What 841 Church Attacks Reveal About Security Priorities in 2024

New data from 2024 reveals how churches were targeted 841 times across the U.S. Learn what the numbers say about threats, weapons used, and how to better protect your church.

Recognizing FB-ISAO: Real-Time Intelligence for Church Security

I want to start this article by highlighting an organization that every church security team should know about: the Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO). I first learned about them about a month ago from some of my followers in Washington State during a Zoom call. They mentioned FB-ISAO, and it caught my attention. After the call, I took some time to look into it, and I ended up joining.

Membership is $200 a year—and to say I’m impressed is an understatement.

FB-ISAO is not a training platform. It’s not filled with videos or courses. This is an intelligence-sharing network—a place where faith-based security leaders from across the country come together to share timely, relevant threat information in real time. The main activity takes place in a Slack channel, which for those unfamiliar, is like a secure group chat broken down by topic. It’s simple to use and easy to check in on regularly.

Each morning, I review their updates to stay on top of what happened the day before. I’ve found that their intelligence lines up closely with what I’m gathering independently—often within the same time window. That’s a strong indicator of reliability.

What FB-ISAO Reported in 2024: A Look at Last Year’s Threats to Faith-Based Sites

FB-ISAO recently released a detailed advisory summarizing all reported attacks on houses of worship in 2024. This isn’t speculation or social media chatter—this is data-driven intelligence gathered from verified incidents across the country. Here’s what they found.

In total, 841 attacks were recorded against faith-based organizations last year. That represents an 18% drop from the 1,027 incidents reported in 2023. While that sounds like good news, the report makes it clear: the threat hasn’t gone away—it’s just shifted.

Breakdown by Faith Tradition

Protestant churches were the most frequently attacked, making up 49% of all incidents. That’s nearly half. Jewish synagogues followed with 21%, Catholic churches with 16%, and mosques with 7%. What’s important to understand here is that while Protestant churches experienced the most attacks by volume, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim institutions are being attacked at rates far beyond their share of total houses of worship in the U.S. In short: they’re being targeted disproportionately.

The Nature of the Attacks

The vast majority of the incidents—80%—were property crimes:

• Vandalism made up 28%

• Theft accounted for 18%

• Arson represented 9%

The remaining 20% were crimes against people, including assaults, bomb threats, and verbal threats. These types of attacks are more dangerous and often occur with little or no warning. For church security teams, this should reinforce the need to monitor not just internal spaces but also exterior areas where threats often begin.

The Data Confirms What I’ve Been Telling Church Security Teams for Years

One of the most valuable takeaways from the FB-ISAO report is that it validates what I’ve been telling church security teams for years: most of the threats we face are not active shooters—they’re property crimes. We’re talking about vandalism, theft, and arson. These make up the vast majority of incidents, and FB-ISAO’s numbers prove it.

In 2024, 80% of all attacks on houses of worship were property crimes. That breakdown includes:

• 28% vandalism

• 18% theft

• 9% arson

These aren’t minor issues. Churches are being spray-painted, broken into, and burned. Criminals are stealing sound equipment, computers, and even church vehicles. It’s not dramatic, and it won’t make national news, but it’s the most likely threat your church will face.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: your best security investment isn’t a plate carrier or rifle—it’s a burglar alarm, a fire alarm, and a 4K video surveillance system. If you don’t have those in place, you’re missing the most basic and most important layer of protection.

I also frequently remind teams that a sexual assault is more likely to happen in your church than an active shooter event. That makes your policies, background checks, camera coverage, and volunteer screening even more critical. This data doesn’t just support that—it drives the point home.

FB-ISAO has done a great job tracking and verifying these incidents, and it’s encouraging to see a national-level organization putting out data that lines up with what many of us on the ground have been seeing for years.

Parking Lots, Firearms, and the Reality of Church Security

If you've followed my training for any length of time, you’ve heard me say it: everything starts in the parking lot. That’s not theory—it’s pattern recognition. Now, the 2024 FB-ISAO report confirms it with hard data:

• 37% of all injuries occurred in parking lots

• 30% happened on exterior grounds

That means two-thirds of injuries happened before the attacker ever stepped inside. If you’re not covering the parking lot, your church is already at a disadvantage.

