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Watch & Read: Video Below and Graphics-intel Below That

What Happened

On Tuesday evening, April 21, 2026, the FBI Charlotte field office got a tip that an 18-year-old woman in Lexington, North Carolina was planning a mass casualty attack on a Jewish day school near Houston. Within twenty-four hours the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force, working with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, had agents at her door.

Angelina Han Hicks was arrested at her Lexington home just after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. A search of the house produced evidence that Hicks and co-conspirators were planning a vehicle ramming attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Houston. She was charged with felony conspiracy to commit murder and felony conspiracy to commit assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. The judge set her bond at $10 million and ordered her held without contact with co-conspirators, writing that the conspiracy was to kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.

Court documents identified two male co-conspirators only by the first names Angel and Teegan. The next day, Houston Police Major Offenders, FBI Houston, and the Alief Independent School District Police arrested a 16-year-old in Harris County and charged the juvenile with conspiracy to commit capital murder. It is not yet publicly confirmed whether the juvenile is one of the two named co-conspirators.

The target was specific. Congregation Beth Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas, founded in the 1850s. Sharing the same campus is The Shlenker School, a preschool and elementary school. Both closed Wednesday after Houston police notified them, and both reopened Thursday. The planned method of attack was a vehicle driven through a gathering of worshippers.

These arrests came one month after a Hezbollah-motivated attacker drove a fireworks-laden truck into Temple Israel in suburban Detroit, and on top of a string of arson attacks on synagogues in London since March. The threat against Jewish institutions in this country is elevated, active, and getting more sophisticated.

Lessons for Church Security Teams

Vehicle Ramming Requires Real Physical Barriers, Not Decorative Ones

The plan in this case was not a shooter walking through the lobby. The plan was to drive a vehicle into a crowd. That changes the geometry of your security plan completely. Most church security teams have built their response around the active shooter scenario, with armed greeters at the doors and trained responders inside. A vehicle attack defeats all of that before the attacker ever steps out of the car.

Look at Detroit one month ago. Temple Israel had bollards in front of the main entrance. The attacker drove around them and crashed his truck through the doors. Two bollards in a line are not a perimeter. They are a checkpoint that any driver with two seconds of thought can defeat by going around.

A real vehicle barrier system creates a continuous line of protection that forces any approaching vehicle to slow, turn, or stop before reaching the area where people gather. That means bollards at every approach angle. It means concrete planters heavy enough and close enough that a truck cannot squeeze between them. It means using existing landscape features like retaining walls, large trees, and parking layout to channel traffic away from pedestrians. It means thinking about drop-off and pickup areas, outdoor gatherings, and any spot where ten or more people stand together for more than a few minutes. Walk your campus this week and find every place where a vehicle could leave the road and reach a gathering of people in under ten seconds. Those are your gaps, and they need to be addressed before anything else on your security list.

Build an Intelligence Function Into Your Security Team

The Houston plot did not start in Houston. It started online. Three people in at least two states were communicating, planning, and operationalizing an attack against a specific synagogue and a specific school. Somewhere in those communications was leakage. Leakage is the operational information that surfaces in posts, gaming chat, group messages, and online forums before an attack happens. Most attackers leak. The question is whether anyone is looking.

Your security team needs an intelligence officer. Not another armed responder, not another door watcher. A team member whose assigned job is to watch the open-source environment around your church. That means Google Alerts on your church name, your pastor’s name, and key staff names. It means routinely searching social media for mentions of your church, watching for posts that name your address, your service times, your school, or your leadership in a hostile or surveillance-style way. It means following regional fusion center products if your area publishes them, and building a relationship with your local FBI field office and your local police intelligence unit so when something does not look right, you know who to send it to.

The role does not require law enforcement experience. It requires a careful, observant person who is comfortable on the internet, who can document what they find without speculating, and who understands the line between watching public posts and anything that crosses into investigation. Most days they find nothing. The day they find something, they may save lives.

Learn to Recognize Pre-Attack Surveillance and Dry Runs

Almost every targeted attack on a public gathering follows the same pattern in the weeks before. The attacker visits the target. They time the service. They look at the entrances and exits. They watch the parking lot fill and empty. They identify where security stands and where security does not. They photograph or video the building. They drive the route they plan to use on the day of the attack. This is surveillance, and the test runs are dry runs.

A surveillance behavior is not the same as a casual visitor. Someone who attends a service and asks normal questions is a guest. Someone who sits in their car in the parking lot during service, watches the doors, leaves, and comes back the next week to do the same thing is not a guest. Someone walking the perimeter taking photos of entry points and electrical boxes is not a tourist. Someone driving slowly past the building at the same time on three different Sundays is not lost. Train your team to notice these patterns and to document what they see. License plates, vehicle descriptions, time on scene, behavior, direction of travel when leaving. Every one of those facts is worth more than ten general impressions.

When your team sees this kind of activity, the response is straightforward. Document it, photograph if you can do so safely, get the plate, and report it to local law enforcement the same day. Do not confront the person. Confrontation tells the attacker they have been seen, which only changes the timing and method of the attack. A clean report to law enforcement keeps the investigation alive without alerting the suspect.

Schools on Church Campuses Raise Your Threat Profile

Beth Israel did not get targeted because of the synagogue alone. The Shlenker School, a preschool and elementary school sharing the same campus, was named in the FBI tip. Children draw attackers, and they draw national news coverage, which draws copycats. If your church operates a school, a daycare, or any regular gathering of children on your campus, your threat profile is higher than a church without one.

That does not mean shut down your school. It means your security plan has to account for two populations on the same property with different schedules and different vulnerability windows. Drop-off and pickup are the highest-risk periods on any school campus. They are predictable, public, and they cluster children in a confined space. Walk those windows yourself this week. Time them. Identify where a vehicle could enter and how far it could travel before hitting an obstacle. Then fix what you find. Coordinate with your school administration on lockdown procedures and on who has authority to call a closure. The decision Beth Israel made to close the campus on Wednesday was made fast, communicated clearly, and reversed the next day after consultation with law enforcement. That is the model.

Biblical Perspective

The attack on Beth Israel was an attack on a Jewish congregation. That has weight in Scripture that Christian readers cannot ignore. The people who were targeted in Houston are the people through whom God brought the patriarchs, the prophets, the Scriptures, and the Messiah. When Christian security teams study an attack on a synagogue, they are not studying an attack on a foreign people. They are studying an attack on the root of their own faith.

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) — “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

This is the Abrahamic covenant, and it has not been revoked. God promised Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to every family on earth, that those who blessed Abraham’s line would be blessed by God, and that those who dishonored his line would be cursed by God. The promise is not symbolic. The line of Abraham runs through Isaac and Jacob into the Jewish people, and the most concrete fulfillment of the promise to bless all families of the earth came when Jesus Christ, a Jewish man born in Bethlehem, opened the gate of salvation to the Gentiles. Every Christian alive today is the recipient of a blessing that came through the Jewish people. To stand against the Jewish people is to stand against the line that brought us our Savior.

Romans 11:17-18 (ESV) — “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.”

Paul wrote this directly to Gentile Christians in Rome, and it is the closest thing in the New Testament to a manual for how Christians should relate to the Jewish people. The picture is an olive tree. The natural branches are the Jewish people. The wild branches grafted in are Gentile Christians. Paul is direct with the Gentile believers. Do not be arrogant toward the natural branches. Remember which one of you supports the other. The root is Jewish. The tree is Jewish. The Christian is the late arrival, grafted in by grace, drawing nourishment from a root that was planted long before the church existed.

Paul goes further in Romans 11:28-29, saying that as regards the gospel the Jewish people are enemies for the sake of the Gentiles, but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, because the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. The Christian who reads that passage carefully cannot be neutral when a synagogue is targeted. The God who promised Abraham still keeps that promise. The Jewish people remain beloved of God for the sake of the covenant He made with their fathers. That covenant places an obligation on every Christian to stand with them when they are under attack.

The practical response is direct. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, as Psalm 122 commands. Stand with your local Jewish community when they are threatened. If you have a synagogue near your church, meet their security team. Share information. Learn from their threat picture, because their threat picture is real and active. If a Jewish school in your city is under threat, treat it the way you would treat a threat against your own children. The God who blessed us through Abraham’s line expects nothing less.

Final Assessment

This plot was stopped because somebody picked up the phone. That is the headline. A tip came into the FBI on a Tuesday evening and by Wednesday night the lead suspect was in custody and the campus was closed. Two suspects are now charged, at least one more is still being looked for, and a synagogue full of worshippers and a school full of Jewish children went home alive on Wednesday. That is the result of good police work and a citizen who saw something and said something.

For church security teams the takeaways are concrete. Vehicle ramming is a serious attack method against houses of worship now, and a couple of bollards in front of the door is not a vehicle barrier. Look at Detroit. The attacker drove around them. If you have not walked your campus looking specifically at where a vehicle could leave the road and reach a gathering, you are behind. Get out there this week.

The attackers are online before they ever show up at your church, and your team needs somebody whose job it is to be online too. Not as a hobby. As an assigned role with a clear scope. Pre-attack surveillance and dry runs are the warning signs you can catch in real time, but only if your people are trained to know what they look like. And if your church has a school on campus, your threat profile is higher than the church across town that does not. Plan for it.

For our Jewish friends in Houston and across the country, this is another reminder that the threat is real and active. Christian congregations should stand with them, pray for them, and remember whose root supports whose tree. If there is a synagogue near your church, go meet their security team this month. Share information. Learn from their threat picture, because their threat picture has been operational for a long time.

The attack was stopped. The campus reopened. The work continues.

Call to Action

Leave a comment below and tell us how your team handles online intelligence gathering and surveillance detection. Share this article with your pastor and your team leader, and pass it along to any church near you that operates a school. The next attack stopped before it starts will be stopped by people who saw what others missed.

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Saturday night in Washington, D.C., a 31-year-old man named Cole Tomas Allen tried to walk into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. He charged the Secret Service checkpoint, opened fire, and put a round into a federal agent’s chest plate. The agent survived because he was wearing his vest. Allen was tackled, handcuffed, and is now in custody.

The President and First Lady were inside that ballroom. So were members of the Cabinet, senators, and journalists. Allen wanted them. He did not get them. He got stopped at the door.

Let’s set the politics and press coverage aside. The Hilton was a hard target with professional security at the entry point. Allen was a determined lone actor and the team at the door shut him down. That is what your team is supposed to do at your church on Sunday morning. The reason this matters for every church in America is what Allen would have done if that checkpoint had not been there.

The Shooter

Allen is from Torrance, California. He has no criminal record. He earned a mechanical engineering degree from Caltech in 2017 and a master’s in computer science from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2025. He worked the past six years as a tutor at C2 Education and was named Teacher of the Month in December 2024. He looked like a quiet, employed young man. No flags.

He legally bought a .38 semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun in August 2025. He stored both at his parents’ house without their knowledge. His sister told federal investigators he had been making increasingly radical statements over the last several months, talking about doing “something” about the issues in today’s world. He trained at the range regularly. None of his coworkers, students, or parents saw it coming. Before the attack he sent a written manifesto to family. His brother in Connecticut called New London PD. The warning came in minutes before he charged the checkpoint.

Federal law enforcement and the President publicly confirmed Sunday that Allen’s social media accounts contained anti-Christian rhetoric, and that his writings reflected what the President called a “religious” motive that was “strongly anti-Christian.” The specific posts have not been released yet.

There is one detail in this profile that I want every pastor and youth ministry leader in America to read twice. During his undergraduate years at Caltech, Cole Allen was listed as a member of a Christian fellowship group on campus. He sat in those rooms. Somewhere between 2017 and Saturday night, that young man’s heart turned far enough that he loaded a shotgun and drove across the country to kill people he believed were the enemy. We will come back to that.

Why This Matters for Your Church

The Washington Hilton on Saturday night was a hard target. Magnetometers at the door. Secret Service inside and outside. Local police, federal agents, K-9 teams. Allen still tried it because the President was inside. He did not succeed because the team at the door did its job.

Now think about a lone actor with the same hatred Allen had who does not have the appetite to charge a Secret Service line. He looks at the federal building downtown. He looks at the Hilton. Then he looks at the small Baptist church on the corner with two greeters at the door, the parking lot wide open, and the front doors propped during the service. He picks the church.

That is the operational logic of every lone wolf attack we have studied. A hard target pushes the threat to a softer one. The threat does not go away. It moves. A man willing to die rushing the President’s security detail Saturday night is a man willing to walk into a worship service Sunday morning and not stop until the magazine runs dry. The team at the door is what stands between him and that morning.

The Lord told us this directly. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16, ESV) Wisdom and watchfulness are not optional for the people of God. They are commanded.

The Pipeline Pointing at Us

For more than a year on this platform we have documented left-leaning influencers, podcasters, and online voices openly calling on lone actors to target churches instead of regular Americans. The framing is always some version of the same instruction. Don’t hurt regular people. Hurt the Christians, the conservatives, the politicians. The message is published. The audience is real.

That message is operationally identical to the lone wolf doctrine ISIS publishes in al-Naba and pushes through its supporter networks. Different ideology. Same instruction. Same target. Pick the soft target. Pick the symbolic target. Pick the people who will not fight back. Both pipelines now point at the same buildings, and yours is one of them.

Cole Allen attended a “No Kings” rally earlier this year and family identified him as a member of a group called The Wide Awakes. He spent his radicalization online, in the same digital space where the church-as-target message circulates daily. We may never see the specific posts that pushed him over the line. We already know the soil he grew in.

The Insider and the Young Believer

This is the section I want every pastor reading this article to take to his next staff meeting.

Cole Allen was once part of a Christian fellowship group. He was in our world. Then somewhere along the way he was pulled into nihilism, political rage, and hatred deep enough to put a gun in his hand. That did not happen overnight. It happened over years, in lonely hours, in his social media feeds, while no one in his church world was watching for it.

The insider threat to the American church is not always the visitor at the door. Sometimes it is the young man who used to come on Sunday and stopped, and nobody followed up. The young woman whose worldview hardened semester by semester at college and her parents thought it was a phase. The teenager who is six hours a day on platforms designed to feed him rage and despair, and whose youth pastor is one of three adults in his life with the standing to ask hard questions.

Our youth ministry leaders need training. Not retreat-planning training. Training in how to recognize the early signs of ideological capture in a young believer. Sudden shifts in language and worldview. Withdrawal from fellowship. New online identities. Dark humor about violence. Contempt for the church they grew up in. Following voices online that tell them the system has to burn. These are warning signs and they are showing up earlier and louder every year.

The security team at the door is the last line. The youth pastor in the small group room is the first one. We need both. The team that watches the parking lot is doing the visible work. The leader who notices a kid drifting and walks toward him with the gospel is doing the harder work, and the more important one. We are losing young people to the algorithm faster than we are reaching them with the word, and the consequences of that are no longer theoretical.

If your church does not have a youth ministry plan that addresses online radicalization, build one. If your youth leaders cannot tell you what their kids are watching, what platforms they are on, and who they are following, that is the gap. Close it.

The Lesson for the Door

A few things to take to your team this week.

The lone wolf does not announce his timing. Allen’s family had minutes of warning and only because he sent a manifesto first. Most attackers do not send one. The team on duty is the warning system.

The lone wolf picks the soft target. If your church is the softest building on the block, that math goes against you. Magnetometers are not realistic for most congregations, but visible badges, locked side doors, a posted greeter team, and a security presence in the parking lot send a message to a man scanning targets that this church will cost him.

