Weapons
We have no recommendations or simple answers to help you decide if you should allow weapons in church. We do, however, suggest you tackle this topic in a transparent way that is clearly a group decision by all the right people according to your local church culture and legal structure. If you think a simple answer is to let everyone properly licensed to carry concealed weapons do so in the church, you are mistaken. While that might get you off the hook legally, clear expectations need to be established to keep everyone safe in the event of "an incident."
We have differences between the two primary SONKA states. In Ohio, permission needs to be granted to a "CCW" holder to be allowed to carry in church. In Kentucky, it is assumed that a "CCF" holder may be armed in a church unless otherwise prohibited. "Open Carry" (where the weapon is plainly visible) is guided differently. Federal laws affect what both property owners and weapons owners are allowed to do.
This is an area where we think churches can help other churches immensely, and the ultimate decisions need to be in the local church implementing the policy, with proper legal guidance. We do not intend to post decisions made by our various churches on this site. That could present security risks. But we would really appreciate your responses to the below form if you have developed a weapons policy and are willing to talk to other churches about it. Not just what your policy is, but any processes you used to determine the policy. Please complete the form below and give us a general idea of the route chosen by your church. We will then pass along your contact information to groups working on this in their own setting. We think this a great way to honor our covenant with the Association and with each other.