Written by Don Byrd
With election season heating up and 10 months still to go, it’s not too early to recall a key principle regarding the role of houses of worship in the political process: while churches and church officials can and should make their prophetic voices heard on issues of the day, they should refrain from official endorsements for or against particular candidates for office.
North Carolina’s Biblical Recorder published some pastor responses to this issue, including Joel Stephens, Pastor of Westfield Baptist Church. Here is an excerpt from his compelling perspective:
[P]astors must beware of the temptation to use the platform of the pastorate to cast our influence into areas that are not within the bounds of our responsibility. Officially endorsing a political candidate crosses that boundary, in my opinion.
A Spirit-filled, biblically-discipled believer should not have to be told who to vote for. Certainly, pastors can and should give their congregation the tools to make that decision: an explanation of the issues, a biblical response to those issues and resources that explain where each candidate stands on those issues.
At that point, in my view, a pastor that has done so has “equipped the saints” for their civic duty. Those believers are then responsible for what they do with this knowledge – “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Churches are prohibited from engaging in electioneering just like other 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, as a condition of tax-exempt status under IRS regulations. But that rule also happens to protect the church along the way – from being exploited by political campaigns, and from jeopardizing the health of the church with unnecessary conflict within the congregation.
For more, see the Baptist Joint Committee’s Church Electioneering Resources.
