Know Who’s Coming and Going

Access control is a critical part of your safety plan

Controlling access to your buildings is an essential component of a comprehensive safety and security plan. From Sunday services to mid-week activities, ministries may consider the following options to keep staff and congregants safe.

What is access control

Access control is a broad term that simply means controlling who has access to your building and when. Locking your doors when the building is empty is a form of access control. Using facial recognition software at entrances is also a form of access control.

Most Christian schools have already implemented access controls for their buildings. And while the needs of churches may be different than those of schools, the goal is the same: control who can come into your building and where they can go once inside.

Start with the basics

Not every ministry needs the latest and greatest access control system to keep its property safe. “For regular Monday through Friday office hours, consider simply keeping the exterior doors locked,” said Tim Cool, chief solutions officer with Smart Church Solutions. If you can see the person at the door, it’s easy to let them inside or buzz them in if your doors are equipped with electronic access control. This eliminates being surprised by visitors. While most of the time it’s a familiar face, it’s never comforting to be surprised, especially when you are alone. Keeping your doors locked may run contrary to your desire to be open and accommodating, but if you can’t actively monitor an unlocked entrance, it’s an effective option to help protect your property and people.

If your building layout doesn’t allow you to see when someone walks up to the door, consider installing an inexpensive wireless doorbell. These can be installed quickly and are a great way for people to announce themselves. Another option is to install a wireless doorbell camera. This option allows you to see who is at the door and may even allow you to speak to them before letting them inside. If you’re concerned with having to come to the door every time someone arrives, consider installing a “buzz in” button to remotely unlock the door. Just make sure you can see who is at the door first.

For Sunday worship services, you may want to limit the number of unlocked doors, especially once service begins. For example, consider locking all but one or two of the front doors. Although you’ll want someone to monitor the unlocked doors. This limits the available entry points, making it easier to monitor your property. If you can, you’ll also want to consider locking or limiting access to your children’s ministry area, the office area, and maybe even the kitchen. 

Go high tech

Larger ministries or ministries with specific access requirements for multiple doors may benefit from a professionally installed access control system. This type of system typically uses fobs that can be programmed to unlock doors when swiped across a reader. The fobs can be programmed to limit access to specific doors, limit access to specific times of day, and can be deactivated if lost or misplaced. “With traditional keyed access, over time, you’ll have so many people with a key that it becomes almost impossible to track,” said Cool.

Access control systems can be costly, depending on your needs. “Most of the cost is for a primary control unit, but you should budget about $500 to $800 per door for access control,” said Cool.

The benefit of access control is that you have full control of your building. You can automatically unlock or lock doors based on the need, time of day, or access level granted to each individual fob. Whether you choose to manually lock your doors or upgrade to an access control system, you’ve taken an important step toward protecting your people and property.

Posted September 23, 2020