A Baltimore pastor is depending on more than just God for protection. He’s started carrying a firearm after becoming a target for violent incidents.
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Baltimore Rev. Rodney Hudson at Ames Memorial Church and the Metropolitan United Methodist Church commented on becoming a pastor with a gun. He said he was forced to protect himself. A series of violent incidents rattled the pastor. That included being attacked at the pulpit and mugged in the church parking lot.
“I carry and I don’t care who knows it,” Rev. Rodney Hudson told the Baltimore Sun. “It’s sad to say — we all believe in God as our protector, but the other harsh reality is that there are so many people who have absolutely no respect for God and the church nowadays.”
According to the pastor, both of the churches has little security. They only have one guard. So Hudson felt the need to protect himself from potential threats.
“If they get past him, I’m the second guard,” said Hudson. “The pastor almost has to be a security guard.”
Pastor With A Gun
Given the current climate, Hudson is on edge. In 2024 alone, there were 415 incidents targeting churches. High profile shootings at a Catholic school and Mormon church have also rattled members of the religious community.
Hudson isn’t alone in feeling stressed. Rev. Dr. Harold A Carter Jr, a pastor at Baltimore’s New Shiloh Baptist Church, also says that the times are dark for the churches.
“People under stress tend to take out their frustrations on religious or faith-based institutions. They stand for something, unlike neighborhoods, community centers, or malls. It becomes simpler and easier to turn one’s frustrations and anger against the church,” Carter said. “Spiritual warfare is a major variable in the equation.”
At his congregation, Carter has increased security which includes an armed guard. In fact, more than 50 percent of congregations have increased security due to concerns about threats.
“Churches are not immune to violence, disputes, domestic disagreements, vandalism and burglary,” Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, commented on the matter.
“While loving one another is a core Christian teaching, churchgoers still sin, and non-churchgoers are invited and welcomed. So real security risks exist whether a congregation wants to acknowledge them or not.”