Should a Pastor Endorse a Candidate for President?
This is an election year. This year, as every election year, will determine the President of the USA and the direction our country will be heading. Should a pastor, should I, be political? Should a pastor make a political endorsement of certain candidates?
There are some churches and pastors that openly, even from the pulpit, endorse polticians. I think this is wrong. Even if it is allowed and was legal, I don’t think a pastor should go so far as to endorse particular candidates. I think this is an issue of wisdom and priorities. Let me break this down into a few different lines of thought: offense of the gospel, Biblical issues inform political ones, and shepherding people from all parties.
#1 The offense of the gospel.
A pastor and church should never shy away from the offense of the gospel. The gospel will offend. That is a non-negotiable. But, we must be careful not to offend with things that are optional or secondary. By making an endorsement of one political candidate or party, we run the risk of offending those people who are for the other guy or other party. A pastor needs to make sure that the gospel is the first priority, not an election. The good news of Jesus is the primary proclamation that should come from the pulpit of a pastor. Everything a pastor chooses to say is also excluding something else he could be saying. To be overly political runs the risk of lessening the gospel of Jesus Christ.
#2 Biblical issue inform political ones
Don’t get ahead of me yet. While I think it is unwise of a pastor to endorse a particular political party or candidate from the pulpit this does not mean that he should not address issues and values. A pastor absolutely has a responsibility to preach the whole counsel of the Word of God. The Bible gives believers many mandates that are relevant to modern social issues. A pastor should never shy away from faithful proclamation of the Biblical view of these social positions.
For example, it is critical necessary for a pastor to preach sound Biblical messages on the horror that is abortion. The Bible is unequivocal on this issue. We can’t let politics hijack our courage from preaching the Biblical truth that abortion is wrong. Obviously, that Biblical position should be used by the wise Christian to guide us in who to vote for.
I think the wise course of action would be for a pastor to defend the sanctity of life without saying, “Don’t vote for so and so candidate.” Preach the Biblical truth unashamedly, but don’t mandate a particular vote. This is true for other important issues of the day that are addressed by scripture.
#3 Shepherding All
The pastor must shepherd, minister, and teach all different types of sheep and church members. Some are more mature in their faith, some are not. Some are from one political party, some from another, some from no party affiliation at all. The church is not an arm of the Republican National Convention. It is the body of Christ. As a pastor I lessen my leadership ability by being overly political from the pulpit. I need to teach the Biblical issues and lead the people no matter what party that they might prefer. It is my opinion that this philosophy is the wisest course for a pastor.
I do not think that this means a pastor cannot have a personal opinion. He does, and he does have a vote. I do and I will. I will not endorse a candidate from the pulpit, but if it comes up on a personal level I have no problem voicing my political opinions.
One more note. I hope this serves as a good example for others. As followers of Jesus, our home is not this world. We already belong to a political party – it’s called the kingdom of God. No human president is going to usurp the throne and power of our God. In fact, scripture is clear == God allows whoever is president to be president. So, no matter how this election turns out, Jesus Christ still rose from the dead and will return with the sound of a mighty trumpet. Let’s serve Him above anything else.
Showing posts with label pastor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pastor. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Should Pastors Make Political Endorsements
This is an election year. This year, as every election year, will determine the President of the USA and the direction our country will be heading. Should a pastor, should I, be political? Should a pastor make a political endorsement of certain candidates?
This year on Oct. 7th several hundred pastors are going to make a political endorsement from the pulpit of their church in defiance of the IRS code that specifically forbids non-profit organizations from making a political endorsement(read here). The supposed penalty for making that political statement will be a loss of non-profit status. This means that contributions made will not be tax-deductible for those making the contribution.
I think this is wrong. Even if it is allowed and was legal, I don’t think a pastor should go so far as to endorse particular candidates.
I think this is an issue of wisdom and priorities. Let me break this down into a few different lines of thought: offense of the gospel, Biblical issues inform political ones, and shepherding people from all parties.
#1 The offense of the gospel.
