Your pastor and church can do a great deal relative to elections. Use as many of the ideas below as you can. No one and no church can do everything, but everyone and every church can do something.
Several of these suggestions are easily implemented with minimal impact on a pastor’s schedule or church resources.
Please contact Dan Degner, Director of Church Ambassador Network with Wisconsin Family Council at ddegner@wifamilycouncil.org /608-268-5074 for a copy of WFC’s Resource Notebook which provides greater detail on the action items listed below.
- Read through Alliance Defending Freedom’s Five Things to Know: A Legal Guide for Churches, 2020 (this is updated each election cycle). Often pastors are hesitant to do anything because they are unsure of what they can do. This practical guide gives clear guidance on what and what is not allowed.
https://lcrlfreedom.org/images/general/2020%20Election%20Guide.pdf - Make announcements, verbally and in church print and digital publications, about the date of the upcoming general election and encourage folks to get registered and to vote.
- Pray. Right now, our country needs prayer. The COVID epidemic, general civic unrest, and the widespread promotion of immorality and other forms of wickedness are tearing our country apart. We need prayer because we desperately need God. Consider hosting regular prayer meetings leading up to the election. Incorporate prayer for officials currently in office (I Timothy 2:1-4).
- Invite your church members to make a commitment to vote.
- Distribute or make available WFC’s “Commit to Vote” reminder cards (business-size cards).
- Encourage them to go to WFC’s commit to vote website at https://committovotewi.org/ and make the pledge. (Those who make a commitment are much more likely to follow through because of the commitment.)
- Include this website on your church’s website or digital announcements and encourage folks to participate.
- Alternatively, have a church liaison collect signatures on “Commit to Vote” Pledge forms.
- Distribute or make available digitally WFC’s “Honoring God” Bulletin Insert. On the front, this insert gives a brief biblical rationale for being involved and a list of internet-based resources on the back side relative to candidate information, voter registration, voting dates, etc.
- Distribute or make available digitally WFC’s Voter Information Publication.
- Promote to your church family participation in National Voter Registration Sunday. (Complete details for how to do this are included in this WFC Resource Notebook.) Publicly encourage folks to participate.
- Promote voter registration awareness Sundays at least two consecutive Sundays in your church. (Details of how to do this are included in this WFC Resource Notebook.) Publicly encourage folks to be participate.
- Encourage someone in your church to organize a team that will provide transportation to the polls. The team will need to identify vehicles to use, drivers with good records , instructions on how to advertise and promote the service, etc.
- Identify one or more trusted individuals who will help seniors who can’t get out to cast an absentee ballot. Promote this service to your seniors by any means available to your ministry.
- Host a candidate forum at your church.
- Invite a Wisconsin Family Council team member to come and speak to your church family about the importance of elections and why and how they can and should be involved.
- Harness the power of 10! Encourage each member in your church family to contact 10 individuals who share their biblical values and encourage them to get out and vote their values.
- If there are individuals in your congregation who need help in procuring and completing an absentee ballot, let them know who in your congregation is willing to help them with that.
- Show the “Honoring God with Your Vote” video before and/or after a service. Include a link to the video on your church website and/or on your church’s digital/email announcements. This video is available at www.wifamilycouncil.org/election-central/.
- Encourage folks in your congregation who are able to serve as poll workers or poll watchers. There is almost always a need for folks who are willing to serve in these capacities, and it can be an opportunity to be a good testimony in your community.
- Put up a “Honor God, Register to Vote” yard sign.