The pastor at River at Tampa Bay Church, which regularly broadcasts its services live on social media, put up a picture on his personal Instagram page to share the policy of the 'private property'.
The sign reads: "Please know this is not a gun free zone -- we are heavily armed -- any attempt will be dealt with deadly force -- yes we are a church and will protect our people."
The message is signed from "The Pastors."
Associate Pastor Allen Hawes told the Tampa Bay the posters at the 21-year-old church were put up about a year ago but Senior Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne posted it social media in the wake of the deadly church shooting in Texas that killed 26 congregants.
The post sparked a wide debate by social media users who questioned the church's gun-carrying policy.
This is not a sick joke.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 19, 2017
This is America's response to the recent mass shooting in a church. pic.twitter.com/5lZ77TtvEY
One user tweeted "Thou shall not kill...they must of missed that one" while another responded with "I don't recall a 'thou shall not defend thy self' I do recall a 'the one having no sword, let him sell his cloak and buy one'."
Hawes defended the church and said the sign served to act as "a deterrent".
He added: "Look at what is going on. In the past two months, look at what happened in Texas. Look at what happened in Las Vegas.
"We want people to know that this is a safe zone."