The lone wolf studies you before he comes. If a stranger has been on your property three Sundays in a row sitting in the back, watching the room, and leaving before the sermon, your team should know about it by Sunday number two.

The lone wolf is sometimes someone we used to know. Watch the parking lot. Watch the youth lounge. Watch the kid who used to come and stopped. Stay in relationship long enough that his family or his friends would call you before they call the police.

The Word

The world this morning is loud. The political fights are pulling at the heart of every believer who watched what happened in Washington Saturday night. The temptation is to live there, in the rage and the noise, and let the next attack pull us out of joint all over again.

The Apostle Paul wrote this to Christians who lived in the middle of empire, persecution, and uncertainty. It is the right word for the church security team this Sunday morning.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:1–2, ESV

We will guard the door. We will train the team. We will watch the parking lot, watch the youth lounge, and watch our brothers and sisters who are drifting toward danger. We do that work with our hands. Our minds and hearts stay set above. The Lord owns the day. We do this work because we belong to Him.

Stand at the door. Stay alert. Keep your eyes on Christ.

Did this article reach you? Share it with your pastor and your team leader. Drop a comment below. What is your church doing to train youth ministry leaders on online radicalization? We learn from each other in this space.

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INTELLIGENCE/TERRORISM

Pro-Iran Group HAYI Claims Wave of Attacks on Jewish Sites — London, United Kingdom

Pro-Iran group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) claimed responsibility for a coordinated series of attacks against Jewish, Israeli, and Iranian-dissident linked targets across London between April 15 and April 21, according to the UK Metropolitan Police. On April 15, two suspects threw bottles containing petrol at a synagogue in Finchley shortly after midnight; a 47-year-old woman and 46-year-old man were arrested in Watford and remanded to pretrial custody. On April 17, an arson attack targeted a building housing Volant Media, parent company of Persian-language outlet Iran International, leading to three arrests in Watford. On April 18, attackers threw an incendiary bomb through a window at Kenton United Synagogue citing its alleged “Zionist ideology,” and on April 21 a 17-year-old British national pled guilty to arson in connection with that attack. UK Counter Terrorism Policing is leading the investigations and characterizing the wave as potential “violence as a service” — where individuals with no ideological tie to the cause are hired to carry out attacks for money, mirroring Iran’s known use of criminal proxies.

🛡️ My thoughts: This group has been gaining significant steam. Watch how they operate as this is how it will happen here in the U.S. The next story is significant when it comes to their will to start in the U.S.

HAYI Issues Public Threats Against U.S. President and Family — United States

On April 20, the same pro-Iran group HAYI published a statement in English and Arabic threatening the U.S. President and his family, according to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center. The group named the President’s daughter by implication before stating it had decided to “spare” her, and declared that “retribution will pursue you, and it will pursue your children and your sons-in-law.” The statement called on U.S. citizens, the Secret Service, and other U.S. security services to kill the President. The threat comes amid the group’s active attack campaign in the United Kingdom targeting Jewish and Israeli-linked sites, signaling that HAYI is projecting its messaging and targeting framework into the U.S. homeland.

🛡️ My thoughts: Obviously they have aspirations of conducting operations inside of the U.S. If your church openly supports Israel, then they have already said that is an open invitation for their attack upon you.

ISIS Weekly Newsletter Details Operations Across Africa, Pakistan, and Syria — al-Naba Issue #543

ISIS released issue #543 of its weekly Arabic-language newsletter al-Naba on Thursday, claiming 18 operations across five provinces during the week of 20–27 Shawwal (mid-to-late April). The lead story details a wave of coordinated attacks in Borno State, northern Nigeria, in which the group claims to have killed 22 Nigerian military personnel — including a brigade commander identified as General Ousseini Braima of the 25th Brigade — burned five camps and more than 40 vehicles, and seized four additional vehicles and 22 motorcycles. ISIS Sahel Province claimed three Nigerien soldiers killed in an ambush near Dosso and a militia fighter killed near Menaka, Mali. ISIS Pakistan Province claimed four Shia Muslims killed in a pistol attack on a three-wheeled vehicle in the Hazar Ganji district of Quetta, while ISIS Khorasan Province claimed the separate killings of a Pakistani intelligence informant and a Pakistani soldier in the Bajaur region near the Afghan border. The newsletter also featured a theological editorial titled “The Divine Patterns in the Destruction of the Wrongdoers,” continuing the group’s long-running effort to frame its operations as fulfillment of religious obligation.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: It is always good to read their newsletter if you can find it (it’s also in Arabic, so you’ll need a translator). If you are in Nigeria, it is a must. They telegraph what they are going to do. They show their TTP’s in the articles, which makes it easier for use to devise a plan to kill them before they try to attack Christians.

"He said to them, 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.'" — Luke 22:36 (NIV)

VIOLENT CRIME

Man Storms Pulpit at Mount Calvary Baptist, Later Carjacks Driver — Lanham, MD

Akmed Koroma, a 32-year-old Maryland man, disrupted a Sunday service at Mount Calvary Baptist Church on April 19 by approaching the altar and placing his arms around Bishop Charles Cato mid-sermon, according to Prince George’s County court records. Security ushered Koroma off the stage and he left the church. Later that same day, police say Koroma got into the driver’s seat of a vehicle in Lanham with a man still inside and drove off; the victim jumped from the moving car and suffered cuts and bruises before Koroma crashed into another vehicle. Koroma is charged with carjacking and kidnapping, and Judge Erik Nyce ordered him held without bond on Tuesday, April 21. His next court date is scheduled for May 20.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts

Man Shot in Front of St. Peter Catholic Church — Cleveland, OH

Cleveland police are investigating a shooting that occurred around 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22 in front of St. Peter Catholic Church on East 17th Street between Superior and Payne Avenues in downtown Cleveland. According to investigators, the 46-year-old victim and the suspect were engaged in some type of “game” when the suspect shot him for unknown reasons. First responders transported the victim to University Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition. No arrest has been announced and the investigation is ongoing.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Although the church isn’t the victim, it is the scene of the crime. That means your people could become involved, or the police may ask for video or witness statements. Worst case, you may have people in your church when this goes down and you’ll have to lock the church down and protect the people inside. You may also consider if you want to help defend the man or give medical aid.

Deacon, 77, Beaten at Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church — Cleveland, OH

Cleveland police say 77-year-old Deacon Ronald Kisner was brutally beaten on Sunday, March 22 after he intervened in an argument outside Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church in the Glenville neighborhood. According to investigators, 33-year-old Anthony Elijah Malcolm Primm Mango was harassing a woman outside the church when Kisner stepped in, pushed Kisner through a side door, threw him down a flight of stairs, and continued the assault inside the building. Kisner suffered multiple facial fractures, brain bleeding, and swelling to his optic nerve. Mango was arrested at the scene the same day and has since been indicted on charges including attempted murder and felonious assault. The congregation held a rally for peace on Wednesday, April 22, one month after the attack, with faith leaders from across Cleveland calling for an end to violence against elders.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: We reported on this previously, but the Deacon’s condition is worsening. We will continue to monitor this situation and report back to you if there are any significant changes.

Man Charged After Shooting at God’s Grace Missionary Baptist Church — Royal Oak Township, MI

Michigan State Police responded to a shots-fired call at God’s Grace Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday, April 16, finding bullet holes in the church entryway and a shell casing nearby. Surveillance video led investigators to 23-year-old Michael Tyrone Bowers III of Detroit, who was arrested the same day and arraigned Saturday in Oak Park’s 45th District Court. Bowers was charged with discharging a firearm from a vehicle, discharging a firearm in or at a building, and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony. The church was unoccupied at the time and no one was injured. A judge set bond at $150,000 and barred Bowers from any contact with the church as a condition of release.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: We reported on this last week, but there has been an arrest since we reported it. Michigan has seen a significant cluster of church violence in the past 3 years. Michigan churches should consider raising their security level, since I don’t believe it is in line with the national level we have been posting.

Armed Man Breaks Into Church of the Gesu on Easter Sunday — Milwaukee, WI

A 50-year-old Green Bay man used an axe to force entry into Marquette University’s Church of the Gesu on Easter Sunday, April 5, before being confronted by officers who found him seated at the altar holding the axe. According to a criminal complaint, Aron Ferris told officers he was “God” and that he “created everyone,” and refused initial commands before being taken into custody. A search uncovered an axe, two knives, a multitool, a loaded rifle, and extra ammunition; a loaded handgun was also found in his vehicle. Ferris told investigators he brought the gun “so he could get attention and draw the media” and chose Easter because he expected people to be there to hear his story. He was charged April 11 with felony criminal damage to religious property and disorderly conduct with use of a dangerous weapon; damage to the church is estimated at $50,000.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Stories have been slow to creep out about violence that happened on Resurrection Day. It is obvious that more violent crime happened on that day than other Sundays. We need to remember that for our operational planning for Christmas.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Bellevue Baptist Employee Accused of Abusing 15-Year-Old Boy — Cordova, TN

Bellevue Baptist Church’s executive pastor Jason Pyron sent a letter to the congregation on Monday, April 20 disclosing that a 19-year-old male part-time, hourly employee had been accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old male church member. The alleged abuse is reported to have occurred when the minor was 15 years old, according to the church. The employee was terminated, and church leadership said they immediately reported the matter to authorities and are cooperating with the investigation. As of publication, no arrest has been made and the investigation is ongoing. Bellevue, one of the largest churches in the Mid-South, previously faced litigation after a 43-year-old paid volunteer coordinator, James Hook, pleaded guilty to sexual battery by an authority figure involving a 15-year-old girl who volunteered at the church.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: It appears this church does not have a solid policy on protecting children, or it’s possible they aren’t following it. I recommend you get a modern, up to date policy that protects your children and that you follow it.

Minnesota Pastor Charged With Sexually Abusing Child Under 13 — Hennepin County, Minnesota

A Minnesota pastor has been charged with sexually abusing a child under the age of 13, according to Hennepin-area prosecutors. The abuse is alleged to have occurred over a period of months inside a residential setting connected to the church’s youth ministry. The pastor was booked this week and released on conditional bond pending a preliminary hearing. Charges were filed after investigators developed the case through interviews with the victim and church personnel. The preliminary hearing date has not yet been announced.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: There will be more victims. Please check to see if this guy has worked at your church before. If he has, then start looking for victims.

Pasco County Pastor and Former School Resource Deputy Charged With Molesting Four Girls — Pasco County, Florida

Angelo Musicaro, a pastor at Worship Life Church and a former school resource deputy, was arrested earlier this month and charged with molesting four girls dozens of times. Investigators say the abuse spanned years and involved victims connected to the church. Musicaro’s dual role as a former SRO and current pastor is drawing scrutiny of background-check and oversight gaps. The case was built through multiple victim interviews and corroborating evidence gathered by Pasco County detectives. Additional victims may come forward as the investigation continues.

Source

ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Man Convicted of Murder and Arson in 2024 Church Fire — McMinn County, Tennessee

A McMinn County, Tennessee man was convicted on April 13, 2026 of murder and arson tied to an August 2024 church fire in which a victim was killed. Prosecutors proved the defendant set the church ablaze to conceal the homicide. The verdict closes one of East Tennessee’s longest-running church-arson prosecutions. Evidence presented at trial included forensic fire analysis and witness testimony establishing the timeline between the killing and the fire. Sentencing is expected in the coming weeks.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I usually only put fresh cases in this bulletin, but this deserves to be published.

Woman Arrested After Fire at New Dimensions Ministries — Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City fire crews were called to a reported fire at New Dimensions Ministries Church in the 200 block of S.E. 45th Street on Sunday morning, April 19, and arrived to find smoke coming from the basement and upper floors. Firefighters contained the blaze, which caused approximately $8,000 in damage. A woman was arrested at the scene on a complaint of first-degree arson. Further details about the suspect and a motive were not released by fire officials.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: This is your weekly reminder that you need a fire alarm, a burglar alarm and a 4k video system. You need that before you do anything else to secure your church.

Homeless Man Charged with Arson at Northern Lakes Community Church — Cumberland, WI

Cumberland police and fire responded to a smoke alarm at Northern Lakes Community Church on Wednesday evening, April 1, and found a small fire in a storage area near a rear garage door; investigators detected lighter fluid and determined the fire had been intentionally set. The suspect remained at large until April 15, when 43-year-old Kyle J. Alfonse, described as homeless, emailed a city employee saying “come arrest me … I forgot to mention that I started the church on fire.” Officers located Alfonse at a nearby food pantry parking lot, and he admitted starting the fire with lighter fluid during the interview and again the following day at the Barron County Jail. He was charged April 17 in Barron County Circuit Court with felony arson and felony criminal damage to religious property, and is being held on a $2,500 cash bond.

Source

INTERNATIONAL

Russian Bomb Destroys Baptist Church During Prayer Meeting — Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

Russia struck House of the Gospel Baptist Church in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on Thursday, April 16, during an evening prayer meeting, killing minister Ruslan Utyuzh and wounding at least eight others. The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States called the strike a deliberate attack on people of faith who had gathered peacefully to pray, and identified the munition used as a laser-guided precision bomb. Utyuzh leaves behind a wife and two children. Roughly 300 people had called the building their spiritual home, and former Ukrainian parliamentarian Pavel Unguryan said several church leaders were inside at the time, many gathered to celebrate Easter. Religious freedom advocates say Russia has now damaged or destroyed more than 700 churches and killed at least 58 priests and pastors since the start of the war.

Source

Eight Christians Killed in Coordinated Overnight Attacks — Plateau State, Nigeria

At least eight Christians were killed and 10 others injured in coordinated overnight attacks across Bassa, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State, Nigeria on Saturday, April 18, according to the International Christian Concern and local community leaders. The first attack came around 8 p.m. in Kpasho, Kwall District, when armed men ambushed four youth traveling on a motorcycle, killing one at the scene and a second later at the hospital. About two hours later, attackers stormed the Hurum Gashish NTV community in Barkin Ladi and opened fire on residents, killing four and wounding five. Rwang Tenglong of the Berom Youth Moulders Association confirmed the attacks and said the affected communities were mourning their dead and caring for the wounded. Plateau State authorities reported arresting four suspects described as terrorists, which triggered a protest and road blockade by residents demanding their release and an end to the killings.

Source

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Some of you may have been unable to get a ticket to the Christian Warrior Academy on May 2nd. We have more seats now, so click here and get your FREE slot for Christian Warrior Academy. Use the code “FREE” to unlock the free seat.

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What Happened

On Sunday, April 19, 2026, Bishop Charles Cato was in the middle of his sermon at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Lanham, Maryland, when 32-year-old Akmed Koroma walked toward the altar from behind him. Cato did not see him coming.

“It was kind of all of a sudden I was just up preaching,” Cato told reporters. “He came behind me and put his arm on my shoulder, just leaned over, saying ‘amen, amen.’”

The minister’s security team moved immediately. They stepped in, removed Koroma from the stage, and walked him out of the sanctuary. Cato kept preaching. The service continued. No one in the congregation was injured.

“At that point, our minister’s security just ushered him off the stage, and I just kept preaching,” Cato said.

The story did not end at the church doors. Shortly after Koroma was escorted out, a man sitting in his mother’s car nearby preparing to leave for church watched a stranger open the driver’s door, get in, and drive off with him still inside. The victim asked Koroma where they were going. Koroma did not answer. Fearing for his life, the man jumped from the moving vehicle and landed hard on the pavement with cuts and bruises. Koroma kept driving and struck another vehicle at the intersection of Whitfield Chapel Road and Annapolis Road before being arrested.

