Churches that lock doors after services start for security reasons
stonespring
Shipmate
in Purgatory
I went to church this morning, at a Roman Catholic church nearby me in the US that isn’t the one I usually attend, and I was seven minutes late. For the first time, I saw signs on all the doors saying that the doors are now being locked 5 minutes after the service begins for security reasons. The doors were indeed locked, and there was no way to be let in by anyone inside, so I and a couple others who had arrived late left. (Since none of the doors led directly into the church sanctuary, I knocked lightly on them, in case there were ushers inside who could let us in, but no one answered). I could hear services going on inside.
It was entirely my fault for being late, but I have never seen this before at an RC or any other church. My husband’s synagogue and other synagogues I have been to in the US (all non-Orthodox), have started to pay for off-duty police officers to guard during services and trained all staff and volunteers including ushers in security protocols, but they still allow people to arrive late. The only example I can think of of a congregation locking latecomers out has been a synagogue in Europe, which also required visitors to contact the synagogue in advance of services and would not allow walk-ins to attend services for security reasons.
I am worried that after the recent attacks on houses of worship, this may be start to become the norm especially among smaller and poorer congregations that cannot spend a lot on hiring security guards. Has anyone else encountered this? Has anyone heard about congregations discussing implementing this? Is there anything smaller and poorer congregations can do to stay safe while remaining welcoming to congregants and visitors who are late? Or should people just adjust to this new reality?
It was entirely my fault for being late, but I have never seen this before at an RC or any other church. My husband’s synagogue and other synagogues I have been to in the US (all non-Orthodox), have started to pay for off-duty police officers to guard during services and trained all staff and volunteers including ushers in security protocols, but they still allow people to arrive late. The only example I can think of of a congregation locking latecomers out has been a synagogue in Europe, which also required visitors to contact the synagogue in advance of services and would not allow walk-ins to attend services for security reasons.
I am worried that after the recent attacks on houses of worship, this may be start to become the norm especially among smaller and poorer congregations that cannot spend a lot on hiring security guards. Has anyone else encountered this? Has anyone heard about congregations discussing implementing this? Is there anything smaller and poorer congregations can do to stay safe while remaining welcoming to congregants and visitors who are late? Or should people just adjust to this new reality?
Comments
That is a good question, since if these doors aren't crash doors,* that could be a fire hazard.
I remember an incident when I was in California were a man was having a cardiac episode during a mass at a local RC church. Paramedics and Fire were called. The doors were locked. The fire chief ordered the doors be broken down to get to the victim.
*Doors that push open from the inside even when locked on the outside.
I did once attend Mass at an RC monastery in France, where the 11am service on Sundays was open to all. I arrived (after a very steep climb up the hill from the village below) at 1110am, and found the church door locked. There was a door bell button, though, which I duly pressed, and was, a few moments later, cheerfully admitted by one of the monks.
I didn't have a chance to ask, but I did wonder why they kept the door locked once Mass had begun (I was the only latecomer AFAIK). The monastery and its environs were open to the public, though the gift shop didn't begin business until after Mass...
Regardless of that, it seems very problematic to me that there apparently was no way for a latecomer to get the attention of someone who could open the door.
Sadly many synagogues have had to hire security for many years, certainly the Jewish community in Manchester/Salford has been doing it for some time.
Puzzled I queried this practice, and was told it was in case anyone came in and stole things from the vestibule. All that was there were some very old hymn books (and who would steal CH3 books?). When I suggested they remain open there was a bit of.a kerfuffle, till the minister’s wife, a hefty woman who had been a school dinner lady - you don’t mess with Scottish dinner ladies - said she would stay in the vestibule during services. To quote herself: “I hear enough of him at home…”
(And to quote his well-remembered beginning to a sermon, .yesterday Mrs E[ name redacted to protect the innocent] stepped out of the shower and fell through the floor!” I do not remember the theme of the sermon.)
When I lived in a poor country in West Africa, stewards were posted at the doors of churches and mosques to stop people nicking hard-to-get umbrellas and/or shoes. They were given strict instructions not to close their eyes during prayers!
Shutting the door after service has begun is one thing, and might be necessary in a wet and windy climate, but locking the said door is a relatively recent practice, I would have thought.
The Orthodox liturgy actually asks for the doors to be closed at the beginning of the liturgy of the Eucharist, just before the Cherubic (offertory) hymn iirc. This is usually symbolic these days, but originally reflected that the Eucharist was a private ceremony for the believers, not for the general public. Catechumens were asked to leave at this point too.
