Violence at churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious gathering places is not impossible, unfortunately, and if you want to ensure your congregation is safe, you may want to hire protection services. To ensure you hire the right person for your needs, here's what to consider:

1. Risk of violence or crime at your place of worship

In some cases, your place of worship may be at greater risk of violence or crime due to the religious, social or political climate at the moment. However, in most cases, you may simply want to add protection services because a large number of people gather in your place of worship. That alone may make it vulnerable to violence.

2. Scheduling considerations

In some cases, you may want to hire protection services to be at your place of worship every time you have a service, classes or group meeting. In other cases, you may only want protection during special events, holidays or other times when you anticipate having a larger than usual group at your place of worship.

3. Armed or unarmed guards

Whether you are hiring protection services for a place of worship, a mall or any other facility, you have to decide if you want the guard to be armed or not. You need to think about what is safest for your facility, but you also need to think about whether or not weaponry is compatible with your religious beliefs.

4. Employee or contract workers

When you decide to have a guard at your place of worship, you have a few options in regard to their employment. You can employ a security guard as an employee, and you can cover their wages, benefits and unemployment insurance costs. Alternatively, you may hire a guard on a contract basis -- you pay them for the work, but they function as a self-employed individual.

Finally, you may pay a protection service, such as Backup Security Services, to supply you with a guard. Typically, that is the easiest option as the protection services company screens the guard, ensures he or she has adequate training and often provides liability coverage in case anything happens to the guard or to anyone in the area.

5. Experience with dense crowds

When trying to choose a guard, keep in mind you don't necessarily want a guard who only has experience patrolling empty buildings or parking lots. Similarly, you may not want a guard who usually details a single client. Instead, you want a guard who has experience with large, dense crowds like the ones who frequent your place of worship.