Court records show Koroma is a 32-year-old Air Force veteran who has been arrested several times this year. At his bond review hearing, the judge stated on the record that he suspects Koroma may be dealing with mental health issues. He was ordered held without bond and is scheduled to return to court on May 20.

Councilmember Wanika Fisher was in the congregation that morning. “It was a frightening situation. People were concerned about what might happen. Incidents like this raise concerns about safety, especially in places of worship,” she said.

Cato’s own assessment was calmer. “To be truthful, I wasn’t frightened because I never got a good look at the person. At one time I thought it may have been someone I knew. It all happened quickly, and I stayed focused on the message.”

Layered Security and the Red Zone at the Stage

Church security is not one wall. It is layers, like an onion. The first layer is the parking lot. The second is the lobby and the doors. The third is the sanctuary itself. Your goal is to catch the problem at the outermost layer and never let it reach the next one. Most threats that make it all the way to the sanctuary slipped past the first two layers, which means by the time you see them inside, you are already on your last line of defense.

That last line is the stage. And the stage is a red zone.

Imagine a force field around the platform. Nothing crosses it except authorized people. No one wandering up to pray during the sermon. No one walking up to hand the pastor a note. No one coming up for a hug. No good ever comes from an unauthorized person on the platform, and every year in this country a pastor is attacked at the pulpit with a firearm or a knife. The red zone is not a suggestion. It is a post.

Your job as a sanctuary team member is to make sure nothing breaches that force field. That does not mean tackling anyone. The Mt. Calvary team got this exactly right. They walked up, put hands on him calmly, and escorted him off. That is the standard response. A person who steps toward the stage with no clear intent gets quietly redirected. You guide them away. You tell them you will talk to them outside. You do not make a scene. Most of the time, the person is confused, emotional, or mentally unwell, not violent, and a calm escort resolves the whole thing in under a minute. If the person resists, escalates, or shows a weapon, the response changes. But the default posture is calm, low, and professional.

You also need to work out a code word with your pastor. He is the one facing the congregation. He can see every face in every pew. You in the front row or off to the side cannot see what he can see. If he spots someone acting suspicious, fidgeting, reaching, or moving in a way that does not feel right, he needs a way to alert you without breaking the sermon. A clean example: “Keith, can you grab me a glass of water?” To the congregation it sounds like the pastor is thirsty. To you it means the pastor has seen something and wants you to check it out. He can even point in the direction of the problem as part of the line, and no one in the pews will read it as anything other than a pastor gesturing while he talks. You walk over to that area, you scan, and you pick up what he saw.

Ideally you have two or three trained members positioned to cover the platform and its approaches. Realistically, most churches will not have that. I work at a 1,400-seat congregation and we have enough people for one person on the stage post. One is enough if that one person is in the right place, alert, and trained to respond calmly. What matters is that someone, always, owns the red zone.

The Minister’s Security Detail

Most churches do not have one. Mt. Calvary did, and on Sunday morning it saved the congregation from watching their pastor get attacked in the middle of a sermon. A minister’s security detail is a small, dedicated team inside your larger safety team whose specific job during the service is the pastor. Not the parking lot, not the doors, not the children’s wing. The pastor.

This is not celebrity protection. It is recognition that the senior pastor is the most likely target in any targeted attack on a congregation. He is the public figure. He is the one whose name is on the sign. He is the one who has offended someone from the pulpit, counseled a difficult marriage situation, disciplined a member, or preached against a sin that someone out there is not ready to give up. He is also the one the congregation will look to in a moment of chaos, which means he cannot be the one running for cover.

The size of the detail depends on the size of your team. If you have the numbers, two or three trained members covering the pastor and the approaches to him is ideal. If you have one, that one person owns the post. They do not need to be armed to be effective. What they need is training, an assigned position, and the instinct to move before the moment becomes a crisis. Mt. Calvary’s team did exactly that. No tackle, no drawn weapon, no commotion. They walked him off the stage.

Biblical Perspective

Mt. Calvary’s response is a living picture of one of the most overlooked models in the Old Testament.

“And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” — Nehemiah 4:9

Nehemiah is rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He knows enemies are watching, making plans, preparing to attack. His response is not one thing. It is two things, joined together. They prayed. They set a guard. Day and night. Not prayer instead of the guard. Not the guard instead of prayer. Both. The church that understands this verse understands why the security team’s work is not a contradiction of the pastor’s preaching. They are two sides of the same obedience.

Cato prayed. His team watched. When the threat came, the team moved, and the preaching continued. That is Nehemiah 4:9 in a sanctuary.

The other passage that maps to this Sunday is Paul’s charge to the Ephesian elders.

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert.” — Acts 20:28-31

Paul is not talking to a security team. He is talking to pastors and elders. And yet the command he gives them is the command the Mt. Calvary security team carried out on Sunday morning. Pay careful attention. Be alert. Wolves will come. Some from outside. Some from inside. The word of God assumes threat. It assumes the need for watchful eyes. It assumes the overseer’s job is both spiritual and practical. Paul would not have been confused by the sight of a church security team.

One more thing needs to be said, and it is where this incident gets harder. Akmed Koroma is a broken man. He is a veteran. A judge on the record has said he may be dealing with mental health issues. Cato himself, the man Koroma walked up behind, said he hopes Koroma gets help. The church’s job in that moment was to remove him from the sanctuary to protect the congregation. That is the guard at the wall. But the church’s job going forward includes praying for him. Visiting him if appropriate. Asking how his family is doing. That is the other half of Nehemiah 4:9. We set a guard, and we prayed.

Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they were harassed and helpless. Koroma is harassed and helpless. Removing him from the stage and loving him are not opposites. A church that only removes people is a fortress. A church that only welcomes people is a target. A church that does both is walking in the pattern Scripture gave us.

Final Assessment

What happened at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday, April 19, 2026, is one of the clearest examples of a trained church security team doing its job correctly that you will see this year. A man walked up behind the pastor during the sermon. The team moved. He was removed. The service continued. No one was injured inside the building. The pastor did not break stride.

That does not happen by accident. It happens because a pastor, at some point, decided the platform needed to be covered. It happens because team members showed up for training. It happens because roles were assigned in advance and everyone knew what to do. It happens because the congregation trusts the team enough to stay seated when something goes wrong.

The lesson for your church is not that you need to buy more equipment or hire armed professionals. The lesson is that a small group of dedicated people, trained and positioned, can stop a disruption from becoming a tragedy. Most churches in this country do not have a minister’s security detail. They should. Not because every Sunday is a threat, but because the one Sunday that is a threat will come without warning, from behind the pastor, while he is preaching, and you will have seconds to respond.

Cato’s final word in the interview is one worth holding on to. “You can’t lock the enemy out, because that’s the purpose of the church — to invite people in.” That is the tension every safety team lives in. We invite. We watch. We welcome. We protect. Both, together, day and night, the way Nehemiah did it.

Call to Action

If you have a safety team, read this with them. If you do not have a safety team, this incident is the reason you need one. Leave a comment below and tell me what your church is doing to cover the platform during the sermon. Share this article with your pastor and your team leader. The next incident is coming somewhere. Your preparation is what decides how it ends.

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I’m Coming to Florida: Christian Warrior Academy, May 2, 2026

Christian Warriors, if you are anywhere in the Southeast and you have a church security team, or you are trying to build one, I want you in Inverness, Florida on Saturday, May 2, 2026.

I am teaching a full-day Christian Warrior Training course at Cornerstone Baptist Church from 9 AM to 4 PM. This is not a meet-and-greet. This is a brain dump. Seven hours of church security work pulled from my 29 years in law enforcement, including narcotics and SWAT, and from everything I have built training teams across the country.

What We’re Covering

You are going to walk out with the framework, the doctrine, and the practical steps to go home and fix what needs fixing on your team.

We will work through recognizing pre-attack indicators before a situation turns violent. We will build out what a comprehensive church security team actually looks like, including roles, assignments, and accountability. We will go deep on access control, surveillance, and how to monitor a service without turning your church into a fortress.

We will talk through use-of-force, legal exposure, and liability, which is where most teams get themselves in trouble. We will discuss how to actually coordinate with local law enforcement so that when something happens, they are not walking in blind. And we will talk about the culture piece, because a church that feels like an airport checkpoint has lost something important.

Who Needs to Be There

Pastors. Elders. Security team leaders and members. Ushers and greeters, because they are your first line of contact. Volunteers who want to serve this way. Faith-based school staff. Ministry leaders. And any law enforcement partners who want to understand how to better support the churches in their jurisdiction.

Whether you are starting from zero or you have a team that has been running for years and needs a tune-up, you will leave with work to do and the tools to do it.

Why I’m Telling You This Directly

I do not get to the Southeast often. I am based in the western United States and my travel schedule is what it is. I do not know when I will be back in Florida to teach a full-day course like this. If you have been meaning to come to a CWT training in person, this is your chance.

I am going to make it worth your time.

The Details

Event: Christian Warrior Training - Securing Sacred Spaces Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026 Time: 9 AM to 4 PM Location: Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1100 West Highland Boulevard, Inverness, FL 34452 Host: Right To Bear Association

Registration: This will not be televised, in person only.

REGISTER HERE

Use promo code CWT to attend for FREE.

Seats are limited. Register now, then make your travel plans.

Bring Your Team

If you are a team leader, do not come alone. Bring your second. Bring your whole team if you can drive in together. The training compounds when more than one person from the same team hears the same material at the same time. You will leave the parking lot already building your plan.

Nehemiah 4:9 tells us, “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.” Prayer and preparation. Both. Always.

I will see you May 2 in Inverness.

Remember your ABCs. Always Be Carrying (seriously, I’m going to ask you what you’re carrying).

Leave a comment below if you are planning to come — I want to know who to look for. And please share this post with your pastor and your team leader. Someone in your network needs to be in that room.

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BLUF

April 20 is a date with a documented history of mass violence in the United States and a measurable pattern of copycat threats clustered around its anniversary. There is no specific, credible threat against your congregation today. There is a well-established behavioral pattern that justifies raising your team’s situational awareness for today’s services and returning to normal posture tomorrow.

Key Judgments

• Highly Likely: April 20 will continue to function as a motivating date for copycat-inspired actors in future years, given Columbine’s documented status as the most imitated mass attack in U.S. history.

• Likely: Anniversary-related threats will emerge in online extremist spaces on or around this date each year. Law enforcement has observed this pattern repeatedly, including a foiled plot specifically timed to April 20, 2024.

• Possible: A domestic extremist actor motivated by historical symbolism, whether tied to Columbine, the Oklahoma City bombing, or the Waco anniversary window, could select a soft public target during the April 19-20 calendar window.

• Unlikely: Your congregation faces a targeted threat tied specifically to today’s date. The general risk environment is elevated above baseline, but there is no active intelligence pointing to a specific church threat.

Historical Record: What Happened on and Around April 20

The weight of this date begins with Columbine. On April 20, 1999, two students killed 13 people and wounded more than 20 others at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in what was at the time the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. The attack was not spontaneous. The two shooters planned for roughly a year, constructed 99 improvised explosive devices, and intended the cafeteria bombing to be the centerpiece of a mass casualty event that would rival the Oklahoma City bombing. Most of those devices failed to detonate. The shooting that followed killed 13 and set off a chain of cultural and criminal contagion that continues today.

The Oklahoma City bombing preceded Columbine by four years. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people in the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. McVeigh chose the date deliberately, timing the attack to the second anniversary of the end of the Waco siege and the 220th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The use of a historical calendar as a motivating framework was not incidental, it was the entire point. That logic has been replicated by actors who have followed him.

These two events, occurring within 24 hours of each other on the calendar a generation apart, have given the April 19-20 window a symbolic weight that persistent extremist communities continue to activate.

The Columbine Effect: Documented Contagion

What happened after Columbine is not merely cultural. It is operational threat data. Researchers have documented more than 70 attacks and plots globally that were directly linked to the Columbine massacre through attacker writings, target selection, or explicitly stated inspiration. The phenomenon has a name in threat assessment literature: the Columbine effect.

The pattern does not respect time. Attacks inspired by Columbine have occurred across three decades. The December 2024 shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin was carried out by a 15-year-old who, according to investigators, idolized the Columbine shooters and mimicked their ideology and tactics. The August 2025 attack at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, which killed two children during a school Mass and wounded 28 others, was carried out by someone investigators described as having a “deranged fascination with previous mass shootings,” including Columbine. The shooter’s weapons bore the names of past attackers, including the Columbine perpetrators.

The anniversary itself generates specific threat activity. In April 2024, four Pennsylvania teenagers were charged after law enforcement uncovered a specific plan to carry out an attack on April 20 in direct homage to the 25th anniversary of Columbine. Text messages between them included language about wanting “everything to go down like Columbine.” That plot was disrupted. Not every plot is.

Online Radicalization and the Current Threat Environment

The mechanism driving copycat risk has changed. Social media and encrypted platforms have created persistent communities that treat mass killers as objects of admiration, study their tactics in detail, and actively encourage imitation. Federal cyber tip line data shows a 300-plus percent increase between 2023 and 2024 in reports involving violent online groups of this type. Researchers tracking these communities have documented at least seven school shootings or disrupted plots in 2024 alone linked to individuals embedded in them.

Among the documented networks operating in this space are the Terrorgram Collective, a neo-fascist network that encourages violence aimed at societal collapse, and a subculture researchers call Saints Culture, which treats high-casualty attackers as heroic figures and frames imitation as the highest achievable act. These communities do not confine their targeting to schools. They encourage violence against any high-visibility soft target, and a filled church sanctuary fits that description.

The spring calendar window amplifies this. Actors embedded in these communities are aware of April 20. They discuss it. Some of them plan around it.

What This Means for Your Church Today

This brief is not a notification of a threat to your congregation. It is a notification of an elevated threat environment on a specific date, grounded in documented historical patterns rather than active intelligence.

Your team’s posture today should reflect that distinction. Heightened observation is appropriate. Normal protocols remain in effect, applied with sharper attention. Your team should pay particular attention to late arrivals during services, anyone whose behavior breaks the pattern of normal Sunday attendance, and anyone who is conducting what looks like pre-operational surveillance of your facility rather than participating in worship. Those behaviors are not unique to today, but today is a day to take them more seriously than usual.

The Annunciation Catholic Church shooting in August 2025 is the most recent data point for what happens when a church full of children is attacked without a prepared response. Two children died. Twenty-eight others were wounded. A prepared team is not a guarantee of survival, but an unprepared team in that environment is a near-guarantee of higher casualties.

Threat Assessment

The overall threat level for churches and congregations on April 20, 2026 is assessed at ELEVATED (Orange), raised from the standing ELEVATED (Yellow) posture for today only.

This assessment is based on historical pattern and documented behavioral data, not active intelligence targeting any specific church or region. The Columbine anniversary generates measurable threat activity each year in online extremist communities. The Oklahoma City bombing anniversary occurred yesterday. These dates together form a recognized high-risk window in the domestic extremism calendar.