However after the three girls were killed at Southport we've been much more careful with our church hall door (which is solid) when youth/children's activities are running, and installed a video doorbell.
Our place is open (unattended) from dawn to dusk daily. The only difference when there’s a service on is you can (usually) assume someone will be there.
I believe that this "shutting the door once the service had started" was quite common in Scotland. The beadle's job, perhaps?
We do indeed shut the door once the service has started and it is, indeed, the Beadle's job.
We have double doors and in summer one is shut, but the other left open for latecomers. In winter, to avoid icy draughts blowing through the vestibule and under the doors from the vestibule into the church, both doors are shut and a sign hung on the door handle saying that the door is unlocked and latecomers are welcome.
It had not occurred to me that this was a Scottish thing. If it is, I think it's evolved to cope with Scottish weather.
As a side note, baptism is a public sacrament, and I think church law would be broken if it happened behind locked doors (obviously, baptism in circumstances when the person is ill or dying are different!)
Also I don't think the door can be locked during a wedding, to enable anyone who wanted to respond to the question "does anyone know of any just cause or impediment why this marriage should not take place?" to access the church.
Doesn’t it come down in Scotland to the 1600s?
Can’t remember which off the top of my head and they’re all amalgamated now anyway but a distinctive feature of a couple of lowland Scots battalions descended from Covenanters was that they posted armed picquets during church parades ‘to safeguard the Presbyterian religion’ - they were still doing this well into the Afghan campaign when the regiments ceased to exist and went into the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
I know that’s a fairly extreme example but I’d always drawn a line in my head from that to other Scottish churches having an official to get the door closed.
*which happened in England too but the hangover stayed in Scotland.
I'll pay more attention next week!
I'm a bit worried about the Scottish hangover mentioned by @betjemaniac ...
At my church there are internal fire doors which are often wedged open during services and other activities much to the dismay of our health and safety representative.
To be honest, I’ve done enough fire fighting training and indeed actual firefighting (the navy are quite into it…) to be wincing at this. Please just don’t!
This. Wedging open fire-doors is plain stupid, not to mention potentially lethal.
Just to say: the front door of the school near our church has a notice saying, "This door must be kept closed at all times". I don't think that's quite what they mean ...
That reminds me of the common notice 'This door is alarmed', to which the response has to be 'There, there, little door - don't worry...'
You're right about wedged-open fire-doors possibly invalidating insurance, and falling foul of The Law. @The Rogue - speak to your minister/church council (or whatever) as a matter of urgency.
Depends how much incense you use ...
I don't know how Charity Law applies to CofE churches, but I'd imagine they'd be considered the Managing Trustees and hence held responsible for the safety of both fabric and people.
It's certainly a serious matter. As it's a C of E church, the Archdeacon should be informed asap. I mean that - the PCC and minister are failing in their duty of care.
If I were a member of that church, I would stop attending, and I would inform the minister, the PCC, the Archdeacon, and the Bishop, as to why.
Same as Deacons/Elders in a Baptist church, then. Thanks.
Unless it’s a glass door, which I doubt from the description, having someone to open it if someone knocks would rather defeat the point of locking it in the first place. Unless they were wearing full-body bulletproof armour and carrying their own weapon, anyway.
And if that fails, get it logged as a safeguarding concern, if necessary at diocesan level. Quite apart from anything else, it is one.
Since the late 2010s, we’ve had a security team at our place. That team has received training from local law enforcement, which has also advised the church on best practices. One member of that team is on duty for every service. To a casual observer, they are indistinguishable from other ushers, but they’ve been trained in what to be on the lookout for and what to do if something happens. During the service, they’re using a tablet to monitor approaches and entryways to the church, all of which are covered by cameras. (Exterior doors in parts of the building not used during worship are indeed locked, but the two main doors near the sanctuary are kept unlocked.)
The door to our church is substantially glass and if it is closed (weather, usually) the welcomers can see people approaching. The glass would offer no resistance to a gunshot or a brick with reasonable velocity so if we were to take on a policy of locking the door we would also need to re-enforce all the lower floor windows. The welcoming aspect of the building would be replaced by a fortress. This would be very sad but is it the way places of worship are heading?
This assumes that the people on duty haven't themselves become unwell or overcome by smoke etc. In the case of fire in particular, smoke is going to be a huge problem when it comes to unlocking a door when everyone will already be panicking. If there aren't emergency exits that can easily be accessed then it's a death trap.
That's why fire exits have push bars, even if people just run at the door en masse it will open.
Fair comments, all.
No, because nobody could afford that!