If you are the manager of a church, you likely want to make sure that everything that you need for your services and for your church to function properly remains secure. You don't have a lot of income coming in and it can be difficult for you to replace physical objects that have been stolen. Here are some tips for securing your church property.

1. Keep Track of Your Keys

The first thing that you want to do is make sure that you know who has what keys. You might have church groups coming in and out of the building, you might have staff in the rectory that need to come at odd hours, or youth groups might need to access the closets in certain parts of the church to get supplies. If you have no idea who has what keys, you need to replace your locks. Hire a professional locksmith and have him or her replace all of the locks that you have given out keys to. Have two keys made for each lock type and pay attention to which keys open multiple locks. Then, create an database of who has access to which keys. Consider not giving anyone a key permanently and have a secretary or rectory manager pass out keys and collect them back when people are done using them. A fragmentation of key distribution is one of the main security problems that many churches have.

2. Use Plants to Your Advantage

Be sure that you have spiky plants or some other growth around your building that would make it difficult for people to climb on the roof. You might not have considered reinforcing the roof or having it inspected. Using your plants is an effective and cheap way to make sure that burglars cannot get in through the roof.

3. Employ Your Community

Finally, talk to the people who go to your church and see if they would be willing to help you with your security concerns. Give out a number that people can call if they see lights on in the church buildings at odd hours or any other suspicious characters lurking around. This will allow your congregation to remain safe but still help you keep an eye on the church building.

For more information, talk to a locksmith, like one from Mattice Lock & Safe. He or she will be able to help you replace your locks and set up a secure key distribution system in a lock box.