It’s sad but true that even churches have to worry about burglaries and vandalism. Aside from the threat of theft, Redeemer Lutheran Church also had to contend with the more routine problem of controlling the comings and goings of the over 1,000 people who use the church’s facilities for various activities in an average week.
The separate security and access control systems they originally installed were a step in the right direction, but they soon grew tired of the need to manage the separate systems. As an alternative, an integrated security system was able to provide total protection for all buildings at both church campuses. 
Management Hassles
Josh Wanner, the church’s Technology Director, had his hands full trying to protect the facilities located in Springfield and Nixa, Missouri. In addition to the actual church buildings, Redeemer Lutheran also had classrooms and gymnasiums. All of the facilities got a lot of use.
“There’s something going on every single day and almost every night,” according to Wanner. “There’s bell practice, volleyball and basketball, board meetings, ministries, plus teachers who are in and out at all times throughout the day. We were running into a lot of problems. Doors were being propped open and left unlocked.”
Adding to the problems was the large number of people with keys to buildings.
“We had who knows how many keys floating around out there among members,” Wanner said. “We could never monitor who had keys or when the keyholders were coming and going. And no one was really accountable for security when they left the building. How can you secure your buildings in a situation like that?”
The Two-System Solution
Their first solution was to install a standalone access control system and a security system at their Springfield campus. Both systems performed as expected, but managing them turned out to be more work than Wanner had bargained for.
“I had to take care of everything,” Wanner said. “I was getting the calls to let people in and out, I had to change user accounts and manage the schedules, I was monitoring the security and I was in charge of creating security badges.”
When the church later considered a system for the Nixa campus, Wanner decided that an integrated system could provide both security and access control while solving his management issues. Wanner also decided that the Springfield campus should take the same approach as with Nixa. That would make it possible to monitor and manage all locations together.
Schedule Relief
One of immediate and most welcome changes with the new system was the fact that Wanner no longer had to devote hours of time each week to managing schedules and users.
“We have over 130 people with access credentials, and a total of 15 different schedules that are updated on a weekly basis,” Wanner said. “With the new system, every Friday morning I fill out a schedule of the next week’s activities and email it to the Central Station. They get it all scheduled and programmed.”
When someone has a problem or a last-minute need to get into one of the buildings, Wanner says he just picks up the phone and has the Central Station take care of it.
“I don’t have to worry about getting phone calls and either trying to find a computer somewhere to log in to the system and make the changes, or to physically show up at the door and let someone in or lock a door,” Wanner said.
Issuing credentials is also a lot easier. “Instead of keys or badges, we have key fobs,” Wanner said. “They are about the size of your key-less car entry, but have no buttons. I have a few of them in my desk, each identified with a unique number. If I need to give someone access, I give them a key fob and advise what access rights to grant to that key fob. It is so much better than managing keys.”
Now on the Web
Redeemer Lutheran recently began using the Entré Web Client which lets them log into the server and view their account via the Internet. They can login to look at their schedules, and even make changes from anywhere. While Wanner chooses not to make changes to his schedules, he greatly enjoys the ability to check them.
“I go in late Friday or Saturday morning to double check the schedule for the week,” Wanner said. “I can also send the schedule to someone else so they can double check to make sure it’s right. That’s a good safeguard.”
Money Matters
“We are getting great value for what we pay for,” Wanner agreed. “When you look at the total time spent, we are probably saving 15 hours a week. Along with those savings comes the confidence that our facilities are secure. We don’t have to stress about whether doors have been locked and our buildings are secured. We know it’s it locked up. It’s good. It’s done … and I sleep a lot better.”
If an employee quits, is fired, or if there’s an issue with someone who has access to the building, Wanner doesn't need to worry about getting keys back or that the employee may have made copies of keys. Deactivation can come straight from the Central Station.
A Safer Place of Worship
Wanner at Redeemer Lutheran Church is very happy with the integrated, remotely monitored and managed system.
“Especially for an organization like ours, you need to understand that there are lots of people coming and going. They don’t always let you know in advance when they need in and they are not always careful about locking up when they leave. But with the system installed and monitored, we have the confidence of knowing that everything is taken care of and that help is always just a phone call away.”
Guardian Security Solutions specializes in church security. Form forming a security team to installing integrated security systems, we can help provide a safer place of worship. Call us at 800-658-2054 or contact us for a FREE security evaluation.
Note: this case study was conducted by Digital Monitor Products (DMP). Guardian Security Solutions is a registered partner with DMP. For more information regarding case studies, please visit dmp.com.