A pastor and church should never shy away from the offense of the gospel. The gospel will offend. That is a non-negotiable. But, we must be careful not to offend with things that are optional. My making an endorsement of one political candidate or party, we run the risk of offending those people who are for the other guy or other party. A pastor needs to make sure that the gospel is the first priority, not an election. The good news of Jesus is the primary proclamation that should come from the pulpit of a pastor. Everything a pastor chooses to say is also excluding something else he could be saying. To be overly political runs the risk of lessening the gospel of Jesus Christ.
#2 Biblical issue inform political ones
Don’t get ahead of me yet. While I think it is unwise of a pastor to endorse a particular political party or candidate from the pulpit this does not mean that he should not address issues and values. A pastor absolutely has a responsibility to preach the whole counsel of the Word of God. The Bible gives believers many mandates that are relevant to modern social issues. A pastor should never shy away from faithful proclamation of the Biblical view of these social positions.
For example, it is critical necessary for a pastor to preach sound Biblical messages on the horror that is abortion. The Bible is unequivocal on this issue. We can’t let politics hijack our courage from preaching the Biblical truth that abortion is wrong. Obviously, that Biblical position should be used by the wise Christian to guide us in who to vote for.
I think the wise course of action would be for a pastor to defend the sanctity of life without saying, “Don’t vote for Obama, you must vote for Romney.” Preach the Biblical truth unashamedly, but don’t mandate a particular vote. This is true for other important issues of the day that are addressed by scripture: the sin of homosexuality and same-sex marriage, the sin of abortion, and many others.
#3 Shepherding All
The pastor must shepherd, minister, and teach all different types of sheep and church members. Some are more mature in their faith, some are not. Some are from one political party, some from another, some from no party affiliation at all. The church is not an arm of the Republican National Convention. It is the body of Christ. As a pastor I lessen my leadership ability by being overly political from the pulpit. Teach the Biblical issues and lead the people no matter what party that they might prefer. It is my opinion that this philosophy is the wisest course for a pastor.
I do not think that this means a pastor cannot have a personal opinion. He does, and he does have a vote. I will not endorse a candidate from the pulpit, but if it comes up on a personal level I have no problem voicing my political opinions.
Friday, August 8, 2008
What Do I Do? The Job of a Pastor
“What do you do all day?” “What do you do all week?” “Pastors only have to work one day a week.”
I have heard all three of those questions/statements in various forms over the years. People seem to be curious about what it is that a pastor does and what a pastor’s life is like. They also seem curious about the life of a pastor’s wife. Michelle has received some interesting questions as well.
What does a pastor do? Maybe the question should not be what do I do, but what SHOULD I do? What is the Biblical responsibilities for a pastor?
There are actually several passages of scripture that directly address the job of a pastor. The term “pastor” is actual a biblical term that carries with it the responsibility of the pastorate.
I am not going to address each of the passages of scripture and all of the tasks that a pastor is to do. I want to address the main thing.
Acts 6:1-4
The early church in the book of Acts had run across a problem. There was a practical issue among the church members that needed addressing. So, the church comes together to address the issue and what comes out of that meeting lays the foundation for the main responsibility of the pastor. It’s not the only responsibility but the main one.
" Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”" (Acts 6:1-4, ESV)
This passage does not say that the leaders of the church should never serve these widows. In fact, there is clear instruction elsewhere that the pastor is to set the example of servanthood to others in the church.
This passage is about priorities. And the point is real clear. The main priority for the pastor is “prayer and the ministry of the word”. There are other passages of scripture that assign other tasks like administration, leadership, service, managing, and oversight of the church. But, the main task of the pastor is the preparation to preach.
Paul told pastor Timothy to “preach the Word”(2 Tim. 4:1-2). Titus 1:9 mentions the mandate of teaching. And we could go on.
I am fully convinced that my main responsibility is the preparation and delivery of the Word of God. I believe that I am held accountable by God Himself for this responsibility and I should be held accountable by the church body as well. That makes the task of preaching central and the highest priority for the tasks of pastors.
If I fail to devote the appropriate attention to the matter of preaching, I believe that I will have to answer to God for that sin. I believe that when I preach on Sundays that the congregation is my secondary audience. My primary audience is the Lord. I am preaching because He called me to. I am preaching, hopefully, by His power and strength. I am preaching by His wisdom. I am preaching by His grace and mercy. How can I take this task lightly?!
