My nephew raises pigeons. There is a membership association (the National Pigeon Association), an annual Grand National convention (which boasts an impressive appearance of “9,000 prized, pedigreed Columbidae”), smaller regional events, and even the American Pigeon Museum & Library.
500,000 Motorcycle enthusiasts roll into Sturgis, South Dakota, annually, and 600,000 airplane enthusiasts drop in to Oshkosh, WI, to participate in 1,000 forums & workshops.
There are annual gatherings for myriad smaller-scale enthusiasts: the World Toilet Convention & Expo, the Celebrity Impersonators Convention (Doppelgangers travelling to Las Vegas to impress each other pretending to be someone they are not), and X-Filers United!
Many of us had long envisioned an annual summit to bring those in this space of faith-based safety/security together for a grand national event, as so many other interest groups do.
Because there are so many good church security-related events each year, a summit would need to be outstanding.
It would need to be focused on the good of the collective audience, needing case study lessons, topical expertise, new connections, a fresh perspective, and encouragement.
We needed a short and meaningful acronym. S.O.S. seemed a befitting acronym. It stands for “Security Operations Summit.”
It needed to be a vetted attendance so the possibility for subversives was removed.
We wanted participants to hear from many subject matter experts, experienced in what they talk about, and for our attendees to recall later who said what.
In 2017, we started planning a ministry security event to do all that and more.
Our first summit, SOS.18, was a remarkable success and every one since eclipsed the ones before. With over 4 months of registrations to go until SOS.26, we are already approaching 300 registrations from 35 states.
While we don’t yet have 1,000 forums and workshops to choose from like the Oskosh Air Show, we grow every year. While speakers and topics continue to be added, we already have over 40 speakers presenting 50 topics over 4-1/2 days (2 days of pre-event intensive hands-on training options and 2-1/2 days of the main summit event).
Some of the pre-event intensives (4 to 16-hour classes) are already sold out.
Think About it
We would love to have you join us for SOS.26 in Louisville, KY. The main event starts on Thursday, 7/23/26, and concludes at 12:30 PM on 7/25/26. Pre-event intensive options are Tuesday, 7/21/26, and Wednesday, 7/22/26.
Here is the link for more information: https://www.fbsnamerica.com/events/security-operations-summit-2026

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