It happened in Grand Blanc, Michigan. A Sunday service. Ordinary families. Then chaos. A man rammed his car into a Mormon church, opened fire on worshippers, and set the place on fire. Four dead. Others wounded. That’s not just violence. That’s an assault on faith itself.
Americans like to think this sort of thing happens somewhere else, anywhere else. Somewhere far away. But churches here are becoming targets more often than most want to admit. Admittedly, I may be closer to this than most, as my wife and I are full-time pastors and have been serving in ministry most of our lives. Unfortunately, security measures are becoming an ever-expanding part of our weekend focus.
A Pattern Is Emerging
Since 2020, nearly 400 Catholic churches have been vandalized or desecrated. The Family Research Council says more than 400 attacks on churches happened in 2024. First Liberty reports over 430 in 2023. However you crunch the numbers, it’s obvious: These aren’t isolated acts. Churches are being singled out.
But repairs that were once a matter of a Lowe’s trip and some hard work are now becoming matters of mortality. The Family Research Council report identified 1,384 hostile incidents targeting churches from 2018 to 2024, with more than half coming in the past two years.
And it’s not confined to the coasts or big cities. It’s suburbs, small towns, and now Michigan. The idea that the sanctuary is “safe” is slipping away.
Of course, Christians in America aren’t living under the same brutal persecution that believers face in Nigeria, China, or the Middle East. There, being caught in church can mean death, prison, or exile. Thank God we’re not there.
But using that as a reason to ignore what’s happening here is dangerous. Every time an attack like Grand Blanc gets treated as just another crime scene, we miss the bigger picture. What starts with vandalism and firebombs can, over time, continue to evolve into something far worse. It deserves our attention.
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What Do We Watch?
So what should we be watching for in the months ahead? First, motive matters. If investigators uncover that faith itself was the reason these congregations were attacked, it needs to be said clearly and loudly. Watering it down to “random violence” only hides the truth. We should also be wary of copycats. Tragedies like Michigan have a way of inspiring the unhinged to repeat them, and that possibility has to be taken seriously.
The role of law enforcement and prosecutors will be critical. Do they treat these as crimes against a community of faith, or do they quietly downgrade them to property damage? That decision shapes how seriously future attackers believe they’ll be punished. And finally, churches themselves need to decide how they’ll respond. Will leaders start taking security seriously, or will they keep pretending it could never happen in their town until the day it does?
What Do We Do?
The answer begins with honesty. When churches are targeted, we must stop soft-pedaling and call it what it is: Christian persecution. That’s not exaggeration. It’s reality. And while prayer and faith are central to our response, churches also need to face the fact that security is now part of shepherding the flock. Locking doors, training volunteers, and protecting the vulnerable isn’t a sign of weak faith; it’s recognizing that evil exists.
Even this past Sunday, I spoke with our own church’s head of security. We are constantly walking a tightrope between safety and comfort. While we prioritize the safety of our facility and church members, we’re trying to do so without making the Sunday morning worship experience feel like a military operation. Add in the factor of over 150 kids on any given Sunday, and we’re really struggling to navigate this landscape.
We also can’t afford to sweep incidents under the rug. Too many attacks are ignored or underreported, and every time that happens, it gives permission for the next one. Shine a light on it, speak plainly, and demand accountability. And above all, Christians themselves must be willing to raise their voices. If the media shrugs or mocks when sanctuaries burn, then believers must be louder. Silence isn’t neutrality. Silence is surrender.
Wake Up, America
The Michigan attack should jolt us. People came to worship and left in ambulances. If that doesn’t make us realize faith is under fire, nothing will. Let’s not pretend what’s happening here is insignificant. Christian persecution in America is real, it’s rising, and ignoring it is no longer an option.
Even with all of that said, and the uncertainties that lie ahead, history has proven one thing. The Church doesn’t shrink under persecution; it multiplies. Evil can burn buildings, but it cannot burn faith. And if America keeps pushing Christians to the margins, it may just spark the kind of revival our enemies never saw coming.
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