Mike Harvill
Kensington Church: Security Director, Security Leaders Coalition: President/Co-Founder, FBSN: Board Member
Stronger Together: Building Church Security Coalitions That Prevent and Mitigate Threats
Repeat- Breakout Session
- room ATCR200
- July 24 2026 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM
Training can be expensive—and no church should have to face security challenges alone. Yet many church safety teams operate in isolation, unaware of threats or lessons learned just miles away at neighboring congregations. What if churches in your area worked together instead of operating like islands?
This breakout session explores how forming a church security coalition can strengthen preparedness, improve information sharing, and reduce training costs across multiple ministries. Participants will learn practical steps for starting a coalition, structuring leadership, and creating meaningful benefits for member churches, including shared training opportunities and coordinated communication about emerging threats.
Mike Harvill and Ron Allen launched the Security Leaders Coalition (SLC) in Michigan in September 2015 with just six churches in the Detroit area. Today, the coalition includes 120 houses of worship across Michigan, demonstrating how collaboration can dramatically expand both training and situational awareness.
With recent faith-based attacks—including the very recent attack on the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, MI —churches are recognizing the critical role that networking, shared intelligence, and joint training play in both preventing attacks and mitigating their impact when threats emerge.
Join this session to discover how your church can move from isolation to collaboration—and become part of a stronger, more prepared faith-based security community.
