A preacher in Baltimore has taken the drastic step of carrying a firearm and hiring a uniformed armed guard for his church after facing multiple attacks.

Reverend Rodney Hudson, who once solely relied on divine protection, now feels compelled to take additional measures to ensure his safety.

“I carry and I don’t care who knows it,” Hudson expressed to the Baltimore Sun.

He lamented, “It’s disheartening to admit – we all trust God as our protector, yet the grim truth is that many people today show no reverence for God or the church.”

Hudson, the pastor of Ames Memorial Church and Metropolitan United Methodist Church, disclosed that he has been assaulted twice in his church’s parking lot.

He also recalled being attacked in the pulpit by the son of the deceased while giving a eulogy at a funeral, an incident that led him to take up a weapon. 

The recent violence in and against places of worship had compelled him to strengthen safety measures for himself and his churches. 

Between 2018 and 2024, the Family Research Council noted 1,384 acts of violence, theft or arson toward churches in the United States. 

Rev Rodney Hudson revealed that after he was attacked three times, he realized it was time to rely on a gun and a uniformed armed guard to keep him safe

Since 2018 until December 2024, the Family Research Council noted 1,384 acts of violence, theft, or arson toward churches in the United States

Rev Dr Harold A Carter Jr (pictured right) told the outlet that the events were shocking, and he was surprised that people turned their frustrations toward churches and religious groups

Many of those attacks occurred in Baltimore, including the nonfatal shooting of an intruder by a pastor at an abandoned church as well as the fatal shooting of a man outside Adams Chapel AME Church. 

For Hudson, shootings, such as that in Minnesota in August that caused the deaths of two children and wounded 26 during mass at a Catholic school, are raising more alarm bells and signal a need for increased security. 

In September, a military veteran drove his truck into a Mormon church in Michigan and began shooting, leaving at least four dead, and then set a fire. 

Rev Dr Harold A Carter Jr told the outlet that the events were shocking, and he was equally surprised that these individuals were turning their frustrations toward churches and religious groups. 

Carter, New Shiloh Baptist Church’s pastor in Baltimore, noted potential motives behind the acts of violence could be rooted in much of the country’s political tensions and the increase in extreme ideologies. 

‘Spiritual warfare is a major variable in the equation,’ he said. ‘We are engaged in a spiritual battle. But 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.’

Hudson’s decision to take up arms, and have an armed guard at the church, was informed by these tragic events and has been a decision that many places of worship have adopted in recent years. 

A bloodcurdling video of churchgoers suddenly realizing the unfolding terror and running toward the door at CrossPointe Church in Wayne, Michigan

Carter, New Shiloh Baptist Church’s pastor in Baltimore, noted potential motives behind the acts of violence could be rooted in much of the country’s political tensions and the increase in extreme ideologies

Hudson’s churches are only able to afford one uniformed officer. He took the decision to add further protection and put himself on the line

Lifeway Research, a nonprofit firm in Nashville, found that 54 percent of Christian congregations in the US had armed church members on site in 2023 during congregations, the Sun reported. 

As a ‘free person of faith,’ Carter said he did not feel the need to arm himself but has employed methods to keep members of his church safe, including surveillance cameras and a security team. 

‘For churches of our size, it’s common; it’s of necessity,’ he told the outlet. 

Hudson, a former US Army paratrooper, said his decision to carry a gun would not be wholeheartedly accepted by many other pastors. 

His two churches are only able to afford one uniformed officer so he took the decision to add further protection and put himself on the line. 

‘If they get past him, I’m the second guard,’ he said. ‘The pastor almost has to be a security guard.’