Wayne County — A recent surge in left-wing violence has faith-based organizations and conservatives in America hardening themselves to such attacks.
The recent CrossePointe Church shooting in Wayne this summer hit close to home for many Metro Detroit congregations. The shooter was associated to the church through an immediate family member, the church had armed security, and those security members saved the lives of the congregation when an armed church member and a deacon neutralized the shooter before he entered the building.
Just yesterday, Charlie Kirk, a prominent Christian conservative activist, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University while speaking to students at a campus event. Kirk is well-known for touring colleges where he often speaks about his Christian faith and his support for Israel. Within minutes of the shooting, a horrific video of the assassination attempt went viral. As of this writing Kirk’s killer remains at large.
Speaking with pastors leading churches in Wayne County and the individuals providing that security for those churches, I learned that the situation is delicate.
“We need to be there and aware, but as discreet as humanly possible,” explained a church member licensed to carry and designated as a security guard at a Wayne County congregation with several hundred members. “We attempt to be as invisible as possible during church services. We are impossible to distinguish from the other members, and that’s both to watch for threats and for members to feel comfortable.”
The comfort of church members is a priority for pastors and leadership for one very good reason: Many Christians do not like the visible presence of firearms in church. “I’m well aware there are Christians in our building who disagree with the mere notion of firearms; I’m very sensitive to their concerns, and take their opinions seriously,” explained a pastor in suburban Wayne County. “But I won’t play around with the safety of our church and realize the current danger from mentally unwell people and individuals radicalized in our current era.”
Michigan state law prohibits firearms on any property operating as a place of worship, unless presiding officials allow it. Michigan law gives considerable latitude in this regard, but private security is expensive and small, and midsize congregations can’t afford professionals. Instead, they seek out trained individuals or volunteers in their own congregations, sometimes even borrowing volunteers from other churches.
A highly trained individual certified to carry concealed firearms explained to me that he provides security to a church in Detroit on Sundays and various other faith-based organizations in the suburbs throughout the week during dinners and Bible studies. He does this on a volunteer basis, explaining that this was “not something I sought out. Perhaps I was called to it.”
Anyone keeping a close eye can track a rise in left-wing violence against faith-based organizations. Even ostensibly liberal news organizations and influencers have begun reporting on these events.
The recent shooting at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis, which resulted in two dead children and 21 casualties, was committed by a young adult trans-woman who posted a video and manifesto containing allusions to a prior shooting on a faith-based organization. Of course, most mainstream neglected to mention his progressive tendencies, including the hatred of President Trump and Jews expressed in his manifesto.
Nevertheless, the violence against Christians and Jews in the last two years seems to be increasing in frequency and savagery, and many local churches have noticed.
A retired undercover police officer with 28 years of law enforcement experience now works security for a synagogue in Metro Detroit.
“We are very watchful and aware of the current conditions of the nation and the threats against Jewish institutions,” he said, alluding to domestic tensions stemming from the Israeli-Gaza War. “Antisemitism seems to be increasing in Metro Detroit, and I think it has an anarchist-left streak. Very nasty and ugly, but Jews have been dealing with this forever.”
In my reporting, I spoke with a leader of a large and influential congregation in Wayne County who claimed ignorance about the current level of violence directed at faith-based organizations. During the interview, the pastor appeared nervous, hesitant, and visibly uncomfortable with the topic, saying he was “unaware of evidence or data indicating such a thing exists.”
I later learned through a congregant that this church was possibly in deep tension due to current national politics, which underscored a chilling reality: Not only was the pastor probably aware of dangers to his congregation, he was too fearful to discuss it for political reasons.
Lastly, I spoke with a pastor in Metro Detroit with a newer congregation who freely spoke about issues of church security and lauded the brave men and women willing to defend congregations from violence.
“It’s unfortunate these measures need to be taken today, but it’s a reality requiring awareness. Individuals volunteering for such duty could be involved in a life-altering situation,” explained the pastor, who alluded to the CrossPointe shooting. “The men who saved that church were briefly detained by police and placed under intense pressure by unfriendly media. It turned out alright for them, and they were treated well by the police, but that’s often not the case.”
That a hero’s life might be turned upside down if they intervene in a life-threatening situation is a reality, given that our justice system is rife with progressive ideologues.
Stories of good-intentioned strangers saving the lives of their fellow Americans, only for themselves to become the target of persecution, has had a chilling effect on the nation, as public violence occurs and passersby look on frozen in fear. Daniel Penny, for example, saved fellow travelers from a threatening mentally ill man on a New York subway only to endure a year-long legal saga and terrible press. These moments create a see-no-evil-hear-no-evil attitude.
Most pastors I spoke with are paying attention and preparing for the worst. One church leaders spoke with anguish:
“I pray for mentally unwell, the health of the nation, peace and prosperity of America, the safety of my flock, and for the hearts of those seeking to harm others, but someone coming to my church looking for trouble will find more than they bargained for.”
Jay Murray is a writer for Michigan Enjoyer and has been a Metro Detroit-based professional investigator for 22 years. Follow him on X @Stainless31.
