The Department of Homeland Security’s 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment details a heightened threat environment, and that certainly applies to houses of worship. Terrorists, lunatics, political extremists and social misfits all have an axe to grind with Christians, faith-based institutions and religious-themed public gatherings.
In 2024, the Family Research Council identified over twice as many incidents ranging from vandalism to arson to violence against US churches as compared to 2023. Incidents are not only growing but accelerating.
With all that in mind, one of America’s foremost experts on mindset Lt. Col. Dave Grossman will be headlining a three-day Bulletproof House of Worship Safety Conference April 24-26, 2025 in Mt. Vernon, IL. It’s the first one dedicated to church safety and security that he’s ever done. He has a host of nationally-known speakers lined up to share important information and even some tactics for church security folks nationwide.
For those who haven’t had the privilege of seeing one of Col. Grossman’s presentations up-close and in person, here’s more about the man who’s practically a legend in many circles.
In their description of Col. Dave Grossman, Slate Magazine said, “Grossman cuts such a heroic, omnicompetent figure, he could have stepped out of a video game.” He has five patents to his name, has published four novels, two children’s’ books, and six non-fiction books to include his “perennial bestseller” On Killing (with over half a million copies sold), and a New York Times best-selling book co-authored with Glenn Beck.
He is a US Army Ranger, a paratrooper, and a former West Point Psychology Professor. He has a Black Belt in Hojutsu, the martial art of the firearm, and has been inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
Col. Grossman’s research was cited by the President of the United States in a national address, and he has testified before the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Congress, and numerous state legislatures. He has served as an expert witness and consultant in state and Federal courts. He helped train mental health professionals after the Jonesboro school massacre, and he was also involved in counseling or court cases in the aftermath of the Paducah, Springfield, Littleton and Nickel Mines Amish school massacres.
Col. Grossman has been called upon to write the entry on “Aggression and Violence” in the Oxford Companion to American Military History, three entries in the Academic Press Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict and has presented papers before the national conventions of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Since his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1998, he has been traveling full time as one of our nation’s leading trainers for military, law enforcement, mental health providers, and school safety organizations.
Today Col. Grossman is the director of Grossman On Truth, LLC (www.GrossmanOnTruth.com). In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he has written and spoken extensively on the terrorist threat, with articles published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Civil Policy and many leading law enforcement journals, and he has been inducted as a “Life Diplomate” by the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, and a “Life Member” of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute.
Topics at the Bulletproof House of Worship Safety Conference include:
- Do you have the right mindset?
- Lessons learned from The New Life Church tragedy from Colorado Springs, CO
- Verbal De-escalation
- Tragedy at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, TX
- What to expect following a use of force incident
- Who has you covered if you use lethal (or non-lethal) force?
- Sex crimes prevention (these are the greatest threat)
- Protecting the Flock
- Learning how to save lives
- Explosive devices
- What does the prepared person look like on Sunday?
- Stopping the killers
- David Grossman’s Bulletproof Mind presentation
Tickets are just $80.
Register at bulletproofworship.com
Specifically at this page.
[Editor’s note: GSL not only endorses this event but strongly recommends church safety and security team members to attend, along with anyone else concerned about safety and security in houses of worship. Col. Grossman isn’t getting any younger and he’s got a wealth of information to share. A number of GSL and GSL Defense Training people are already registered. Join us! Fair disclosure: as always, our recommendations and endorsements aren’t for sale. We are getting no commissions, kickbacks or discounts for recommending this event to our members and friends.]