The primary concern is a copycat-motivated lone actor or small group operating without specific coordination, selecting a soft public target for symbolic or notoriety-driven reasons. Churches are not the primary historical target of Columbine-inspired attacks, but soft targets with high casualty potential have appeared in attacker writings and planning documents with enough frequency to warrant attention. The secondary concern is escalatory language or specific threats appearing in online spaces today and in the days that follow. If your team or congregation members encounter anything of that nature, report it immediately through your local law enforcement liaison and through CWT’s reporting platform at alert.christianwarriortraining.com.

Return to ELEVATED (Yellow) posture on April 21 unless new intelligence warrants otherwise.

Biblical Lens

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” — Psalm 141:3

The men of Issachar understood the times. Part of that understanding is knowing when a day is not like other days, not out of fear, but out of discernment. April 20 is a day that requires more of your team, not because God is not in control, but because He has placed your team in a position of responsibility. You are the guard on the wall today. Stand alert, stay calm, and trust the Lord with what you cannot see.

Drop a comment below with your observations from today, and share this brief with your pastor or team leader. They need to understand what their team is standing guard against.

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Vacation Bible School is coming. So are summer camps, youth retreats, day camps, and every other ministry event where parents are going to hand their children over to our care for a few hours or a few days. They are trusting us. The question every camp director and VBS coordinator needs to answer before the first child arrives is whether that trust is well placed.

Most churches plan VBS around the curriculum, the craft supplies, the snacks, and the volunteers. Safety gets a quick meeting and a reminder to call 911 if something goes wrong. That is not a plan. That is a prayer attached to a hope.

The Church Camp Safety Guide is the answer to that gap. I wrote the original version for ministries that had nothing else to work from. That version was a starting point. This 2026 edition is a full operational manual. Download it free, print it, adapt it to your facility, and hand it to your team.

What Is in the New Edition

The rebuilt guide runs 67 pages and is organized into six parts. Every major topic now includes a written protocol, a fill-in-the-blank template you can customize for your camp, and step-by-step action sequences your staff can execute under pressure.

Part One covers planning. There is a tiered pre-camp master checklist that walks you through what needs to happen 60 days out, 30 days out, two weeks out, one week out, and the day of. Staff-to-camper supervision ratios are broken down by age group with separate ratios for overnight and aquatic activities. A complete camper registration form collects emergency contacts, authorized pickup persons, custody information, medical conditions, allergies, medications, and dietary restrictions. A site safety checklist walks you through 26 inspection items across fire, structural, electrical, chemical, grounds, medical, communication, security, and documentation categories.

Part Two is the operational core. Nine critical plans, each with written protocols and fill-in-the-blank templates: severe weather, evacuation, shelter-in-place and lockdown, missing child, medical emergency, aquatic safety, heat and sun, transportation, suspicious person and stranger protocol, and reunification. The missing child section distinguishes between a wandering child and a suspected abduction with different response protocols for each. The lockdown section walks through run-hide-fight for a camp setting where children cannot run the way adults can. The medical emergency section includes a camp-specific quick-reference covering anaphylaxis, seizure, diabetic emergency, choking, head injury, fracture, severe bleeding, asthma, and bee or wasp stings, each with a step-by-step response.

Part Three addresses staff. Mandatory training requirements, the two-adult rule, reporting protocols, night watch staffing and duties, and a digital communication and photo policy that closes the gap most churches leave open around social media, direct messaging, and photography of minors.

Part Four is parent communication. Twelve pre-written crisis message templates your Communication Lead can use under pressure: severe weather shelter, weather all-clear, emergency evacuation, non-life-threatening medical incident, medical emergency with 911, missing child searching, missing child found, early dismissal, security lockdown, lockdown all-clear, custody concern, and a 24-hour post-incident follow-up. Fill in the bracketed fields and send. Parents hear from one voice, on the same message, at the same time.

Part Five covers drills and documentation. A drill schedule by camp length, a drill log template, an incident report form, and a night watch log.

Part Six is the biblical response section. Scripture for comfort in crisis, pastoral debrief frameworks for both campers and staff, and a section on leading through tragic outcomes when the worst happens.

Why I Rebuilt the Original

The first version was short and readable but it told people what to think about more than what to do. A VBS coordinator does not have time at six in the morning on day one to read narrative guidance about evacuation principles. She needs to open a page, see the evacuation plan template with her facility’s specifics filled in, and hand a copy to every leader before the doors open.

Every form in the new guide is reproducible. You can pull the registration form and use it. You can pull the incident report and put a stack in your first aid kit. You can pull the reunification sign-out sheet and take it to your designated site. The guide is designed to be used, not just read.

A Word on Aquatic Safety

One of the sections I added is a full aquatic safety protocol. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-14. It happens fast and it happens silently. A real drowning does not look like the Hollywood version. The child is not splashing and yelling. The child is vertical in the water, head tilted back, eyes unfocused, making no progress in any direction. If your camp has a pool, a lake, a creek, a pond, or even a splash activity, read that section. Train your lifeguards and your watchers. The protocol is designed to buy back the seconds you cannot afford to lose.

A Word on Custody Disputes

The suspicious person section includes a custody dispute protocol. This is one of the highest-risk scenarios at any VBS or day camp, and most churches have no written plan for it. An adult the child should not be released to shows up at pickup. The child knows this person. The staff member on the door may not. If you have no protocol, the child goes home with the wrong adult and you become part of a court case or worse. The registration form in Part One captures who is NOT authorized. The pickup protocol makes that information actionable.

Scripture Anchoring the Work

“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” — Proverbs 22:3

Wisdom and precaution are part of godly leadership, not a departure from it. Jesus told His followers to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Preparing for what could go wrong is not a failure of faith. It is the posture of every faithful steward in Scripture. Nehemiah posted a watch. The wise virgins brought extra oil. The shepherd counts the sheep. We protect the children God has placed in our care because that is what love looks like in practice.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” — Psalm 127:1

The plans in this guide are the scaffolding. The Holy Spirit builds the house. Build and watch. God honors the work.

Download the Guide

The Church Camp Safety Guide is free. Download it. Print it. Customize the templates for your facility. Distribute it to your camp leaders, your VBS coordinators, your youth pastors, and anyone else who is responsible for children in your ministry.

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Church campsafety guide

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If you find this guide useful, the best thing you can do is share it with another church. Send the link to a youth pastor at the church down the road. Send it to your denomination’s children’s ministry coordinator. Pass it to the VBS director at the church your in-laws attend. This work is meant to spread.

Your Support Keeps This Free

Christian Warrior Training exists to put church safety training in the hands of every congregation that needs it, without cost barriers. The free guides, the intelligence briefs, the weekly church crime newsletter, the training videos, and the response resources are all possible because paid subscribers fund the work. If this guide helps your ministry, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your subscription is what lets me keep producing and distributing resources like this one.

Leave a comment below with the biggest safety gap you have identified at your own camp or VBS. I read every comment, and the questions you raise often become the next article.

Share this post with your pastor, your children’s ministry director, or your camp team leader. Pass it to a church that does not have a plan.

The camp is coming. Do the work now.

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INTELLIGENCE

Iran-Linked Group Claims Drone Attack Carrying Radioactive Material Targeting Israeli Embassy -- London, England

Counter Terrorism Policing London confirmed Friday morning that officers are investigating a security incident in Kensington Gardens after an Iran-linked Islamist group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, released a video showing two men in hazmat-style suits launching drones it claimed carried radioactive and cancer-causing material toward the Israeli Embassy. Police deployed CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) units to assess discarded items found in the gardens and closed the park to the public. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the embassy was not struck and stated there is no confirmed increased public safety risk at this stage. The same group has claimed responsibility for several recent arson attacks in London, including the burning of four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green last month. Urgent inquiries are ongoing to determine the authenticity of the video and whether a link exists between the video and the items found in the park.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: This is the same group that burned Hatzola ambulances in London last month and torched a synagogue in North Macedonia on Orthodox Easter just days ago. They are not random actors. HAYI is an Iranian proxy running a coordinated campaign against Jewish targets across Europe, and they are escalating both in frequency and method. Drones carrying radiological material represent a significant step up from arson and IEDs. Whether the material in this case was genuinely dangerous or not almost doesn't matter at this point -- the willingness to attempt it tells you where this is heading. Your team needs to understand that what starts with Jewish targets does not stay there. This group's parent network has European infrastructure, operational experience, and a demonstrated ability to plan and execute attacks with little warning. If you have Jewish institutions near your church, or if your congregation shares any events or facilities with Jewish organizations, that proximity is worth a conversation with your team.

Hezbollah Cell Targeting Christians in Damascus

Syrian authorities arrested a five-person Hezbollah cell in Damascus on April 10-11 that had received IED training in Lebanon and was actively planning attacks against Christian religious figures in the Bab Touma district. This is not a theoretical threat or surveillance operation. It is an operational cell in the advanced planning stage with a specific religious target set.

My thoughts 🛡️ :While the incident occurred in Syria, it confirms that Hezbollah-linked operatives are willing to plan and execute attacks against Christians as a target category. U.S.-based security teams should be aware that the same ideological framework driving that cell is present in Hezbollah networks operating inside the United States. Watch how this was planned by Hezbollah so you can prepare for an attack here in the US when they choose to attack us.

Iran-Linked Phishing Using Fake Emergency Alerts

A U.S. joint advisory confirmed that Iran-affiliated actors have been conducting phishing campaigns using fake conflict-themed emergency alerts and QR codes to harvest user credentials. The emails impersonate government emergency notification systems and are designed to trigger an immediate response from recipients who believe there is an active threat in their area. Church administrators, security team leaders, and pastors who manage church communication platforms are realistic targets for this type of campaign.

🛡️ My thoughts: This one is simple to defend against. Before anyone on your team clicks a link or scans a QR code from an emergency alert they were not expecting, pick up the phone and verify it through a source you already trust. If it is real, you will confirm it in thirty seconds. If it is not, you just stopped a credential theft. Train your team to pause before they click, especially when the message creates urgency.

ISIS-Inspired Operative Planned Mass Shooting at Brooklyn Jewish Center, Arrested at U.S.-Canada Border — Brooklyn, New York

Pakistani national Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 21, pled guilty on April 8 to one count of attempting to commit acts of terrorism after planning a mass shooting at a prominent Jewish center in Brooklyn. Khan began planning in November 2023 while living in Canada, posting ISIS support material online and coordinating with others to acquire automatic weapons. He selected October 7, 2024 as his target date to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. In September 2024, Khan attempted to enter the United States through a human smuggler and was arrested approximately 12 miles from the border. The DOJ scheduled his sentencing for August 12, 2026.

Source

Algerian Man Arrested for Planning Easter Weekend Terrorist Attack in Saint-Etienne — Saint-Etienne, France

French anti-terrorism forces arrested a 35-year-old Algerian man on April 4 after he posted online videos expressing his desire to die as a martyr and fired a weapon into the air in Saint-Etienne. French prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation and on April 8 a court indicted the suspect on charges of participating in a terrorist criminal association with intent to prepare attacks on persons, as well as illegal possession of weapons and ammunition in connection with a terrorist enterprise. An anti-terrorism judge placed him in pre-trial detention following the indictment. The arrest occurred days before Easter Sunday.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I know it is France, but I hope you understand that this is coming to America. Europe has been getting hit hard by Isis. It won't be long before they're over here as well. They are working hard at getting the attention of lone actors to come after us.

Islamic State Implementing Jizya Tax System Against Christians in Congo

Islamic State forces in the Central Africa Province conducted coordinated attacks on Christian villages in the Ituri region of eastern Congo this week, killing at least 72 Christians, burning approximately 50 homes, and displacing thousands of residents across ten villages along a single highway corridor. The attacks targeted the villages of Moutshanga and Bafwakoa and were significant not only for their scale but for what followed. According to IS’s own publication, al-Naba 542, dozens of Christians captured in previous weeks’ attacks were subsequently released after agreeing to pay the jizya, the Islamic protection tax historically imposed on non-Muslims living under IS governance. IS is not framing these attacks as terror operations. They are framing them as the enforcement of a religious governance system, offering Christians a documented three-part choice: convert, pay and submit, or die. The Congolese military acknowledged the losses in a statement describing the security situation as “still alarming” while a local Christian organization called on the government to treat the Islamic State as a national emergency. IS forces returned to their positions without engaging government troops, who did not respond during either attack.

🛡️ My thoughts: What is happening in Congo is not a crime wave. It is a caliphate in practice. IS is collecting taxes, releasing prisoners on conditions, and operating with enough confidence to announce it in their own newsletter. The lesson for American church security teams is not logistical. It is theological and strategic. This is what IS believes it is building toward everywhere. Understanding their doctrine is not academic. It is how you recognize the threat for what it is rather than what it appears to be on the surface.

VIOLENT CRIME

Gunfire Damages Church Entrance in Royal Oak Township, Michigan

God’s Grace Missionary Baptist Church on Cloverdale Avenue in Royal Oak Township, Michigan, was damaged in a shooting just after noon on Thursday, April 16, when an unknown suspect fired multiple rounds into the church’s front door, shattering the glass. Michigan State Police responded to the scene, recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the incident, and arrested one suspect. No injuries were reported. Source: CBS News Detroit

🛡️ My thoughts: Situational awareness is critical—most violent incidents like this happen outside the church and often during off hours, when buildings are more vulnerable and less prepared.

Former Parishioner Shoots at Church Leadership During Fishing Trip in Wimauma, Florida

A 60-year-old former parishioner opened fire on church leadership from One Moment Community Church of God during a fishing trip near Lake Wimauma in Wimauma, Florida, after previously being removed from the church. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect fired four rounds at the group, which included adults and two children, but no injuries were reported. The incident followed a verbal confrontation, and authorities later arrested the suspect at his home, where he now faces multiple felony charges, including four counts of attempted murder. Source:

🛡️ My thoughts: This is a reminder that threats don’t always end when someone is removed from a church. If anything, they can escalate. Situational awareness has to extend beyond the building, especially in informal settings like this. When individuals continue making threats after being asked to leave, churches should take it seriously and pursue restraining orders and documentation early. Don’t assume distance equals safety—have a plan, communicate concerns, and involve law enforcement before it gets to this point.

Pastor’s Daughter Shot Returning Home from Church; Boyfriend Runs Down Suspected Shooter — Houston, Texas

A woman was shot by a man described by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office as having an obsessive fixation on her as she returned home from church on Wednesday evening. The shooting occurred around 9:37 p.m. on the 2100 block of Hartwick Road in east Houston. Her boyfriend witnessed the attack and used his vehicle to run down the suspected shooter, stopping the assault. The suspect, a 24-year-old man, was subsequently taken into custody and faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony. The victim’s father is a pastor, and investigators said all three parties had attended the same church.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Fixation like this is more common than you think in churches. Most people will shrug it off as a crush, mental instability, or some other reason. Do not dismiss fixations. Intervene in them when appropriate. Also, this is a good instance to show about the need for constant situational awareness and being aware of what is going on around you. I am thankful the Lord kept her from being injured more seriously.

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Man Charged in Shooting Outside Church Funeral That Wounded Four, Including Officer — Kansas City, Missouri

A Kansas City man has been charged in connection with a shooting outside a church funeral that left four people wounded, including a law enforcement officer. The shooting occurred at a church in the area as a funeral service was concluding. Witness information proved critical in identifying and arresting the suspect, according to the Kansas City Star. Charges have been formally filed in the case.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I reported on this case back in February and charges are just now being filed. Please keep in mind that some funerals can bring real danger to your church.