How much time does prayer and ministry of the Word take each week? There is no set answer. But, suffice to say, I never feel like I have spent too much time in preparation. I have a set method of study and preparation that works for me. Sometimes that takes longer than at other times depending on the passage.
I try to accomplish two major things in my preparation. One is to get the text right. I don’t want to get God’s Word wrong. It is His holy Word and I want to make sure that I am faithful to what He says. My second goal is to allow myself to be impacted by His Word. Before I preach to anyone else I want to allow God to speak to me through His Word.
Am I perfect at accomplishing those two tasks? Of course not. There are days and weeks where my flesh gets in the way and the preparation can become a rote exercise, instead of a spiritual exercise. There are days and weeks where it is just a job.
But, I love to preach. I love to dig into God’s Word. And I love to proclaim it to the people.
Whatever God has called you to is just as important. Our highest boss is not the person who signs our checks, it is the Lord God.
I ask you to pray for me in the job that God has called me to.
I have heard all three of those questions/statements in various forms over the years. People seem to be curious about what it is that a pastor does and what a pastor’s life is like. They also seem curious about the life of a pastor’s wife. Michelle has received some interesting questions as well.
What does a pastor do? Maybe the question should not be what do I do, but what SHOULD I do? What is the Biblical responsibilities for a pastor?
There are actually several passages of scripture that directly address the job of a pastor. The term “pastor” is actual a biblical term that carries with it the responsibility of the pastorate.
I am not going to address each of the passages of scripture and all of the tasks that a pastor is to do. I want to address the main thing.
Acts 6:1-4
The early church in the book of Acts had run across a problem. There was a practical issue among the church members that needed addressing. So, the church comes together to address the issue and what comes out of that meeting lays the foundation for the main responsibility of the pastor. It’s not the only responsibility but the main one.
" Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”" (Acts 6:1-4, ESV)
This passage does not say that the leaders of the church should never serve these widows. In fact, there is clear instruction elsewhere that the pastor is to set the example of servanthood to others in the church.
This passage is about priorities. And the point is real clear. The main priority for the pastor is “prayer and the ministry of the word”. There are other passages of scripture that assign other tasks like administration, leadership, service, managing, and oversight of the church. But, the main task of the pastor is the preparation to preach.
Paul told pastor Timothy to “preach the Word”(2 Tim. 4:1-2). Titus 1:9 mentions the mandate of teaching. And we could go on.
I am fully convinced that my main responsibility is the preparation and delivery of the Word of God. I believe that I am held accountable by God Himself for this responsibility and I should be held accountable by the church body as well. That makes the task of preaching central and the highest priority for the tasks of pastors.
If I fail to devote the appropriate attention to the matter of preaching, I believe that I will have to answer to God for that sin. I believe that when I preach on Sundays that the congregation is my secondary audience. My primary audience is the Lord. I am preaching because He called me to. I am preaching, hopefully, by His power and strength. I am preaching by His wisdom. I am preaching by His grace and mercy. How can I take this task lightly?!
How much time does prayer and ministry of the Word take each week? There is no set answer. But, suffice to say, I never feel like I have spent too much time in preparation. I have a set method of study and preparation that works for me. Sometimes that takes longer than at other times depending on the passage.
I try to accomplish two major things in my preparation. One is to get the text right. I don’t want to get God’s Word wrong. It is His holy Word and I want to make sure that I am faithful to what He says. My second goal is to allow myself to be impacted by His Word. Before I preach to anyone else I want to allow God to speak to me through His Word.
Am I perfect at accomplishing those two tasks? Of course not. There are days and weeks where my flesh gets in the way and the preparation can become a rote exercise, instead of a spiritual exercise. There are days and weeks where it is just a job.
But, I love to preach. I love to dig into God’s Word. And I love to proclaim it to the people.
Whatever God has called you to is just as important. Our highest boss is not the person who signs our checks, it is the Lord God.
I ask you to pray for me in the job that God has called me to.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)