Pastor Takes Precautions by Carrying a Gun
Baltimore pastor Rodney Hudson has started carrying a gun regularly, prompted by a number of violent events, including an attack while he was giving a eulogy and a robbery in the church parking lot.
“I carry it with me and I don’t care if anyone knows,” Hudson stated.
Despite his faith, Hudson recognizes the troubling reality that many individuals today lack respect for religious spaces. He serves at both Ames Memorial Church and Metropolitan United Methodist Church.
With both churches only able to hire one security guard, Hudson decided to step up as an additional layer of protection. “If they can get past him, I’m the second guard,” he mentioned, drawing from his experience as a former U.S. Army paratrooper. “The pastor should almost be a security guard.”
Recent high-profile attacks on churches have raised concerns among religious leaders. For instance, in Minnesota, two children lost their lives in a shooting at a Catholic school in August, and in September, a shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan resulted in four fatalities.
According to the Family Research Council, there were 415 “hostile incidents” aimed at churches in 2024, a significant increase from 55 in 2020.
Rev. Harold Carter Jr. from New Shiloh Baptist Church expressed that the growing political polarization in the U.S., coupled with rising addiction and homelessness, contributes to the problem. He views churches as prime targets due to the values they represent. “People under stress tend to take their frustrations out on religious and faith-based institutions,” he observed. “It becomes simpler to direct one’s frustrations and anger toward a church.” He referred to this as “spiritual warfare.”
Ten years ago, Carter began enhancing security measures for his congregation, including having armed guards at all church events.
Reports indicate that over half of U.S. congregations have armed security personnel. A recent Lifeway Research survey found that 54% of Protestant pastors noted armed congregants, reflecting a 10% increase since 2019.
Scott McConnell, the executive director of LifeWay Research, acknowledged, “Churches are not immune to violence, conflict, domestic disagreements, vandalism, and robbery.” He added that while the essence of Christianity is about loving one another, safety risks remain real, regardless of whether congregations want to admit it.
