All traffic flows through one known point — easiest to monitor and staff.
Creates a natural checkpoint for greeters and security.
Simplest to harden if a threat is identified.
Easiest for law enforcement to understand and work with during an incident.
Cons
Difficult to enforce on most existing church campuses — side doors, fire exits, kids exit to playground, and parking lot access points undermine the concept unless all are secured.
Can feel unwelcoming to first-time visitors if not handled with hospitality intentionality.
Single point of failure — if it is overwhelmed or bypassed, there is no backup.
Also Consider
Walk your campus before you choose a policy. Count every door that a person could enter through. Be honest about which ones you can actually staff.
A single controlled entry that is not enforced is worse than no policy — it creates false assurance.
Even a single controlled entry should have a secondary exit-only door with an alarm.
Multiple Staffed Entry Points
Pros
Distributes traffic — reduces crowding at a single entry and potential safety issues if there is simultaneous inflow and outflow at the same door.
Allows for campus-wide coverage without funneling everyone through one spot.
Better suited for large campuses with multiple buildings or parking areas.
Cons
Requires significantly more volunteers or staff to cover effectively.
Inconsistency between entry points creates gaps.
Coordination and communication between door teams must be established.
Also Consider
Staffing multiple doors requires a plan, radios or phones, and consistent protocols.
Prioritize: staff the highest-traffic and highest-risk entry points first. (see our Post Prioritization tool @ https://askmcconnell.com/checklists/ )
Consider which doors can be exit-only with door alarms — reducing the staffing burden.
Open Campus
Pros
Maximum hospitality — no barriers for anyone.
No coordination or staffing burden.
Works for small, tight-knit congregations with high mutual familiarity.
Cons
No ability to detect or deter a threat before they are inside.
Team cannot know who is in the building or when they arrived.
Incident response is entirely reactive.
Homeless or unhoused individuals can cause additional challenges.
Also Consider
An open campus is a valid choice for the right environment — make it intentionally.
Compensate with strong interior awareness: team members positioned throughout the sanctuary and hallways.
Review this posture after any incident or change in your threat environment.
Determine when Open Campus is truly needed — it should not be the solution for all ministry times.