This supports the layered defense model I teach, where your security perimeter works like an onion:

1. Layer One – Parking Lot: The first contact zone. Observation, deterrence, and early intervention start here.

2. Layer Two – Entrances: Doors are your chokepoints. Every main access point should be monitored.

3. Layer Three – Sanctuary: This is where response happens—not detection.

FB-ISAO also reports that 13% of all incidents involved weapons, and 68 of those resulted in casualties, with 23 deaths and 78 injuries. Protestant churches bore the brunt of this violence—19 of the 23 deaths and 40 of the 78 injuries occurred at Protestant churches.

Here’s the part that reinforces how you should prepare: handguns were responsible for 74% of deaths and 46% of injuries in firearm-related incidents. The report makes no mention of rifles or shotguns being used in any of these cases.

That matters. Many churches wrestle with questions like:

• Should we invest in body armor?

• Do we need rifle-rated plates?

• Should we consider ballistic protection near the pulpit?

Those are fair questions—but this data helps answer them. The overwhelming majority of deadly incidents involved handguns. That should guide your decisions. You don’t need to rush into outfitting your team with heavy plates or spending on rifle-rated protection unless your specific risk profile demands it.

Focus your resources where the data points you. Pistol-rated protection, strong perimeter coverage, and training for likely threats will go further than buying gear for worst-case scenarios that may never happen. This is about stewardship—of your team, your budget, and your mission.

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Where These Attacks Are Happening: Geographic Hotspots and State Trends

Another strong point from the FB-ISAO report is how it identifies regional trends. The data shows that while attacks on houses of worship happen nationwide, half of all reported incidents in 2024 occurred in just nine states. These aren’t random locations—these are areas with high population density, large religious communities, and in some cases, politically charged environments that attract more extremist behavior.

Here’s what stood out:

• California had the highest number of arsons, assaults, and attacks targeting Jewish communities. It continues to be a hotspot for ideologically motivated attacks and high-profile incidents.

• New York led the country in thefts, graffiti, and attacks on Catholic churches. Urban environments with reduced law enforcement presence tend to see more crimes of opportunity.

• Texas saw the highest number of attacks on Protestant churches. With its large evangelical population, it’s a high-visibility target for both theft and ideologically driven threats.

• Minnesota experienced the most attacks on mosques, which aligns with its concentrated Muslim population and prior documented bias-related crimes.

• Colorado led the nation in bomb threats, which often result in church evacuations and significant operational disruption.

  

For churches trying to assess their local threat level, this kind of data is essential. It not only highlights what’s happening, but where it's happening. While every church should maintain basic security practices, those in these higher-risk states may want to escalate their readiness, increase local law enforcement partnerships, or expand training and coverage—especially for exterior patrol and suspicious activity detection.

If you’re in one of these states, take this as confirmation: you’re not being paranoid by preparing. You’re being responsible.

What This Means for Church Security Teams

This FB-ISAO report isn’t just a summary of last year’s threats—it’s confirmation. For those of us leading safety ministries, it reinforces what we’ve known and what we’ve been teaching: start with what's most likely, not what's most dramatic.

If you’re building or improving your church’s security posture, this data should shape your priorities:

• Focus on your perimeter. Two-thirds of injuries happen outside—mostly in the parking lot. That’s your first and best chance to detect and deter.

• Train for the probable. Property crimes and interpersonal violence are far more common than active shooter scenarios.

• Equip realistically. The overwhelming majority of deadly incidents involved handguns—not rifles. That matters when you're deciding on body armor or ballistic protection.

• Start with the basics. A burglar alarm, fire alarm, and 4K surveillance system will do more to secure your church than tactical gear collecting dust.

• Stay connected. FB-ISAO is the best resource I’ve seen for real-time, actionable intelligence. If you’re tasked with protecting your church, someone from your team should be plugged into that network.

Security isn’t about fear—it’s about responsibility. This report is a clear reminder that the most effective church safety ministries are the ones that prepare with clarity, train with purpose, and act on truth—not hype.

If you haven’t joined Christian Warrior Training, now is the time. I’ll continue to break down these threats, share training resources, and help you defend the flock—faithfully, tactically, and without compromise.

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