Man Arrested at Roseburg Church After Trespass, Assaults Officers — Roseburg, Oregon

A man was arrested Monday morning after refusing to leave the property of Garden Valley Church of Christ in Roseburg and then assaulting officers who responded to remove him. Roseburg Police were called to the church at approximately 8:50 a.m. following a trespass complaint. The subject refused all lawful commands to leave and physically resisted officers when they attempted to take him into custody. He was arrested and jailed on trespass and assault charges.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: A good example of why you want the police to remove potentially combative people. Better for LE to fight him than our security team. Overall, great job by the church in handling a difficult person.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Georgia Youth Pastor Arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Material Charges — Monroe County, Georgia

A 30-year-old youth pastor at Zion Baptist Church in Monroe County has been arrested on charges of possessing child sexual abuse material following a multi-state investigation. John Tyler Moreland had been employed at the church since June 2025 and had previously listed two other churches as prior employers on his record. Investigators identified at least two victims in connection with the case. The arrest was the result of a coordinated investigation that crossed state lines.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: You are more likely to have one of your pastors molest a child than for you to have an active shooter. Have a solid policy on child welfare in your church and follow it. Even the pastor. Don’t forget background checks every other year for all staff.

Washington State Pastor Charged With Creating AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material — Washington State

A Washington state pastor who also works as a school employee has been charged with possessing AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Investigators identified at least two real victims whose likenesses were used in the AI-generated content. The dual role of pastor and school employee raised additional concerns among investigators about access to children. The case was reported by Roy’s Report and Church Leaders.

Source

San Antonio Minister Under Expanded Investigation for Sexual Abuse of Child — San Antonio, Texas

The San Antonio Police Department is working to expand its investigation into a local minister charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14. Investigators believe additional victims may exist and are asking anyone with information to come forward. The minister was previously charged and that case remains active while SAPD broadens its scope. The ministry involved has not been publicly identified by investigators.

Source

Dauphin County Pastor Faces Additional Charges in Sexual Abuse Investigation — Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

A pastor in Dauphin County faces charges in a third separate case as part of an ongoing sexual abuse investigation. The newest charges include three felony counts and one misdemeanor, among them indecent assault. The pastor, identified as McMullen, was already facing charges in two prior cases before this third complaint was filed. The expanding case underscores a pattern of alleged abuse across multiple incidents.

Source

ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Cross Burned Outside Historic Lutheran Church, Man Arrested — Steelton, Pennsylvania

Steelton police responded to a reported cross burning outside St. John’s Lutheran Church on Sunday after a 20-foot historic wooden cross on the church grounds was set on fire. The suspect, Dequire Anthony Cannon, 27, was arrested and charged with arson, institutional vandalism of a place of worship, and related offenses. Pastor Rosemary Tonkin publicly stated she forgives the man responsible. The cross had stood in front of the church for many years and held historical significance to the congregation.

Source

Easter Sunday Church Fire in Cambridge, Massachusetts Ruled Arson

Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, remains the focus of an active federal arson investigation after a six-alarm fire on Easter Sunday, April 9, was ruled intentionally set. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are continuing to investigate the blaze, and no suspect has been publicly identified. Source: SOURCE

🛡️ My thoughts: THIS IS YOUR WEEKLY REMINDER THAT YOU NEED A BURGLAR/FIRE ALARM AND A 4K VIDEO SYSTEM!

PROPERTY CRIME

Bethel AME Church Burglarized Before Easter, Copper Theft Shuts Down Building — Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Thieves broke into Bethel AME Church in Harrisburg and stripped copper piping from the building, leaving the congregation without heat, air, or water. The damage forced the church to cancel Easter services. Two suspects have been charged, including a second man, Jeffrey Youngblood, who was caught on surveillance camera in the church lobby and later charged with burglary, institutional vandalism, and theft. Total damages have been estimated at more than $100,000.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: This is a typical drug addict type of crime. They choose churches because most don’t have a burglar alarm.

INTERNATIONAL

Nigerian Police Arrest 33-Member Gang Linked to Kwara Church Attack and Mass Abduction — Kwara State, Nigeria

Nigerian police have arrested 33 members of a gang linked to a November 2025 attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, in which gunmen killed worshippers and abducted approximately 38 people. Authorities described the gang as being connected to terrorism, kidnapping, and armed robbery. The arrests came as part of a nationwide crackdown on violence and followed the prior release of some abduction victims. Federal police spokesperson Anthony Okon confirmed the operation.

Source

Armed Men in Uniform Storm Assemblies of God Church, Attack Pastor and Wife During Service — Ughelli, Delta State, Nigeria

Men dressed in uniforms forced their way into an Assemblies of God church in Ughelli, Delta State, on Sunday while a service was in progress and physically attacked the presiding pastor and his wife. The pastor and his wife were treated for injuries following the assault. Video of the incident circulated widely on social media platform X, drawing public attention and prompting the National Youth Council of Nigeria to open an inquiry. The motive for the attack has not been officially established.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: This attack happened in broad daylight, during a church service, by men in uniforms. Whether those uniforms were legitimate or stolen, it doesn't matter. It tells you something important about the operating environment Nigerian Christians are living in. The Nigerian government has a documented infiltration problem. Senior military officers have said on the record that repentant terrorists were reintegrated into the security services during the Buhari era and never fully vetted. Some are still in uniform today, still connected to the networks that are killing and kidnapping Christians. When you add credible allegations that some politicians are actively sponsoring armed groups for financial and political gain, Nigerian believers have every reason to be skeptical of who is behind the badge. Pray for the pastor and his wife, and pray for the church in Nigeria. They are standing in the gap with almost no institutional cover.

Violence Against Christian Communities Escalating in East Arsi, Ethiopia — East Arsi Zone, Ethiopia

International Christian Concern reports that violence against majority-Christian communities in the East Arsi zone of Ethiopia has intensified in recent weeks. Church leaders and local communities have described the situation as a coordinated pattern, not isolated incidents. Many warn that what is occurring represents a systemic threat rather than random criminality. Specific incident details have been communicated to ICC by local church contacts in the region.

Source

Gang Attack on Church in Lagos: Herdsmen Kill Pastor’s Brother — Ajah, Lagos, Nigeria

Armed herdsmen overran a church in the Ajah area of Lagos, attacking the pastor and killing his brother during the assault. The attack was reported by The Nation and described as part of a broader pattern of herdsmen violence against Christian communities in Nigeria. Church members indicated the attack was not unexpected given prior tensions in the area. The pastor survived the assault but sustained injuries.

Source

Church Gang-Rape in Epsom Draws Public Protests Over Police Response — Epsom, Surrey, England

Protesters in Epsom gathered this week to demand that Surrey Police release descriptions of suspects wanted in connection with a gang rape that occurred outside Epsom Methodist Church on Saturday. Police have said they are still working to identify those responsible. Local politicians expressed outrage at the incident, which drew significant media and public attention. Surrey Police confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

Source

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04 24 26 Roll Call Briefing

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Three years ago, Christian Warrior Training launched with 41 subscribers and no budget. The mission was straightforward: provide professional church security training to every congregation in America, free of charge, regardless of the size of the church or the resources of the team. The assumption behind that mission was that a small rural church with a volunteer safety team and no training budget faces the same threat as a megachurch with a full security staff. The threat does not scale to the budget. The training should not either.

What has followed is worth documenting, not because the numbers are impressive, but because they tell you something about the state of the church in America and about who is paying attention.

October 7 Changed Everything

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel. The following morning, CWT published an intelligence brief on Hezbollah sleeper cells and the risk to American congregations. At that point, the newsletter had fewer than 800 subscribers and the YouTube channel was drawing minimal traffic.

Within five weeks, the subscriber count crossed 10,000. The YouTube channel recorded its first viral surge. Church security teams that had never heard of CWT were forwarding articles to their pastors. The growth was not the result of advertising or promotion. It was the result of churches suddenly realizing they were not prepared and searching for someone who was.

That pattern has repeated itself every time a major event has brought the threat to the church into public focus. When the Lakewood Church shooting occurred in February 2024, a single CWT video debriefing the incident reached 700,000 views and drove 1,245 new newsletter subscribers in a single day. When a coordinated terror threat surge emerged in September 2025, CWT had its largest YouTube month on record at 2.1 million views. Each spike in the data corresponds to a real event. The ministry does not manufacture urgency. The world provides it.

What Three Years of Work Has Produced

As of April 2026, the Christian Warrior Training newsletter has 73,505 subscribers across more than 100 countries. The YouTube channel has grown to 225,933 subscribers with 17.4 million total views and more than 1.3 million hours of watch time. To put that in practical terms, people have spent the equivalent of 149 continuous years watching CWT training content.

The subscriber base reaches every English-speaking country and well beyond. The top international audiences after the United States are Nigeria, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Australia, Brazil, and South Africa. The content that was written for a volunteer church safety director in rural Texas is being read by security teams in Nairobi, Lagos, and Auckland. That was never the plan. It is simply where the need exists.

Beyond the newsletter and the channel, CWT has enrolled 24,162 students in its online training courses at no charge. The standard market rate for the type of professional church security training CWT delivers runs approximately $100 per course. That represents more than $2.4 million in training value provided free to churches that would otherwise have gone without it. The beneficiaries of that training are not abstract subscribers. They are the person standing at the door of a 200-member congregation on Sunday morning with no budget, no formal training, and a responsibility they take seriously.

The data also reflects something about audience quality, not just size. Across the YouTube channel, 55.6 percent of viewers who start a CWT video stay to watch a meaningful portion of it. More than 80 percent of all YouTube views come through the platform’s own recommendation algorithm, meaning YouTube itself is directing viewers to this content.

How This Operation Stays Free

Christian Warrior Training is a two-person operation. There is no grant funding, no denominational backing, and no corporate sponsor with a stake in the content. The intelligence research, the training curriculum, the weekly crime briefings, the threat assessments, and the video production are carried by a ministry that runs almost entirely on paid newsletter subscriptions.

The model is straightforward. The people who can afford to support the mission fund the operation. The operation produces content and training that goes out free to everyone, including the churches that cannot pay. Paid subscribers are not buying access to better content. They are funding the training that goes to the church that has nothing. That distinction is worth understanding clearly.

The backlog of work that exists right now includes video content waiting on editing resources, new training curriculum in development, and expanded intelligence reporting capacity. Every additional paid subscriber is a direct investment in that output. If ten percent of the people reading this newsletter maintained a paid subscription, this ministry could hire the support it needs to double its production and reach. That is not a figure chosen for effect. It is the operational reality of where CWT stands.

What Scripture Says About This Work

Nehemiah understood what it meant to build something that required both watchmen and workers. When the walls of Jerusalem were under threat, he did not choose between security and the work. He positioned armed men at the gaps while the builders kept their hands on the stone.

Nehemiah 4:17-18 (ESV): “Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built.”

That is the picture of what church security teams do every Sunday. They hold the tools of the trade in one hand and maintain the readiness to respond in the other. CWT exists to make sure those men and women are trained for both. The sword and the stone require different skills. Both can be taught.

Where CWT Goes From Here

The next phase of this ministry includes expanded live training events, deeper intelligence reporting, new curriculum packages, and the infrastructure to process and distribute threat information faster and more accurately. The national suspicious activity reporting platform is in development. The Christian Warrior Intelligence Network is in development. A national training conference is in our future.

None of that happens without the people who fund it. The 73,000 subscribers reading this represent the largest church security training audience in the country. That reach belongs to all of you, not to this ministry. It exists because you forwarded an article to your pastor, shared a video with your team, or simply stayed subscribed when you could have clicked away.

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The work continues. The threat has not slowed down, and neither will we.

If the mission this ministry is carrying matters to you and you are in a position to support it, a paid subscription is the most direct way to do that. If you are not in that position, keep reading. That is what CWT is for. If this report opened your eyes to the scope of what is being built here, share it with your pastor, your team leader, or anyone who needs to understand why church security training has to be accessible to every congregation regardless of budget.

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INTELLIGENCE

Iran Shifts to “Gig Economy” Terrorism Model Targeting Western Soft Targets

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force is restructuring its external attack network away from identifiable proxy forces and toward a deniable, decentralized model that recruits strangers online and compensates them like contract labor. Analysts describe this as a post-ceasefire adaptation designed to maintain pressure on Western targets while reducing Iran’s direct fingerprints. Operatives are recruited through encrypted platforms with no prior terrorism associations required, making traditional pre-attack indicators harder to detect. The model has already produced documented plots against American and European targets, and threat researchers note that accessible, lightly secured soft targets fit the profile these networks seek. Source

🛡 My thoughts: Churches across the U.S. should consider this a direct threat vector, not a distant geopolitical concern. ISIS has been using this model with success in Sweeden. I saw this pop up in London and figured it was a matter of time before it hit here in the U.S. This is an easy way for them to come after synagogues or pro Israel churches.

ISIS-Inspired Attack Plot Targeted Public Parade with Explosive Drones

On April 3, 2026, Marvin Jalo, who was 17 years old at the time of the offense, pleaded guilty in Phoenix, Arizona to planning an ISIS-inspired attack on the 2024 Phoenix Pride parade. Jalo successfully manufactured TATP explosives in his mother’s kitchen, researched C-4 deployment, and developed plans to weaponize remote-controlled drones to deliver explosive payloads over a crowd. Federal investigators tracked his radicalization through online ISIS propaganda networks. The case is one of several recent prosecutions involving teenage suspects who demonstrated significant technical capability in attack planning after self-radicalizing through online channels, with similar cases prosecuted in Poland, India, and Australia during the same reporting period.

My thoughts: 🛡️ I’ve been warning that drones are going to be used in future attacks. This shows that lone wolf actors are looking at the viability and, in this case, are actively trying to use them to deliver explosive payloads.

HAYI Bombs Pro-Israel Christian Center in Netherlands

Wednesday, April 3, 2026 — A pro-Iran online militant group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin Islamia (HAYI) claimed responsibility for an explosive attack against a pro-Israel Christian center in Nijkerk, Netherlands. The group specifically named two Netherlands-based organizations, Christians for Israel and the Israel Products Center, stating that both promoted Christian Zionism and supported Israel economically. No one was in the building at the time and there were no injuries. HAYI followed the attack with a public warning that people should avoid U.S. and Jewish interests. French investigators have also linked HAYI to a March 28 attempted bombing at a Bank of America branch in Paris, and are coordinating with Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands on a series of HAYI-linked attacks across Europe.

My thoughts: 🛡️ Yes, this happened overseas. However, don’t think for a minute that this can’t happen here. We have just been lucky.

JCAT: Arson as a Terrorist Tactic — What Church Security Teams Should Know

The Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team (JCAT) issued an advisory this week noting that foreign terrorist organizations, lone offenders, and other like-minded actors have increasingly leveraged arson as a low-cost, easily executed attack method. JCAT specifically noted that FTO media continues to encourage supporters to conduct arson attacks, including exploiting active homeland disasters, and that terrorist arson is deliberately difficult to distinguish from criminal arson at both the response and investigation stage. Observable pre-attack indicators include target reconnaissance, internet research on incendiary device construction, selection of targets designed to maximize fire spread, use of multiple simultaneous fires to amplify chaos, and in some cases impersonation of public safety personnel to gain access or delay response. JCAT also noted that arson can be used as one component of a larger, coordinated attack rather than a standalone event.

My thoughts: 🛡️ The federal government is still on top of things, albeit a few weeks late. We warned you about this several weeks ago. Again, this went out to other government agencies and not to churches that need the info.

