Congregation members know the regular attendees — they will notice someone who does not belong.
Higher investment in outcomes — volunteers are protecting their own community.
Lower cost — most volunteers serve without pay.
More scalable for large events — you can activate more volunteers than you can afford to contract.
Cons
Training quality varies widely — many church volunteer teams receive little to no formal instruction.
Turnover is unpredictable — volunteers move, change schedules, or disengage, often at the last minute. Team Leader is critical.
Legal and liability exposure if a volunteer acts outside their authority.
Volunteers may hesitate to act against a known congregation member.
Managing “I was a cop” or “I was military” bravado can complicate team dynamics.
Some states may require licensing even for church volunteer security roles.
If the church is a “no firearm zone” but allowed volunteers to carry, that can be a major liability problem.
Also Consider
What is your volunteer team’s actual training level and schedule? Being willing and being trained are not the same.
Establish a minimum training requirement — and enforce it. A team with standards outperforms a team without them.
Consider liability coverage: does your church insurance cover volunteers acting in a security capacity?
Who does the final campus check — lockup, alarm set, building and grounds — at the end of each night, even if that’s 1:00 am?
Supplier's Security Guard(s)
Pros
Trained and licensed professionals — background checked, certified, insured, and legally authorized.
Reduces liability exposure for the church in certain incident scenarios.
Does not require the church to build and sustain a training program. (But you still should.)
Provides a credible visible deterrent, especially for high-profile events.
Cons
Supplier’s guards do not know your congregation — they cannot distinguish a regular from an unknown.
May not share your faith or values.
Higher cost — meaningful outsourced coverage at every service adds up quickly.
Quality varies by supplier — low-bid contracts often deliver minimal actual capability.
A supplier’s guard’s primary accountability is to their employer, not your congregation.
Also Consider
If you use a supplier, visit them. Meet the account manager. Ask what training their guards actually receive.
Require a site orientation for every supplier guard before they stand post at your church.
Define exactly what authority the supplier guard has — and put it in the contract.
Who does the final campus check at the end of each night?
Hybrid: Volunteers + Contractor
Pros
Covers both the relational knowledge of the congregation and the professional credibility of licensed security.
Supplier guards can anchor the perimeter while volunteers work the interior. (See our Post Prioritization resource at https://askmcconnell.com/checklists/ )
Scales well for high-attendance events without abandoning the volunteer program.
Easier to put defined limits on volunteers where a supplier fills the gap.
Cons
More complex to coordinate — requires clear role definition between volunteers, supplier, staff, and leadership.
Highest cost option.
Requires a security point of contact on staff or in volunteer leadership to manage the relationship.
Training both teams together can be complicated.
Also Consider
Define the chain of command clearly: who is in charge during an incident — the volunteer lead or the supplier guard?
Brief both teams together before every service or event they share.
Review supplier performance quarterly — do not assume consistency because a contract exists.
Who does the final campus check at the end of each night?
