Security becomes top priority for churches in US

While active-shooter training is not new to houses of worship, the massacre this month at a Texas church has renewed attention to their vulnerability and the fine line religious leaders walk as they try to create a welcoming atmosphere that doesn't tempt a would-be shooter.

"One of the responsibilities I have as a pastor, as a shepherd of the church, is to protect the people, and that includes spiritually, but it also includes the physical protection," said Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.

The deadliest-ever mass shooting in Texas -- in which a gunman walked among pews at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, killing 25 parishioners and an unborn child -- has become the latest in a string of attacks directed at religious institutions.

Now, Christian leaders, in particular, are considering new security measures or bolstering existing rules, mirroring actions taken by leaders of Jewish, Muslim and other faith communities when their institutions have been targets.

"It doesn't give me any pause; it's the world we are in," he said, pointing out that no one used to worry about so-called soft targets, such as movie theaters and churches.

UCJ, UNILORIN.