“You never know who may come to your facility but if you’re visiting us, you learn early on that there are a few people who are paying attention and watching the crowds. And we do have armed people in the services,” said John Lucas, the chief security officer for the church. Lucas said that several of his security personnel, equipped with two-way earpieces, are licensed to carry guns and do.

VIERA, Fla. — It is Sunday and 36-year-old Julie Robinson is keeping an eye on her children as they play and sing near the front of the sanctuary stage at Freedom Christian Center.

The mother of four is not the only one watching. Quietly standing in the back of the hall is Jeffery Gilchriest.

As dozens of congregants lift their hands in prayer, preparing for the week’s message from the pulpit, Gilchriest’s eyes are alert, darting across the spacious worship hall.

A white, coiled microphone wire ripples from his ear to help him communicate with ushers and plainclothes security personnel.

Their mission: Protecting the flock by being ready for the worst.

“This is the norm in our world’s culture and there’s a need for security wherever we go nowadays,” said Gilchriest, who oversees security efforts at Freedom Christian and also is the CEO of Opaque Security, an international company that trains churches and synagogues to protect congregations. “We need to be prepared.”

It is an increasingly common sentiment in churches, synagogues and mosques nationwide as the number of deadly episodes at sanctuaries has soared over the last decade, and mass shootings at elementary schools, malls and movie theaters have left Americans feeling like it could happen anywhere.

Just last month, the federal government stepped in with a first-ever report outlining security recommendations for houses of worship. The 38-page plan, released just days after a man was shot and wounded during a Catholic Mass in Salt Lake City, advises congregations to plan for potential emergencies, including what police call random “active shooter” situations. Among the advice offered by the federal government: run, hide or, as a last resort, fight.

“I think we’re seeing all of this for multiple reasons. Whenever there is a violent situation, we see security beefed up. Schools, for example, have become more hardened targets. And as we see other places get more readiness, that means other places like churches and ministries become softer targets,” said Colorado church security consultant Carl Chinn, who holds training seminars for churches across the country.

In 1999, there were 22 violent deaths — including homicides and suicides — reported at worship centers nationwide, according to statistics compiled by Chinn. Last year, there were 115 attacks, with 75 of those ending in a fatality, he said.

Ministers say increased training is important as sanctuaries have expanded their roles over the years, going from small church houses where worshipers sought solace from the outside world to larger facilities offering schools, exercise classes or even game rooms.

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