VIOLENT CRIME

Armed Man With .22 Revolver and 100 Rounds Stopped by Security at Houston Church — Houston, Texas

On March 15, Emmanuel Ahsono Mbwavi, 23, entered Eden Church’s Sunday service at POST Houston in downtown carrying a .22-caliber revolver loaded with six rounds and a backpack containing more than 100 additional rounds. A security team member recognized Mbwavi from an incident roughly two months earlier in which he had been removed for handing out concerning flyers, and began watching him at the direction of the church’s pastor. The guard saw Mbwavi following a pastor into the bathroom multiple times, then noticed him gripping the pistol in his pocket and tackled him as he reached for it. Mbwavi was also holding his cellphone open to a notes application with information about killing the pastor, and allegedly shouted while being restrained that he intended to kill the pastor and was a prophet called “Warlock.” He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on bond exceeding $250,000 with a court date of May 5.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Great job by the security team! I feel that we are stopping more active shooters than one’s that actually occur. A solid win with many lives save. I will try to do a more in depth debrief later this week.

Man Shot and Killed Outside Queens Church Following Funeral — Jamaica, New York

On April 10, a 49-year-old man identified as Richard Carter of Valley Stream was shot multiple times and killed just outside The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens, shortly after attending a funeral service there. Police believe the shooting was targeted, occurring around 2 p.m. at Merrick Boulevard and Sayres Avenue as mourners were exiting the church. A limousine driver transporting the deceased’s family witnessed the shooting and told reporters that bystanders identified Carter as a friend of the person being buried. The suspect, described as a male in a colorful jacket, fled on a Citi Bike and has not been apprehended. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: It’s almost one of these a week. I’ll keep repeating it. You don’t need security at every funeral, but if you are burying a criminal, a gang member or a cartel member, you do need security. People will attend that someone wants dead and they know exactly where they will be to do the killing… your church. Do backgrounds on the person being buried. How did they die? If someone killed them, why? Are they a gang member? Are other criminals attending? I know it’s a shocker, but criminals attend funerals of other criminals and criminals bring crime with them wherever they go.

Pastor Shot During Armed Carjacking, Returns to Pulpit on Easter — Baltimore, Maryland

Pastor Rashad Singletary of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in the Turner Station community of Dundalk was shot during an armed carjacking earlier in the week. Despite his injuries, Singletary led his Easter Sunday service, walking slowly down the center aisle of the church. He has been involved in violence prevention programs in Baltimore for years. The carjacking and shooting are under investigation by Baltimore police. No suspect has been publicly identified.

Source

Pastor Shot Dead in Home, Husband Charged With Murder — Charlotte, North Carolina

Tammy McCollum, a pastor in the Charlotte area, was shot and killed inside her home on Monday, April 6. Her husband has been charged with her murder. The couple’s daughter told local media she was confused and heartbroken, saying her parents had no known history of conflict. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to the home and made the arrest. The case is being investigated as a domestic violence homicide.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: this is unfortunate. We should remember that a significant number of church active shooter events occur because of domestic violence. Many times we're able to see the friction before something occurs.

Shootout Involving Pastor Outside Cleveland Church Captured on Police Dashcam — Cleveland, Ohio

This shooting happened last December, but info is just coming out this week on the incident. Cleveland police dash and body camera footage shows officers responding to a shooting outside a church, with a pastor reportedly shooting a man during the incident. The footage was released to FOX 8’s investigative team. Details on the circumstances leading to the shooting and whether criminal charges were filed have not been fully disclosed in available reporting. The video shows officers sorting through a chaotic scene at the church. The incident is under investigation.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: I’m glad the pastor was practicing his ABC’s. Two people were indicted and the shooting by the pastor was deemed self defense. I think now is a good time to remind you that you need self defense coverage. See below for a great plan at a great price for church security team members.

Woman Strikes Staff Member and Off-Duty Deputy With Vehicle in Church Parking Lot — Longwood, Florida

On Easter Sunday, Jill Sinay was arrested after allegedly striking a parking staff member and an off-duty deputy with her vehicle in the parking lot of Northland Church in Longwood, Florida. The off-duty deputy was working traffic control when he witnessed Sinay hit the parking staff member and then refused his order to stop, accelerating into him and striking him in the knee before fleeing. Law enforcement pursued Sinay with lights and sirens before she stopped at a nearby intersection. During the arrest, Sinay allegedly kicked and scratched deputies. She faces charges including aggravated battery and fleeing law enforcement.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Most of our problems occur in the parking lot. I also keep reminding you that vehicle rammings are up significantly. You need to evaluate pedestrian and congregant safety and start installing safe pathways and bollards where appropriate. Staff should always maintain situational awareness.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Florida Pastor and Former Deputy Charged With Molesting Four Children — New Port Richey, Florida

Angelo Musicaro, 56, pastor of Worship-Life Church in New Port Richey, was arrested on seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation involving four victims. Musicaro previously served as a deputy and school resource officer for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators allege the abuse occurred over a span of approximately five years. He was initially held without bond before a subsequent hearing addressed bail. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts Statistically, your pastor is more likely to molest a child than for you to have an active shooter at your church. How many hours of training does your safety ministry have on fighting grooming in the church? We need to train our Watchmen on how to spot grooming and enforcing policy when it comes to children in the church.

South Carolina Pastor and Wife Arrested After Foster Child Reports Sexual Abuse — Richland County, South Carolina

A Richland County pastor and his wife, who operates a daycare, were arrested after a foster child in their care accused the pastor of repeated sexual abuse. The Richland County Sheriff’s Office made the arrests. The wife faces charges connected to the case as well. The child was placed in protective custody. The investigation is ongoing.

Source

San Antonio Minister Charged With Sexually Abusing Girls in His Family — San Antonio, Texas

Pastor Ryan Peña of Church of Acts in San Antonio was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child after multiple women came forward against him. A relative told San Antonio police that Peña began sexually assaulting her when she was 13 years old. At least two other women have made similar accusations. San Antonio police say the victims were groomed over a period of years. Peña was arrested on April 7.

Source

U.S. Virgin Islands Pastor Faces Local and Federal Charges for Sexual Assault of Minor — St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Lawrence Turnbull, 65, a pastor and youth leader on St. Thomas, was charged in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a minor under his care. The case involves both local charges filed earlier and new federal charges announced by U.S. Attorney Adam Sleeper. Turnbull was first arrested in February of last year. The federal charges indicate the alleged abuse involved interstate or federal jurisdiction elements. The case is being prosecuted concurrently at the local and federal level.

Source

Madison Priest Faces Child Porn Charges After Undercover Sting Arrest — Madison, Wisconsin, Friday, March 27

Father Andrew Showers, 37, a Catholic priest from the Madison Diocese, was originally arrested in August 2025 in Clintonville, Wisconsin after traveling to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover officer with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. He was charged at that time with attempted sexual assault of a child, attempted child enticement, and attempted use of a computer for a sex crime. In March 2026, the Waupaca County District Attorney’s Office added two counts of child pornography possession based on digital evidence recovered from devices seized at the time of his arrest. Showers had pleaded not guilty to the original charges and was removed from active ministry following his arrest. Since his ordination in 2017, Showers served at multiple parishes across Wisconsin including congregations in Berlin, Green Lake, Madison, Waunakee, Clinton, and Wisconsin Dells.Source

Palm Beach County Teen Arrested for Alleged Sexual Assault of 12-Year-Old in Church Bathroom — Palm Beach County, Florida

An 18-year-old male was arrested and charged with sexual battery after allegedly assaulting a 12-year-old girl in a church bathroom. The incident was reported to Palm Beach County authorities, who made the arrest. The suspect is not identified as a pastor or church staff member. The congregation involved has not been publicly named in available reporting. The case is under investigation.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts There will be several of these this year…. where a suspect sexually assaults a child in the church bathroom. You should be monitoring the bathroom entrances and watch for unattended children entering. If they do, check on them and their welfare. This is actually a thing occurring with some frequency.

ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Two Men Charged With Burning Down Caldwell Parish’s Only Catholic Church — Columbia, Louisiana

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana charged Anthony Dillon Jr., 19, and James Dale Smith IV, 21, both of Columbia, with arson after they allegedly destroyed the only Catholic church in Caldwell Parish. The fire occurred ahead of Holy Week, according to federal prosecutors. Both men also face a burglary charge in connection with the incident. The Caldwell Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal conducted the investigation. Federal arson charges carry significant prison exposure.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: This is your weekly reminder that you need a burglar alarm, a fire alarm and a 4k video system.

INTERNATIONAL

Gunmen Attack Two Churches During Easter Services in Kaduna, Nigeria — Ariko Village, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Armed bandits attacked a First ECWA Church and St. Augustine Catholic Church in Ariko village, Kaduna State, during Easter Sunday morning services on April 5. Gunmen killed at least six worshippers and abducted dozens of congregants before Nigerian Army troops engaged the attackers and recovered 31 hostages. As of Wednesday, April 8, community leaders disputed the military’s claim that all hostages had been freed, stating that additional victims remained in captivity. The attack follows a January incident in the same region in which more than 170 worshippers were rounded up. Kaduna State has experienced repeated targeted attacks on Christian congregations during major holidays over multiple years.

Source

Two Pastors Beaten During Holy Week Outreach in Karnataka, India — Karnataka, India

Two pastors were physically attacked while distributing literature during Holy Week in Karnataka, India. The International Christian Concern reported the assault, which occurred as anti-Christian sentiment has been on the rise in several Indian states. The pastors sustained injuries in the attack. No arrests have been publicly reported. The incident is among a series of attacks on Christian workers in southern India in recent months.

Source

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I have two classes coming up in the next few weeks. If you are in the general area, come join me and make your security team great again. Don’t forget to follow me on whatever social media platform you are on.

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04 17 26

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BLUF

The Christian Warrior Training Church Security Threat Level System is being lowered from SEVERE to ELEVATED, effective immediately. The three primary threat vectors that pushed us to SEVERE have each degraded in operational capacity. The lone wolf threat to individual congregations remains constant and is the most statistically probable threat your team will face this year. Maintain your Sunday protocols. This is not a stand-down.

Key Judgments

It is Highly Likely that the lone wolf attacker represents the primary threat to individual congregations in the United States throughout 2026, consistent with every statistical trend from the past decade. It is Likely that ISIS and al-Qaeda will continue publishing lone actor incitement in their official communications, but it is Possible that either organization currently has the operational capacity to execute a directed, coordinated attack against U.S. churches. It is Possible that Iranian proxy networks embedded in the United States could be activated by Tehran under specific geopolitical conditions, but current indicators show those networks are fragmented, their leadership has been significantly degraded, and proxy forces in other theaters have refused activation orders. It is Unlikely that a Hezbollah-directed attack against U.S. congregations is imminent, though Iranian-inspired lone actors remain a secondary concern.

Understanding the CSTLS: How the System Works

The Church Security Threat Level System is not a one-way escalator. Think of it as an elevator. You can be on the second floor and ride straight to the fifth if the threat environment demands it. You can be on the fifth floor and drop to the second when the intelligence supports that decision. There is no requirement to stop at every floor on the way up or on the way down.

When CWT raised the threat level to SEVERE following ISIS threat indicators targeting Christian congregations during the Easter season, the intelligence supported that call. The al-Naba newsletter had published direct incitement, the holiday window represented a high-value target period for symbolic attacks, and multiple threat vectors were active simultaneously. That posture was the right call at the time.

The elevator is now moving down. Not because the threat has disappeared, but because the specific conditions that put us on the fifth floor have changed. ELEVATED is the floor the current intelligence supports. That can change in either direction at any time.

Threat Vector Assessment

Vector 1: ISIS and al-Qaeda

• Both organizations have continued publishing lone actor incitement in official communications, including al-Naba newsletter guidance calling on supporters to act independently

• Every directed plot against U.S. targets in the current cycle has been interdicted by federal law enforcement

• The shift to lone actor messaging is itself an intelligence indicator: it reflects organizational inability to run coordinated cells, not a reduction in intent

• The primary ISIS and al-Qaeda threat to Christian congregations right now is in Europe, where operational capacity and geographic access are significantly higher

• U.S. threat from these organizations: Likely, lone actor inspired; Unlikely, directed cell operation

Vector 2: Iranian Proxies

• At least one attack connected to an Iranian-inspired individual occurred against a synagogue; the attacker had a family member killed in an Israeli airstrike and acted on personal grievance, not Hezbollah direction

• That incident was lone wolf, not proxy-directed, and should be assessed accordingly

• Iranian proxy networks remain embedded in the United States in significant numbers, a fact CWT has documented previously

• However, proxy forces in Iraq and other Middle Eastern theaters have refused Iranian activation orders, indicating command and control fractures

• Israeli operations have significantly degraded Hezbollah leadership, disrupting the organizational capacity to coordinate foreign operations

• These networks can reconstitute. Degraded does not mean dismantled.

• U.S. threat from Iranian proxies: Possible; activation dependent on Iranian strategic calculation and geopolitical trigger

Vector 3: Lone Wolf Actors

• This vector does not de-escalate. It does not have an off-season.

• History is unambiguous: the most likely attacker to walk through your church doors on a Sunday morning is a lone individual acting on personal grievance, mental illness, ideological radicalization, or domestic conflict

• This vector is why ELEVATED is the floor and not LOW

• No threat brief, no intelligence assessment, and no seasonal calendar changes this reality

• U.S. threat from lone wolf actors: Highly Likely on a long enough timeline; unpredictable as to timing and target

What Changed and What Did Not

What changed is the directed threat posture. The Easter window has closed. The specific ISIS incitement cycle that targeted the holiday period has passed its peak. Iranian proxy activation has not materialized domestically despite the geopolitical conditions that could have triggered it. Federal interdiction has continued to disrupt organized plotting.

What did not change is the base threat environment that every church in America operates in every single week. A congregation is a predictable, soft target. Sunday morning is a predictable time. Your address is public. Your service schedule is on your website. None of that changed. The lone wolf attacker does not read CWT threat assessments before choosing a target.

Threat Assessment

The overall threat to individual U.S. congregations is assessed at ELEVATED (Yellow). This assessment reflects the degraded but sustained capacity of foreign terrorist organizations to inspire lone actor violence, the unresolved presence of Iranian proxy networks on U.S. soil, and the persistent and historically documented threat of the lone wolf attacker to soft targets including churches.

The shift from SEVERE to ELEVATED is intelligence-driven, not comfort-driven. Sunday protocols should remain fully staffed. Access control, parking lot coverage, and interior team positioning should be maintained at standard operating levels. ELEVATED does not mean relaxed. It means the specific, directed, holiday-window threat that pushed us to SEVERE has passed, and the ambient threat that your team should always be preparing for remains.

If a credible directed threat surfaces against U.S. congregations, if proxy activation indicators emerge, or if a lone actor attack against a church occurs in your region, expect this level to move. The elevator runs both directions.

Biblical Lens

The men of Issachar are one of the most overlooked models in all of Scripture for what a church security team is supposed to be.

“Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” — 1 Chronicles 12:32, ESV

Understanding the times accurately and knowing what the moment requires. The CSTLS exists for exactly that purpose. When the intelligence said SEVERE, we went to SEVERE. When the intelligence says ELEVATED, we go to ELEVATED. The men of Issachar did not hold a fixed position regardless of what was happening around them. They read the environment and they acted accordingly.

