Al-Qaeda’s Latest Message: More Attacks Are Coming—Will Your Church Be Caught Off Guard?
Al-Qaeda praises the recent DC museum shooting in its latest propaganda release and calls for more lone-wolf attacks. Here’s what churches need to know to prepare.
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT BLUF
A recent jihadist publication is praising the May 21, 2025 attack on two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C., using it to call for more lone-wolf violence in the West. While synagogues remain the primary targets, Christian churches must not ignore the threat. Now is the time to test your security readiness, strengthen team training, and ensure your church remains a place of unhindered worship—not an easy target. A copy of the document from Al-Qaeda is included. It is for your edification and not to spread Al Qaeda propaganda.
This Isn’t Hypothetical Anymore
A terrorist publication by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is praising a real-life shooter who murdered two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C., outside a Jewish museum.
The publication, Inspire Guide #9, was released within days of the May 21 attack—and it names the shooter, glorifies him, and calls for others to follow his lead. It doesn’t just tell people to act. It shows them how to think.
While the Jewish community is clearly the central target of this guide, we would be making a dangerous mistake to believe Christian churches are off the radar. The attacker’s identity—a Latin Christian—is being used as a weapon to shame Muslims into action. That strategy matters, especially in the era of lone-wolf terrorism.
This isn't the first time jihadist groups have used Western-based attacks to stir up violence. But this case is different. They're pointing to someone outside their faith, outside their network, and asking: If he could do it, why haven't you? That message is dangerous. It's designed to provoke.
In the pages of Inspire, AQAP praises a U.S.-born Christian for attacking "Zionist agents," urging Muslims in America to follow his example and ignore U.S. law to fight "by any means." It calls on readers to attack institutions that support Israel and frames the DC shooting as a moral example, not just a political one.
This isn't just ideological ranting—it's operational propaganda. It exists to trigger more attacks, especially by radicalized individuals acting alone.
Churches are not off the radar. They're Christian, symbolic, and in many cases, unguarded. Some have media presence, some don’t. But visibility isn’t the issue—identity is. If you’re a Christian church, you’re already a target in the eyes of the jihadist.
We’ve seen it before. Churches attacked in France. Christians slaughtered in Nigeria. ISIS propaganda doesn’t care if you’re Protestant, Catholic, European, or African. If you are not one of them—if you are a Christian or a Jew—you are a nonbeliever. And in their eyes, that justifies violence.
We can't afford to ignore the pattern.
If Your Church Doesn’t Have a Safety Ministry Yet
Now is the time to build one. Not later. Not after an incident. Now.
Your team should:
Train monthly
Operate under written policies and protocols
Maintain active coordination with church leadership
Be visible during services (as both deterrent and comfort)
Key documents you should have on hand:
Suspicious person contact policy
Use-of-force protocols
Evacuation procedures
Trauma and medical response plans
Radio and internal comms SOPs
Law enforcement liaison procedures
Christian Warrior Training offers free templates and training to help you build these from scratch. But remember, a policy binder on a shelf is not a security ministry. Your team needs to train.
For Teams Already Established
If you’ve already got a team, this is the moment to go deeper.
Test Your Team’s Readiness
You don’t need to simulate real-world conditions—you need to test your team’s training. That’s the goal. And it needs to be done carefully.
Set up drills during scheduled training sessions. Don’t ever run these during a live service. The risks are too high. You could have concealed carriers in the congregation who weren’t notified. Someone could get hurt.
Instead, walk your team through realistic but controlled scenarios. Have someone enter from an unexpected door. See how your team reacts when a suspicious person refuses to leave. Observe communication. Watch body language. Identify breakdowns in awareness or hesitation to act.
All of this should be planned ahead of time, with clear safety parameters, a written training plan, and approval from church leadership. Don’t improvise this. And don’t overreach what your team is ready for. Build up to more complex drills slowly.
The point isn’t to stress people out. The point is to prepare them. That means controlled reps, thoughtful debriefs, and honest evaluation.
Coordinate with Local Synagogues
If your church is near a synagogue, check in. Offer awareness. Ask how they’re doing. If they have no team, share insights. If they have one, consider mutual briefings. Right now, they’re under heightened threat. And so are you.
Every once in a while, I get comments suggesting we should ignore the Jewish community because of their rejection of Jesus or because of what happened at the cross. But that’s not biblical. Jesus Himself was a Jew. The apostles were Jewish. And the Great Commission was first preached to the Jewish people.
Romans 1:16 says the gospel is “first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Paul never cut them off. In fact, he wrote that his heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites was that they might be saved (Romans 10:1).
We don't reach out to Jewish communities because we agree on theology—we reach out because they are image-bearers of God, neighbors under threat, and people who Christ died to redeem. Protecting them is not just strategic—it’s obedient to the command to love our neighbors and to make disciples of all nations, starting with the people God reached out to first.
Counter Complacency
Rotate roles. Run unannounced drills (cleared with your leadership). Simulate communications failures. Check your blind spots. Pressure-test your people. Not out of fear—but to strengthen discernment.
A Biblical Lens for a Violent World
We do not protect our churches out of fear—we protect them so that people can worship the Lord Jesus Christ without hindrance.
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people... I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.” —Ezekiel 33:6
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” —Ephesians 5:15–16
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” —2 Timothy 1:7
These verses aren't suggestions. They're marching orders. Sound the alarm. Be wise. Be courageous.
And don’t let your church drift into a bunker mentality. If you shut everyone out, the enemy has already succeeded. We protect the church not to isolate it, but to preserve freedom to worship. Discernment, not paranoia, must drive us.
Let your safety ministry ensure that the church remains a sanctuary. Not just in word, but in deed. Not just in doctrine, but in action.
Let us be ready. Let us be watchful. But most of all, let us be faithful.
Great as always and thanks for it. But is very sad when the church take these suggestions as paranoia and not about being ready if something happens.
Great information and thanks for all you do for our church security team