What Clergy and Churches Can Say (and Not Say)During the Election Season
As the election season continues to ramp up, there are laws about what churches (as 501c3 organizations) can and cannot do to engage in the political process. The WCC’s Director of Ecumenical Innovation and Justice Initiatives, Rev. Breanna Illéné sat down (recorded interview here) with Rev. Dr. Leah Schade, Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary and co-founder of the Clergy Emergency League to talk about how to navigate this season.
As congregations begin to discern what they will do during this election season, Rev. Dr. Schade invites you to reflect on what sort of approach you will take. Is this the first time your congregation has engaged in these topics or is there political discord in the community? You may want to take a gentler approach that names and frames issues biblically and creates space for the congregation to voice their feelings. But if your church is experienced, perhaps you take a more robust approach that is bold and equips people towards action for justice. (see graphic below or recorded interview for more details about various approaches). It’s important to be in conversation with leaders about how you will engage this fall and there are some clear lines around what churches can and cannot do.
Things congregations CANNOT do:
Endorse candidates or give them money as a congregation.
Allow candidates to speak during worship service.
Print, distribute or post materials ranking candidates on issues or say “they agree/disagree with us”.
Endorse candidates as a congregation.
Have unclear boundaries if clergy or a member is running for political office.
Things congregations CAN do:
Educate and encourage:
How to vote, how to find info on registering to vote, where the polling place is, what will be on the ballot, Voter ID requirement.
Share nonpartisan voting guides to what is on the ballot.
Remind people to vote.
Participate in nonpartisan Get Out The Vote activities.
Host a candidate forum – as long as all candidates are invited on an equal basis.
Share questionnaires – all candidates must be asked equally.
Lobby on specific legislation – Churches can advocate for or against specific bills that have been or could be introduced in the legislature.
Host a polling location at your church (contact your local municipal clerk for more information).
Legally offer space to political events or for use by political parties - only if it is equally available to all parties (though we advise you to careful around the optics of renting the space and being very transparent in the process).
Be a poll chaplain or volunteer for other nonpartisan election positions.
Clergy can speak on their own platforms about their own personal moral and ethical discernment, clarifying that this is not the church’s position, but their own as a private citizen.
Overall, Dr. Leah Schade reminded us that we can be political (speaking up on behalf of issues and justice) but cannot be partisan. She shared a great quote from Rev. Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson from the UCC Justice and Witness Ministries, “Politics is about the values we honor, the dollars we allocate and the process we follow so that we can live together with some measure of justice, order and peace.” As Christians, we are called to be a voice of biblical, moral, and ethical truth in this season, calling all who are involved in the election process to value all people, work towards the common good, promote our common home, and speak in honesty and truth (“The Time is Now for the ‘Election Sermon’,” Jim Antal).
The separation of church and state is a foundational principle, but it doesn’t preclude people of faith from speaking out on issues of justice and morality. Churches can and should engage in public discourse, provided they do so with transparency, respect for boundaries, and a commitment to the common good. This is our call: to live out our faith in the public square, advocating for justice and compassion bringing together Jesus and Justice in public.