Paul makes the same call in Romans:

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.” — Romans 13:11, ESV

Waking from sleep is not a one-time event. It is a posture. Your team does not get to decide that because last Sunday was quiet, this Sunday will be too. You wake up again every week, you read the environment, and you take your position. That is what ELEVATED demands. The watch continues.

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The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment from the U.S. Intelligence Community gives church security leaders a useful look at the broader threat environment facing the country. It is not a church security manual, and it does not spend much time talking directly about houses of worship. Still, it lays out several patterns that should get the attention of pastors, elders, and safety team leaders. The report says the homeland continues to face threats from Islamist terrorism, transnational crime, cyber actors, and hostile states. For the Church security audience, the section on terrorism is the one that deserves the closest attention.

What stands out is not just what the report says, but also what it does not say. It does not plainly say that churches and synagogues in America are under threat in a sentence that leaves no room for debate. That is probably why some readers may come away wondering whether the danger to churches is being overstated. The better reading is this: the report describes the kind of threat environment that places churches squarely inside the risk picture, even when they are not named as often as they should be.

The Report Does Not Explicitly Name Churches in the Homeland Section

One important point needs to be stated clearly. The 2026 report does not contain a direct homeland warning that says churches and synagogues are at risk in so many words. If someone is looking for a sentence from the DNI that says, “churches are under threat,” they will not find it in that form in this document.

That said, there is relevant language elsewhere in the report. In the Europe section, the assessment states that Islamist terrorist groups and hostile actors have exploited the HAMAS attacks against Israel and Israel’s response as a rallying call to plot attacks against Christian and Jewish targets in Europe. That is significant because it shows the Intelligence Community is willing to acknowledge that religious targets remain part of the threat picture, even if the homeland section speaks in broader terms.

For church leaders in the United States, that distinction should not create false comfort. Threat reporting often uses broad categories such as Western targets, U.S. interests, public gatherings, or soft targets. Churches fit that pattern. They are open, predictable, often lightly protected, and symbolically important. A report does not need to name churches on every page for a church security leader to understand where his congregation sits in the real world.

The Most Likely Homeland Attack Is Still the Lone Offender

The report says the most likely terrorist attack scenario in the homeland involves U.S. based lone offenders inspired by foreign terrorist ideology and propaganda. That is one of the most important takeaways for Christian Warrior Training followers because it matches what many church security teams are realistically more likely to face.

This is not mainly a warning about large coordinated teams conducting a sophisticated assault like a military raid. It is a warning about one person, or perhaps a very small number of people, who become radicalized, pick a target, and move quickly with simple methods. The report references the New Orleans attacker on New Year’s Day in 2025 and the attack on a pro Israel gathering in Boulder, Colorado in June 2025 as examples of this general problem.

For church security teams, that means the mission remains very practical. You need people who can see trouble early, make good decisions under pressure, communicate clearly, and move quickly. The lone offender model puts a premium on awareness, access control, suspicious behavior recognition, and rapid intervention. It does not take a large operational cell to create a church massacre. One committed attacker can do that.

Islamist Ideology Still Drives a Major Part of the Threat

The report is plain about the role of Islamist ideology. It states that the United States continues to face a complex and evolving threat landscape with Islamist terrorist actors seeking to spread their ideology globally and harm Americans. While al Qaida and ISIS are weaker than they were at their peak, elements of those groups are still active and working to rebuild.

That matters for churches because a weakened organization does not mean a weakened idea. These groups no longer rely as heavily on directing attacks from overseas. Instead, they are influencing individuals already inside the United States.

The report makes it clear that terrorist groups have shifted toward propaganda, online messaging, and inspiring individuals to act on their own. This is where the real concern is for church security teams. The threat is no longer just someone being sent here. It is someone already here deciding to act.

Online Radicalization Is Reaching Younger Audiences

One of the more concerning trends in the report is the involvement of younger individuals in extremist activity. Teenagers have been responsible for a growing portion of plots and attacks in recent years.

The report points out that terrorist messaging is now being delivered through short form content, emotionally driven narratives, and online communities. This kind of messaging does not require deep religious understanding or long term indoctrination. It is fast, accessible, and designed to provoke action.

For church security teams, this changes the profile of who you may be dealing with. You are not always looking for a hardened extremist. You may be dealing with someone young, impulsive, and recently influenced.

That reinforces the need to focus on behavior, not appearance. Suspicious actions, body language, and pre attack indicators are far more reliable than trying to guess someone’s background.

The Detection Problem Falls on the Local Level

The report acknowledges a hard truth. Even with improved border security and intelligence efforts, there is still a challenge in identifying individuals who are already inside the country and planning attacks.

That has direct implications for churches.

Law enforcement cannot monitor everyone. Intelligence agencies cannot predict every act of violence. When someone decides to carry out an attack at a church, there is a good chance that the first line of defense will be the people already on site.

This is where church security teams become essential. Not as a formality, but as a real layer of protection.

Your team is the one watching entrances, interacting with people, noticing behavior that does not fit, and responding when something goes wrong. That role cannot be outsourced.

Simple Tactics Are Still the Most Likely

The report also highlights that terrorists are focusing on simple, accessible methods. Vehicle attacks, edged weapons, and basic firearms continue to be the most likely tools used in attacks.

These are not complex operations that require advanced training. They are straightforward, fast, and difficult to stop if no one is paying attention.

For churches, that means preparation needs to stay grounded in reality. The focus should be on:

• Access control

• Early detection

• Immediate response

• Clear communication during an incident

You do not need a complicated plan to address a simple threat. You need a well trained team that can act quickly and decisively.

Global Events Still Influence Local Risk

The report connects global conflicts, especially in the Middle East, to increased risk of attacks in Western countries. Events overseas can quickly become motivation for individuals inside the United States.

That means church security is not just about what is happening in your city. It is also tied to what is happening around the world.

When tensions rise internationally, the risk environment at home can shift. This is where having a structured threat awareness system becomes valuable. It allows you to adjust posture when needed without creating unnecessary fear.

What This Means for Church Security Teams

When you put all of this together, the picture is straightforward.

The report does not need to name churches repeatedly for the implications to be clear. The type of threat described is one that directly applies to churches.

You are looking at:

• Lone individuals, not organized teams

• Ideology driven motivation

• Online radicalization

• Simple, fast attacks

• Limited warning before action

Churches remain open, accessible, and predictable environments. That is part of what makes them effective for ministry. It is also what makes them vulnerable.

Final Thoughts

The 2026 threat assessment reinforces what many in the church security space have already been saying for years.

The threat is real. It is evolving. And it is often closer and simpler than people expect.

At the same time, the goal is not to create fear or turn churches into hardened facilities. The goal is to be prepared so that the congregation can worship freely and safely.

A trained and visible security team does more than respond to violence. It deters it. It brings order to chaos. And it allows the church to carry out its mission without distraction.

That is the balance every church should be working toward.

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Ata 2026 Unclassified Report

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We’ve got two upcoming Christian Warrior Training classes, and I want to make sure you’re tracking with both.

Arizona Training – April 11, 2026

Many of you have already seen this one. This class will be held at CalvaryAZ on the McCulloch Campus from 8am to 5pm. If you’re in that area and haven’t registered yet, now is the time to lock in your spot.

REGISTER HERE

Florida Training – May 2, 2026

This is a new announcement.

Location: Cornerstone Baptist Church, Inverness, FL
Time: 9am to 4pm

This is an in-person only event. It will not be streamed or recorded. The only way to receive this training is to be there in person.

There is a $5 registration fee, but here’s how that works:

• Use promo code CWT and your registration stays free

• If you forget to use the code, we will reimburse you when you show up

That small fee is simply there to keep bots and fake sign-ups from taking seats away from real people. Our mission has not changed. We will continue to make training accessible and free.

REGISTER FOR FL HERE

This training will cover current threats facing churches, along with practical steps your team can take right now. If you’re part of a safety ministry, carry concealed, or just want to be better prepared to protect your congregation, this is for you.

Seats are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

If you’re in driving distance of either location, get registered and make the time to attend.

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TERROR

Main Stream Press, & Some Church Influencers, Spread Misinformation About Easter Attacks

When ISIS’s al-Naba newsletter (Issue 541) published an operational call ahead of Easter weekend, news outlets across the country ran headlines stating that ISIS had called for attacks on “churches and synagogues.” CWT went to the source document directly. The al-Naba call specifically targets Jewish synagogues in response to the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque — the word “churches” does not appear in that editorial. The inaccurate church language was traced back to a single expert quote that was accurate as broader ISIS doctrine analysis but was not a direct quote from the newsletter itself; every outlet after that copied the headline without reading the original. The danger now is not what ISIS actually published, it is what the press told people ISIS published. Lone wolf actors are not reading Arabic-script newsletters. They are reading the news, and some of them will treat an inaccurate headline as an operational order.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Many leaders in our church security industry ran with this MSM headline. We all need to do better. I have been accused by some of fear mongering. Those same people were spreading that false headline without actually vetting what the press had put out. It is time that Christians form our own intelligence group. We cannot count on the press or the government to provide actual intelligence to us that protects our churches.

Al-Qaeda Releases New Lone-Actor Attack Guide Targeting Western Muslims, Glorifying Jewish Community Attack — Multiple Locations

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released Inspire Guide #12 in Spring 2026, using the December 14, 2025 mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia as the centerpiece of a lone-actor recruitment and operational guide directed explicitly at Muslims living in the United States and Europe. The publication profiles the two attackers, describes their months-long rural weapons training and pre-attack surveillance, and frames the killing of 15 people at a religious community gathering as a model for readers to follow. The guide includes improvised explosive device construction instructions and closes with a direct appeal telling readers in America and Europe that what the Bondi attackers did is the minimum expected of them, urging them to look around at nearby targets and act.

Source: AQAP Inspire Guide #12, Al-Malahem Media, Spring 2026

🛡️ My thoughts: The publication is produced by AQAP’s Al-Malahem Media and represents the organization’s continued effort to inspire decentralized lone-actor attacks against Jewish religious gatherings and Christian community events in Western countries going into Easter weekend. You can read the issue they put out below.

FBI Confirms West Bloomfield Synagogue Attack Was Hizballah-Inspired — West Bloomfield, Michigan

On March 30, the FBI announced its determination that the March 12 attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan was inspired by Hezbollah, following more than 100 interviews and coordination with foreign partners. The attacker, Ayman Mohammad Ghazali, spent the days prior conducting online research targeting large Jewish gatherings in Michigan, purchasing an AR-style rifle and 300 rounds of ammunition, and filling his social media with posts honoring Hezbollah leadership before driving his vehicle into the synagogue. The FBI confirmed Ghazali had no prior investigation file, was not on the terrorist watchlist, and conducted no physical pre-attack surveillance at the location. Armed security guards from the synagogue engaged him during the attack and shot and killed him before he could inflict casualties. The FBI noted Ghazali exchanged calls with his ex-wife shortly before the attack, who had already contacted police for a wellness check, underscoring the value of community reporting in detecting pre-attack behavior.

🛡️ My thoughts: Michigan is at great risk due to the increased number of muslims living in their state. 57.5% of Muslim American respondents agreed that Hamas was at least somewhat justified in attacking Israel "as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state.” That is not an insignificant number. Many have become radicalized and pose great threats to not only Jews, but Christians as well.

ISWAP Expands into Nigeria’s Middle Belt, Targeting Churches — Nigeria

Islamic State West Africa Province carried out a coordinated motorcycle raid on March 22 in Oro-Ago, Kwara State, during which 30 or more gunmen abducted nine ECWA church worshippers mid-service. The same week, an IED detonation killed eight civilians in a market in nearby Woro, Kwara State. Intelligence reporting indicates ISWAP is establishing a new operational corridor in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, exploiting security gaps between federal and state forces, with warnings of coordinated strikes planned across three local government areas. Kwara State had previously been considered outside ISWAP’s primary area of operations. The Kwara attacks are assessed as part of a broader pattern of systematic Christian targeting that has netted more than 185 hostages across the region over several weeks, with Boko Haram and ISWAP assessed as conducting collaborative operations despite their historical rivalry.

🛡️ My thoughts: This is especially important to watch for those supporting ministries in Nigeria and nearby countries. If you are a Nigerian Christian reading this, please go to the comments and let us know what we can do for you.

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IS Exploiting New Social Media Platform with No Content Moderation — Global

Islamic State supporters have established at least 120 accounts on UpScrolled, a social media platform launched in June 2025 that reached one million users by January 2026, and are using it to distribute official IS propaganda including An-Naba newsletter content, AMAQ news bulletins, and Al-Hayat media productions. The platform’s chronological feed and transparent hashtag system make IS content easily discoverable in both English and Arabic. Security analysts have noted the platform lacks functional content moderation, and accounts actively link users out to IS content on TikTok, Telegram, and Facebook. This represents IS’s continued pattern of migrating to emerging platforms after intensified moderation on major ones.

🛡️ My thoughts: Parents and church security personnel should be aware that UpScrolled is currently functioning as an unmoderated distribution node for IS recruitment and propaganda material.

Accused Mass Casualty Plotter Named Places of Worship as Targets — Western Australia

A man in Western Australia appeared in court this week accused of planning a mass casualty terror attack targeting public buildings and places of worship. According to court testimony, the accused believed his planned attack would exceed the scale of the 2024 Bondi Beach mass shootings that killed multiple people. Prosecutors presented evidence that the defendant had specifically identified worship venues as intended targets. The case is being prosecuted under Australian terrorism statutes.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: We have many followers from Australia. For the Americans, you have to realize there are multiple people in the U.S. that are plotting the same thing.

VIOLENT CRIME

Gunman Points Weapon at Pastor During Teen’s Funeral — Detroit, Michigan

Pastor Darthanian Nichols of Breaking Chains Outreach Ministries was officiating the funeral of 17-year-old Jabari Malik Kenney at New McFall Brothers Funeral Home on Saturday, March 29, when a grief-stricken man in the crowd began yelling obscenities, drew a handgun, aimed it directly at the pastor, and threatened to hurt him if he did not stop speaking. The gunman declared he did not believe in the God Nichols preaches and told the pastor to stop. People at the funeral began running in every direction to escape. Nichols, who is also a licensed therapist and social worker, used the microphone to calmly direct the room to evacuate in an orderly fashion, keeping his composure throughout the confrontation. He later said he believed he was about to be shot. Detroit Police Captain John Stewart called Nichols a hero at a subsequent press conference. Five people were arrested, including the suspected gunman, who faces felonious assault and felony firearm charges, along with four others taken into custody for a variety of weapons offenses. Kenney himself had been killed by gun violence earlier in the month.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: Here we are with more funeral violence. You must realize that if you are doing a funeral for somebody who has a criminal past, belongs to a gang or a cartel, you are at heightened risk of violence at your church. The criminal element will be coming into your church and they don’t leave their violence at the door. There used to be respect for churches among the criminal element. I saw that start to disappear about 20 years ago.

Pastor’s Home Hit by Multiple Gunshots — Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Pastor Eyvette Abbott of Winston-Salem says she is grateful to be alive after her home was struck by multiple gunshots, with the incident captured on video. Abbott leads Miracles Outreach International and was at home at the time of the shooting. No injuries were reported and no arrest has been made. Winston-Salem police are investigating. The incident is the latest in a pattern of weapons being directed at faith leaders and their residences in North Carolina.

Source

🛡️ My thoughts: We don't know if she was targeted because of her faith and her position or if it was for some other reason. She does have two sons living with her at home. However, there has been an increase in shootings at the homes of clergy in the past few years. I do believe that we should all be taking basic precautions at home. This includes having a 4K video system so you can monitor what's going on outside without having to look out a window. You should also maintain situational awareness while you are at home.

