A church in McAllen is taking precautions following a recent church shooting in California. 

The pastor for the New Life Family Church says while they hope churches are safe spaces, that's not always true. 

"We had a lot of issues with people walking in, running around the building," said Pastor Eliab Lara. "The first thing we said is, 'We need security.'"

Some churches work with law enforcement and have a security team of volunteers as an extra set of eyes, but not all of them do.

Most Valley churches have an open door policy and willingly invite people inside, but not everyone has good intentions.

Lara says the incident in California proves this, and although not all churches have funds for security, he says it's something church leaders need to consider.

"Churches are not the same. Many churches are targets. It's important to get a security team to protect even if it's one person for each service," Lara said. 

Lara says having a plan in case of an emergency is vital.