. Not every protest leads to violence. The goal is not to overreact. The goal is to recognize escalation.There are patterns.First, repeated naming of a specific church or facility. When a building goes from being part of a general complaint to being identified by name, that is target fixation. In Idaho, the building housing ICE was no longer an abstract symbol. It was a location people were discussing directly.Second, language that shifts from disagreement to urgency. Words like “something needs to be done” are not instructions by themselves, but they create psychological permission. When multiple people reinforce that language, the tone changes.Third, moral justification. When people begin framing action as necessary, righteous, or unavoidable, the barrier to violence lowers. In the Idaho case, even when concerns were raised about St. Luke’s employees being affected, some accounts claiming to work there encouraged action anyway. That tells you the justification had already taken hold.Fourth, event specific timing. If discussion begins ty