Questions are being raised among churchgoers as to whether the time has come for churches to implement tighter security measures to protect their assets and congregants.

The issue has come to the fore following reports of the abduction and rape of a 13-year-old girl at a church camp in the volatile Caanan Heights community in central Clarendon in the wee hours of Independence morning.

The issue also comes against the background of an increase in property crimes against the Church.

The Salvation Army, in particular, has been hit by robbers on a number of occasions since the start of the year, forcing it to consider whether it would cut its aid.

Head of the Praise City International Church in Arnett Gardens in volatile South St Andrew, Dr Henley Morgan, says raising the level of security is an issue churches should be considering, but cautioned against the move in spite of the continually growing gun violence across the island.

"We do know in Jamaica the attack on church groups is very very low ... . The attack on youth camps is even lower," Morgan said.

He said the Church should also consider the impact tighter security could have on the perception that the organisation held faith as one of its core pillars.

"It's not considered to be a demonstration of faith," he said. "It's a strong thing in Jamaica, particularly within the lower strata, that God will protect and provide as long as you are doing his bidding."

Executive chairman of the Church of God in Jamaica, the Reverend Lenworth Anglin, shared some similar thoughts on the issue. He said given the growing crime situation, the issue of security is proving more challenging for churches that need to strike a balance between demonstrating their faith and pragmatism.

He said there were churches that believed they knew the communities in which they worked well, but that sometimes that was not the always the case.

"It's an assumption that some of us make, and it's proving to be otherwise now. You have to be careful," Anglin said.

He said given the circumstances, it might be wiser for churches to operate daytime camps that allow children to leave the compound before dark, rather than run a residential facility that would require heightened and costly security.

"It's not cowardice but wisdom that churches must exercise," he said.

gareth.manning@gleanerjm.com