Canfield Presbyterian Church hosted a safety and security training workshop in collaboration with the Ohio Crime Prevention Association Thursday, to help the Mahoning Valley's religious centers identify and address pressing concerns. 
 
In some cases, those concerns may go unchecked, until it's too late.
 
While churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques are all places where community is welcomed to worship with open doors, they're also too often targets of crime and violent threats.
 
"I think we all know someone, or we know of a community very close to us, that has experienced an active shooter event," Ohio Crime Prevention Association's John DiPietro said.
 
Places of worship face a worrying gap in crime preparedness. A 2023 study by the Barna Research Group found that just two of every five churches has a formal risk management process in place.
 
Canfield Presbyterian Church Executive Director Kerry Pettit tells 21 News that she is working to continue working with OCPA , in hopes of helping other religious institutions adjust or improve their security protocols.
 
"We want to be welcoming to the community, be welcoming to all, but it is so important that we do think of safety, especially with this climate that we're in these days," she said.
 
That means not just preparing for the worst,  but also tackling existing concerns that churches face frequently, including theft, vandalism, trespassing, and scams. DiPietro says it also means that building relationships with other houses of worship and law enforcement are essential to extending support to the greater community.
 
"We'll hear from some of our attendees that 'we don't have insurance, we don't have a plan, we put everything in God's hands'," DiPietro added. "And that's great that you do that, but there's also a responsibility to demonstrate the care and the concern for your congregation, and really do what's prudent, and try to keep everybody safe."