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ETA: just out of curiosity, when you say that you have helped 100 people in the church obtain their LTC, is that 100 people that took your class or 100 people who actually followed through and obtained their license? The reason I ask is I have a friend who attended a large church and gave free or greatly reduced classes twice a year at the the church. He stopped doing it because in following up with those who attended he discovered that the majority who attended never got around to submitting the paperwork. Just wondering what your experience has been.

Before I became an instructor I set up classes for a friend of a friend held at our congregation. Almost all in attendance were members. After I became an instructor I carried on. They were all paying customers and I followed up with most of them to see if they got their license. How many renewed is a question as I don't make it a habit of checking up on them years later.

I know many don't carry on a regular basis.

jmra wrote:

mloamiller wrote:My church posted 30.07 signs, but no 30.06. To my knowledge, nothing has been said or announced, just quietly implemented.

CC is very prevalent in our congregation. Normal Sunday attendance is around 6500+, and I suspect we have 200+ carrying each Sunday, not counting the off-duty LEOs. I know for a fact that out of our 20 member Sunday School class, almost half have their LTC and most carry every Sunday (many of the wives don't always carry at church as they are often working with kids at some point).

If your normal attendance is 6500 and you have 200+ carrying, you are way above statistical probabilities.
I'd be willing to bet your estimate is way off. I'll explain: LTC makes up 3% of the population (3% of 6500 is 195). Obviously demographics can skew this number some but not by much. It's safe to say that at least half of LTC holders rarely if ever carry. Statistics would suggest that at most there would be under 100. Given the number of times that people on this forum have been corrected regarding the incorrect belief that church carry is illegal and the number of LTC I've encountered that simply can't understand why someone would need to carry at church, I'd be willing to bet the number is substantially lower than 100.
I believed for a number of years that carry in our was significantly higher than it actually is until multiple conversations with people that I knew were licensed revealed that they either didn't carry at all or didn't carry at church. Of course YMMV.

In our congregation of approx 1500 I know of well over 100 members that have or at least have had their CHL in the last 10 years because I either set up the class for them or taught them after I became an instructor. I also know that there a a good number that had their's previously or got theirs from a different instructor. How many do I not know about? I estimate we have about 150 licensed in our congregation. I would t be surprised if there were many more. How many carry? Not as many as I would like.

A big non-issue this morning at our congregation. Saw nobody open carrying. It was pretty chilly so most everyone had a jacket on. We'll see if things change as it warms up but I suspect it won't.

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

Romans 14, specifically v.19-20b, 15:1 and I Cor. 8:9 will be in my discussion with anyone that may wish to press the issue. This moves beyond man's rights and to "... making every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." v.19. If open carry disrupts services or causes another member to question their faith then keeping it concealed is a satisfactory compromise to me. I would prefer that everyone think like me and have no issue with it but that is not reality. Maybe, with time, they will. Until then I'm content to still be armed and help in keeping the flock safe.

We are a congregation of approx. 1500

Last night I was asked to meet with the elders regarding the change in the law and our options. There was productive discussion and the decision was made to have a soft policy asking for the continued concealed carrying of firearms. Our leadership is not considering posting or using the 30.07 language.

The leadership did not appear to be opposed to open carry but rather are concerned about the distraction or disruption that it may cause. Romans 14 states that even though an action may be legal if it causes someone to stumble we should be respectful and refrain from that action.

We will run announcements in the bulletin and monitors for weeks leading up to the 1st requesting CHL/LTC to continue to keep their firearms concealed. On Jan. 3rd we will station a few individuals at the entrances in the event anyone comes in OC. We will explain our position and politely ask them to cover, secure it in their vehicle, or leave. Escalation will depend on the individual's compliance. We don't anticipate any problems but we wish to be prepared.

By adopting this attitude I feel it allows us a little wiggle room that if someone exposes their firearm the general membership will realize that it is legal and the church would rather you not open carry but accidents happen and if it is corrected in a timely and humble manner then no-harm-no-foul. Any person that seems to push the issue has heart problems and they will be address appropriately. I think the announcements will also open a few eyes that we already have firearms in the building and nothing happens. I hope this will incubate a positive image of gun ownership and carry.

As much as I favor constitutional carry and support open carry (even though I will rarely do it) I think this is a good compromise. In a year or two, maybe even sooner, it may be unnecessary as the population is exposed to the idea of OC. Right now we don't want the first exposure to OC to be the person sitting next to old lady Jones on the pew Jan. 3rd. It is so early in the game that it will take some time for people to get used to it.

Our elders are very appreciative of conceal carry.