NCTC Flags Easter Weekend as Elevated-Risk Period Amid Active Threat Environment — United States

The NCTC Counterterrorism Digest for the week of March 26 – April 1, 2026 specifically lists Good Friday (April 3) and Easter (April 5) in its Upcoming Events calendar, a section reserved for dates with historical or current terrorism relevance. The listing comes during a week that included an FBI-confirmed Hizballah-inspired synagogue attack, an ISIS-aligned publication explicitly targeting religious gatherings with poison attack guidance, a Shia militant group conducting seven attacks across European synagogues, and two teenagers arrested in the Netherlands for a suspected plot against a synagogue. The NCTC also flags April 21 as the anniversary of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings, in which coordinated attacks on churches killed more than 260 people. Church security teams should treat this weekend as an elevated-awareness period and ensure pre-service walkthroughs, access control, and communication protocols are confirmed before Sunday services.

🛡️ My thoughts: this was not put out to churches. This was put out to other government agencies by another government agency. This is another example of the government failing to protect you and to warn you.

Bomb Threat Triggers Evacuation of Faith Community Church — Hudson, Wisconsin

A written bomb threat received Tuesday morning, March 31, led authorities to evacuate Faith Community Church at 777 Carmichael Road in Hudson, Wisconsin, and issue a public safety alert directing anyone within 800 yards of the building to clear the area immediately. St. Croix County law enforcement responded to the scene as an active threat situation. The church posted on Facebook that law enforcement was on site handling the situation, and asked the community to pray. A suspect was taken into custody the same day and normal operations resumed. No injuries were reported and no explosive device was found at the building.

Source

Multiple Assaults in Church Parking Lot — Montpelier, Vermont

Montpelier Police were called to the back parking lot of Christ Church on State Street at approximately 5:41 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, after receiving reports of an assault in progress. Officers arrived to find multiple people had been injured in an altercation. A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene. The specific charges filed against the suspect and the number of victims injured were not released in initial reports. The incident occurred in the parking lot area behind the church building.

Source

Man Attacked with Axe at Church — Providence, Rhode Island

A man was attacked by a suspect wielding an axe at a church in Providence, Rhode Island, on Monday, March 30. Police responded to a disturbance call and found the victim with injuries from the attack. The suspect was taken into custody. The identity of the suspect, the victim, and the specific congregation were not released in initial reports, nor were details about the condition of the injured man or the charges filed against the attacker.

Source

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Gateway Church Founder Robert Morris Released After Six Months in Jail — Southlake, Texas

Robert Morris, 64, founder of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas — one of the largest megachurches in the country with tens of thousands of members — was released from Osage County Jail in Oklahoma just after midnight on March 31 after completing six months, the custodial portion of a 10-year suspended sentence. Morris pleaded guilty on October 2, 2025, to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, admitting he sexually abused Cindy Clemishire beginning in 1982 when she was 12 years old and he was 22 and staying in her family’s home in Hominy, Oklahoma, as a traveling evangelist. The abuse lasted more than four years. Under the plea agreement, Morris must register as a lifetime sex offender, serve 9.5 years of probation, and paid $270,000 in restitution to Clemishire. He plans to serve his probation at his $1.5 million lakefront home in Palo Pinto County, Texas. A civil trial involving Clemishire, her father, Morris, and Gateway Church — which alleges the church knew about the abuse for years, covered it up, and defamed Clemishire by downplaying the assault in public statements — is set for June 2026. The Oklahoma House passed the “Cindy Clemishire Act” following the case, which restricts the use of nondisclosure agreements in child abuse cases.

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🛡️ My thoughts: This is a ridiculously light sentence. We should be wary that he will try and get a job as a pastor somewhere, or start another church on his own. It is up for the Lord to forgive him, but in the meantime, we must protect our congregations from sexual predators. This is why you do comprehensive background checks before hiring anyone.

Pastor Doug McDaris Arrested on Child Molestation Charges — Louisiana/South Carolina

Doug McDaris, 74, currently serving as pastor at a congregation in the Upstate region of South Carolina, was arrested and charged with two counts of molestation of a child for offenses that allegedly occurred when he previously lived and worked in Louisiana, where he served as pastor of Oakview Baptist Church. The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office made the arrest. McDaris was taken into custody in South Carolina and faces Louisiana charges. No information on the timeline of the alleged abuse, the identity of the victim, or MDaris’s current congregation was available in initial reports.

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🛡️ My thoughts: There are at least 17 sexual assaults committed by staff at our churches to every active shooter incident. That means your pastor is more likely to molest a child than for you to have an active shooter at your church. What are you doing to prevent that? You must have a 2 adult rule (including the pastor) for contact with any child. This is the minimum.

Little Falls Pastor Faces Seven Criminal Sexual Conduct Charges — Little Falls, Minnesota

A pastor identified as DeMenge in Little Falls, Minnesota, was charged with seven counts of criminal sexual conduct following an investigation by the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office. A victim came forward and described repeated abuse that allegedly began when she was younger than seven years old. Investigators made contact with DeMenge after the victim’s account was reported. The specific congregation DeMenge served and the full timeline of the alleged offenses were not included in the initial report.

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Former La Vida Church Pastor Arrested for Sexual Assault — Angleton, Texas

Angleton police arrested 61-year-old Alex Montealegre on March 25 in connection with a sexual assault investigation that began in January, with the incident alleged to have occurred in July 2025. Montealegre spent more than a decade as pastor of La Vida bilingual church of the Foursquare Gospel and was suspended from the pulpit in July 2025 amid the allegations. Following an internal denominational investigation, Montealegre and his wife were removed from all church duties in October 2025 and their pastoral licenses were revoked. He was booked into the Brazoria County Jail and later posted $100,000 bond. The Angleton Police Department states the investigation remains ongoing.

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ARSON AND SUSPICIOUS FIRES

Only Catholic Church in Caldwell Parish Burned Down by Two Men — Columbia, Louisiana

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana charged 19-year-old Anthony Dillon Jr. and 21-year-old James Dale Smith IV with federal arson on April 1, after the two burned down St. John’s Chapel — the only Catholic church in Caldwell Parish — in the early hours of March 27. Court documents state the men had been living in a home that was stealing electricity from the church and had also sold a broken television to another resident; after the church cut off the electricity theft and the buyer complained about the TV, the men showed up before dawn, broke a window with a baseball bat, ransacked the church’s electronic equipment and stole at least three televisions and the sound system before setting the building on fire. If convicted, the two face a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison, a maximum of 20 years, and fines up to $250,000. The ATF, FBI, Louisiana State Fire Marshal, and Caldwell Parish Sheriff’s Office are all participating in the investigation.

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🛡️ My thoughts: This is your weekly reminder that you need a 4k video system and a burglar alarm/fire alarm at your church.

International

At Least 53 Killed in Palm Sunday Attacks on Christian Communities — Jos, Nigeria

Armed gunmen carried out multiple coordinated attacks on Palm Sunday, March 29, targeting Christian communities in and around the predominantly Christian city of Jos in Plateau State, Nigeria, killing at least 53 people across the strikes. One attack involved gunmen entering a popular local bar, posing as customers, then opening fire on those inside. Earlier attacks the same day hit the Christian communities of Angwa Rukuba Junction in Eto Baba, where at least 10 people were killed. The attacks occurred on one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar and drew immediate condemnation from international church leaders and Christian advocacy organizations. Nigeria’s Plateau State has been the site of ongoing targeted violence against Christian communities for years.

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04 10 26

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BLUF

ISIS published an operational call in its official al-Naba newsletter (Issue 541, April 3, 2026) ordering followers to set fire to Jewish synagogues across America, Europe, Russia, and India. We reviewed the source document directly. The specific call targets Jewish sites, tied to the Israeli closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Outlets across the country have been reporting this as a call to burn Christian churches as well. That specific language does not appear in the quoted ISIS text, and we are going to walk through exactly where that claim came from. The threat to churches this Easter is real and we will explain why, but your security team deserves an accurate assessment, not a headline that got loose. Al-Qaeda’s Inspire magazine also published bomb-making content days earlier. Both threat streams are active. Treat this weekend as a heightened threat environment.

Key Judgments

• Highly Likely: A lone actor inspired by ISIS’s Easter messaging will attempt an attack on a Christian congregation or Jewish synagogue in the United States or Western Europe within the next seven days.

• Highly Likely: Any domestic attack will come from an individual with no direct ISIS command-and-control link, someone radicalized online who self-activates based on the al-Naba call or Inspire content.

• Highly Likely: The attack method will not be limited to arson. Inspire magazine released bomb-making instruction days ago, and a complex attack using multiple methods including fire, IEDs, firearms, or vehicle ramming is a realistic planning assumption. Do not fixate on a single method.

• Likely: Arson remains one component of the threat given ISIS’s explicit fire directive and the recent attack cluster in Michigan targeting religious institutions, but it is not the only tool available to a motivated actor.

• Unlikely: A coordinated, multi-site attack organized directly by ISIS will occur in the continental United States in this window, given the degraded state of ISIS external operations infrastructure.

What ISIS Actually Said

This assessment is based on a direct review of the source document, not on secondary press reporting. We obtained and read al-Naba Issue 541.

In the editorial section titled “Our Al-Aqsa and Our Prisoners,” the ISIS Central Media Office published the following operational call: followers are instructed to rise up and set fire to Jewish synagogues in America, Europe, Russia, India, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, and Syria. The editorial states the locations of these targets “are well known and their details have been published,” which is language designed to lower the threshold for action. It invokes the 2025 Bondi Beach attacker in Sydney as a model to emulate, and it calls for attacks timed to Passover. That is what the document says.

The word “churches” does not appear in that specific call.

Where the Church Reporting Came From

Since this story broke, CWT has received calls and messages from people forwarding reports that ISIS specifically called for burning Christian churches this Easter. That reporting is circulating widely and it is not precisely accurate. Here is the sourcing chain.

The Daily Express in the UK broke the story and quoted Lucas Webber, a Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst at Tech Against Terrorism, as their primary expert. Webber is a credible analyst. In December 2025, following the Bondi Beach attack, he told Newsweek that ISIS’s risk was particularly acute for “targeting religious institutions, Jewish and Christian gatherings, and other public celebrations,” and that online spaces sympathetic to ISIS had been “amplified calls for additional violence against Western targets, Jews, and Christians.” That was accurate expert analysis based on monitoring ISIS online communities, not just the newsletter text.

When the Daily Express called him about al-Naba 541, he applied that same broader and legitimate analysis. The problem is what happened next. The AOL wire piece quoted the specific ISIS synagogue text and then added one editorial line with no direct quote: “It called for similar attacks on churches.” GB News quoted only the synagogue text but ran a headline saying “churches and synagogues.” Every outlet after that copied the headline framing without reading the source. Nobody who ran “churches” in their headline appears to have read the al-Naba editorial directly.

Webber’s underlying analysis is not wrong. ISIS does target Christians. The threat to churches is real. But it was expert commentary on ISIS’s broader doctrine, not a direct quote from al-Naba 541, and the press treated it as the latter. That distinction is worth making clearly so your security team understands what they are actually dealing with.

Why the Church Threat Is Real Anyway

Even though the specific editorial call targets Jewish sites, the threat to Christian congregations this Easter weekend is well-grounded for three reasons.

First, the rest of al-Naba 541 is filled with operational reporting on ISIS attacks against Christians. Pages four through six cover ISIS operations in Nigeria and the Congo where ISIS systematically attacks Christian communities, burns churches, and executes Christian civilians. ISIS refers to Christians throughout the newsletter as “Crusaders” and treats them as active enemies. The editorial targeting Jewish sites exists in a newsletter that documents ongoing violence against Christians as a matter of routine.

Second, ISIS doctrine broadly and consistently identifies Christians as enemies. The group does not need to publish a separate call to attack churches for Christian congregations to be at risk. Their established ideology makes that targeting assumption permanent.

Third, the Michigan attack cluster deserves specific attention. Michigan has seen three targeted attacks against religious institutions in the past nine months, including arson attacks at a synagogue and an LDS ward. That is an unprecedented pattern in recent American history. The combination of that local attack cluster with a national ISIS call timed to Easter weekend creates compounded exposure for Michigan congregations specifically, but the pattern is a warning sign for the rest of the country as well.

The Inspire Magazine Overlay

The ISIS call does not stand alone. Al-Qaeda’s Inspire magazine published bomb-making content within the past several days, providing technical instruction to the same general audience: English-speaking individuals in Western countries who can be motivated to act without organizational support. When both publications are running attack-encouragement content during the same religious holiday window, the result is a combined threat feeding the same lone-actor risk profile through two separate pipelines.

The available attack methods reflect both streams. Fire is one option. Improvised explosives are another. Firearms and vehicle attacks remain available to anyone. The Inspire content specifically means a complex attack using multiple methods is a legitimate planning assumption this weekend, not a remote possibility.

What Your Team Should Do Before Sunday Morning

Brief every security volunteer before Easter services begin. Make sure every person on your team knows their assignment and knows what to do if something goes wrong. Coordinate with local law enforcement today if you have not already done so. Know where every exit is and confirm your team does too. Run the service with someone outside watching the parking lot and the perimeter, not just inside watching the congregation.

Review your fire response protocol. An arson attack during a packed Easter service is not just a property incident; it is a life-safety emergency. Know where your fire extinguishers are, know your evacuation routes, and make sure your team has a clear plan if smoke or fire appears during a service.

Easter Sunday carries the largest single-day attendance of the American church year. Many congregations that see modest weekly numbers will have overflow crowds this Sunday. Visitors unfamiliar with the building, extended service times, full parking lots, and multiple service windows all contribute to a more complex security environment than a typical week. This is the profile a lone actor looks for. Plan accordingly.

Threat Assessment

The current threat posture for American churches is RED. That assessment rests on three compounding factors: an explicit ISIS directive to attack Jewish sites released 48 hours before Easter Sunday, with a surrounding newsletter documenting ongoing ISIS attacks against Christians; al-Qaeda’s simultaneous release of bomb-making guidance through Inspire; and the highest single-day church attendance period of the year. The primary threat is not an organized cell. It is the individual who has been consuming this content online and reads the al-Naba call as personal religious authorization to act. Michigan congregations carry additional exposure given the local attack pattern. The overall posture should be: alert, calm, deliberate, and prepared.

Biblical Lens

This is Resurrection Sunday. Whatever this world sends at the people of God, it does not have the last word. That is not sentiment. It is the foundational fact of the Christian faith, and it is worth keeping front of mind for every person standing post on Sunday morning.

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:6 (ESV)

The same Lord who walked out of that tomb is coming back. Every Easter service your team guards is a congregation gathered around that truth. You are not guarding a building. You are protecting people who have come to remember and celebrate the most important event in human history. Keep that in front of you on Sunday morning. The threat is real, your preparation is necessary, and the Lord who rose from the dead goes before you.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” — John 11:25 (ESV)

Leave a comment below with what your team is doing this Sunday and share this with your pastor or security team leader before Easter morning. They need to see it.

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“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” — Ezekiel 33:6 (ESV)

Cwt Intel Brief Isis Easter 2026 V2

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The Islamic State — Al Nabā Newsletter 541

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It is written in arabic. I will put the translation in the threat assessment dowload below.

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