With the start of the 2008 elections less than a year away it is worth taking a moment to talk about what kinds of political activity churches and their clergy are prohibited from undertaking – and what we’re allowed to do.
First, churches (like all non-profits) are allowed under federal law to take positions on public policy issues. That means we can support or oppose ballot measures, city ordinances, state and/or federal legislation. There are limits, however, to how much non-profits can spend on such activities. If your congregation is spending considerable staff time or money on lobbying for specific legislative goals you should consult an attorney well versed in IRS regulations related to church political activity to ensure you stay within the law.
Churches, again like all non-profits, are prohibited from endorsing candidates for public office. If your church endorses a candidate the federal government can revoke your non-profit status. Churches are also prohibited from supporting political parties. Regardless, churches should not be agents of political parties or partisan candidates.
Clergy, on the other hand, are free to both support candidates for public office and to make donations to both campaigns and political parties. Here is where it becomes tricky. Clergy are naturally associated by the public with their congregations and so the lines can become blurred.
This is what I said when I recently endorsed Barack Obama for president:
As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I trust deeply in the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state and my endorsement is therefore a personal one and does not reflect on the church I serve or my denomination. But as a citizen I believe that all Americans must engage in the political process as individuals for democracy to thrive. So I choose to add my voice today with millions of other Americans concerned about the direction of this nation.
To keep these kinds of distinctions clear I refrain from any campaign work during work hours, the campaign knows only to call my private cell or home numbers, I do not discuss my involvement on campaigns with church members, and I would never promote my endorsement of a candidate from the pulpit during worship or during any other church related activity.
Do churches and clergy have a legitimate role in political affairs in a nation that celebrates the separation of church and state? My favorite (and oft quoted) answer comes from the United Methodist Social Principles:
The United Methodist Church believes that the church has the moral imperative to act for the common good. For people of faith, therefore, there are no political or spiritual spheres where their participation can be denied. The attempt to influence the formation and execution of public policy at all levels of government is often the most effective means available to churches to keep before humanity the ideal of a society in which power and order are made to serve the ends of justice and freedom for all people. Through such social action The United Methodist Church generates new ideas, challenges certain goals and methods, and help rearrange the emphasis on particular values in ways that facilitate the adoption and implementation of specific policies and programs that promote goals that are congruent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This task of the Church is in no way in contradiction with our commitment to a vital separation of Church and State. We believe that the integrity of both institutions is best served when both institutions do not try to control the other. Thus, we sustain with the first amendment to the Constitution that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;” We live in a pluralistic society. In such a society, churches should not seek to use the authority of government to make the whole community conform to their particular moral codes. Rather, churches should seek to enlarge and clarify the ethical grounds of public discourse and to identify and define the foreseeable consequences of available choices of public policy.
For more information on this subject visit this resource from the United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries:
