Carl Chinn

Carl Chinn is a raconteur - having the unique ability to tell relevant stories in a way that others pick up on, applying the lessons learned immediately. He is a common civilian who faced angry gunmen at ministries two times in 11 years.

After the first incident in 1996, he began to consider his own dismissive value of intentional protection in churches and ministries. In 1997 he began to write on the subject. In 2005 he and colleagues started the security program at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. When evil invaded that sanctuary on 12/09/2007 (in the form of an active shooter with an assault rifle) Chinn was one of four who actively responded to the gunman.

His unique style of telling the stories reads easier than ordinary professional books, and consistently emphasizes simple themes. The tone is awakening, informative, and detailed. It reads like a novel, written in first person with occasional flashes of humor. Evil Invades Sanctuary is the written counterpart to the guidance the author provides as a regular speaker at church security conferences across the U.S.

Evil Invades Sanctuary is not a "how to" book, but rather presents the case for intentional security in cultures that tend to castoff the concept.

While maintaining the highest respect for law enforcement, it is not written with law-enforcement-only protection views. The value of civilian initial responders is recognized as the primary strength of ministry security. Evil Invades Sanctuary suggests effective models of trained civilian initial response teams to interact with the first responder community.

While the author is a devoted Christian, the book is absent of evangelical spin. Unlike other books on the subject, Evil Invades Sanctuary is not preachy; there is no underlying message of a particular theology. The focus is on improving safety of the people and places of ministry. It is a good fit on the shelves of Protestant, Catholic, Unitarian or Jewish libraries. It is equally applicable in the Moody Bible Institute, Salvation Army, or the Mormon Temple. Divisive or denominational opinions are absent, while occasional applicable scriptural references are used.

Evil Invades Sanctuary is simple straight shooting about implementing effective emergency prevention, preparation and response programs. The author understands the culture, recognizing the importance of grace and faith balanced with obligations of responsibility and action in ministry environments. Priority is given to using existing resources and keeping the program simple.

One of the most unique aspects of the book is that the concepts are not just untried theories. The author has experienced serious incidents inside ministries, and tells those stories well with the motive of sharing lessons learned. The last two chapters of the book tell the story of what happened at New Life Church in details applicable to anyone serving in a security role. Church leaders, law enforcement and others involved that day recognize his story as the most accurate recount of that awful event -- not drawing attention to himself, but rather using the truth of the incidents as a coping model for others.