We’re about to begin a new sermon series at our church titled “My Burden. My City. My God.” The purpose of this series is to help our members see the spiritual implications of our upcoming political elections. As I prepare for this series I realize it may be controversial for some people who believe the church should stay out of politics. But as pastors, we have a spiritual responsibility to reveal how faith impacts our participation in the election of our civic leaders. With that in mind, I’d like to share my thoughts with you.
There are some who will say the church shouldn’t talk about political issues. That’s not true.
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” – I Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV
We need to discuss certain political issues so we can know how to pray. We can also discuss political issues so our prayerful voting, coupled with the outcomes of elections, may lead to a quiet and peaceable life for our members.
Here is another thought to consider from these verses: We need to pray for our leaders and “all who are in authority”. Unlike Israel and Rome in biblical times, we live in a democracy, not a monarchy, or empire. Our government is by the people for the people. We are the people. Therefore we have the authority and we should be praying for and exercising our authority by informing and voting.
There are also some who will say the church can’t talk about political issues legally. That’s not true either.
Click here to read a detailed statement about the restrictions for political campaigns on the IRS website. Below are summaries of this statement to help guide you along with my personal recommendations.
Update
Last week, the IRS sent a memo stating pastors can endorse candidates from the pulpit. The memo came as a result of a lawsuit. This memo is not a law. It is my recommendation that pastors abide by the existing tax law that is in place. Read the summary here.
Otherwise pastors could end up being sued by candidates for endorsing their opposition. You can read an article about the IRS memo to lift the ban on churches here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/11/irs-churches-johnson-amendment-politics-endorsements/84537752007/
Again, it is my recommendation that pastors do not treat this recent memo as law. With this in mind, read below a summary on the stipulations and restrictions for church political involvement.
Here is what churches cannot do:
- Churches are prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in any political campaign.
- Churches cannot endorse or oppose a candidate according to the law. The law supersedes the recently released memo.
- Churches cannot donate to a candidate or a campaign.
- Churches cannot engage in activities that could be seen as supporting or opposing a specific candidate.
- Churches cannot allow a substantial portion of their operations or resources to be used for lobbying purposes.
Here is what churches can do:
- Educate our members on political issues (not the candidates).
- Advocate for public policy issues that impact our members.
- Focus on spiritual issues that arise from political decisions and behaviors.
- Teach our members about the spiritual responsibility to vote and participate in government.
- Encourage our members to vote.
- Encourage our members to consider voting for their interests as believers.
- Participate in or host non-partisan events.
- Lobby within reason for issues that directly impact our members.
Here is what churches should not do (my personal recommendations):
- Allow candidates to speak or participate in worship services, taking the emphasis off God.
- Receive certain advantages or benefits provided by a candidate or their campaign. Basically, don’t take bribes.
- Receive and distribute campaign promotional materials. No political church fans, candidate ink pens, etc.
- Allow candidates to misrepresent the church in the media. Beware of innocent photos with candidates. They can be used to make it appear you endorse them.
- Allow candidates to put yard signs on property, distribute flyers, or put ads / inserts in church bulletins.
I hope this post has been beneficial for you.