Churches, houses of worship prepare for active shooter scenario

Last November's mass shooting at a church in Texas was by far the deadliest attack on a house of worship in recent years.

But, church shootings are more common than you might think. A Minneapolis Research Frim tallied about 150 in the last decade.

Carl Chinn, Faith Based Security Network president, gave a presentation to around 100 individuals, all looking at ways to protect themselves and other parishioners.

"Well, I became impassioned about this 22 years ago when I was working for a ministry, and I walked up to the front desk and was face to face with a gunman," he said. "And became a hostage for an hour and a half in that stand-off."

Faith Based Security Network travels to various cities discussing training techniques, but the biggest take away they want people to understand is to be aware of your surrounds.

"Anywhere there's a group of people, what the American public needs to understand is that's a target for somebody," Sheepdog Seminars owner Jimmy Meeks said.

They say using the tactics of "run, hide and fight" is the best way to protect yourself from an attack. But, with security, there should be an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

The chance of a deadly mass shooting are slim; faith groups will mainly focus on medical emergencies or upset individuals.