As I was driving back to the office last week I passed a Church with a lot of political signs in their front yard. That made me think about a blog I had written 8 years ago regarding the separation of church and state and some of the pitfalls that can befall a Church if politics are brought into play during a sermon. My blog from 8 years ago follows.
Last week Donald Trump was in Cleveland Heights for a town hall meeting at the New Spirit Revival Center. The Pastor of New Spirit Revival Center has been a Trump supporter since he became a candidate. Nationally about 10% of pastors endorse a candidate for public office from the pulpit based on a survey conducted by Lifeway Research. (current information from Lifeway Research indicated 2% of U.S. Protestant pastors have endorsed a candidate during a church service this year and 25% have endorsed a political candidate outside of their church role this year)
What issues can a Church run into when a Pastor or Leader takes the forefront in an election?
Using the church building as a vessel for political involvement is not an issue but activities such as having a candidate speak during worship service can jeopardize a church’s tax exempt status. A town hall style meeting marketed as a political non-religious event should be fine.
If a church leader is going to discuss political issues from the pulpit or in a church bulletin the issues should be ones that the entire denomination can stand behind. If not, the church runs the risk of not being in compliance with their tax-exempt status.
Holding voter registration events in a nonpartisan manner are fine for a church to conduct. These events can be held in conjunction with clothes give away or a free meal for the community. Information regarding specific candidates should not be made available at voter registration events so there is no risk of the event being considered partisan.
As with all activities that a church considers conducting, the ideas should be vetted through the church’s council (titles may vary) and the denomination’s leaders. In addition trusted advisors to the church should also be contacted including your insurance agent, accountant and corporate counsel.
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