As America approaches a most critical election where the sanctity of unborn life, religious freedom, border security, support for Israel, and protecting children from mutilating surgeries all hang in the balance, a recent survey shows an estimated 32 million Christians who are regular churchgoers are unlikely to vote on Tuesday.

The survey, led by veteran researcher Dr. George Barna at Arizona Christian University, explained the reasons for the sheer number of potential abstentions range from general political disinterest, distaste for both major-party candidates, dissatisfaction in the quality of government, and the widespread expectation that illegal activity will corrupt the election results.

Regardless of the reasons, the study revealed that large numbers of pastors and churches have “distanced themselves” from the election and are not even engaging their congregants on the key societal issues they want to hear about.

However, Barna projected that if pastors simply encouraged their congregants to vote, an additional five million Christians will likely do so. By “that simple exhortation,” the study noted, pastors “could change the outcome of the election by simply doing their job and getting congregants to fulfill one of their chief duties as an American citizen.”

Last Chance, Pastors!

Barna noted the overall gap in the contested 2020 election was seven million votes, but the gaps in nine key swing states totaled just 587,000 votes.

“In that context, the 32 million Christians sitting in the pews each week who refuse to vote are a gamechanger. It’s low-hanging fruit for pastors as they try to motivate those congregants to carry out their civic duty and honor God through their influence for things that matter in our culture,” he stated.

Many of the concerns we face — the killing of unborn babies, the mutilating of gender-confused children, the porous American border, etc., — are biblical, not political. There is no excuse for silence on these issues. Notably, not one church has ever lost its tax-exempt status by simply lobbying for political intervention respecting a candidate for elected office.

While many pastors and churchgoers wrestle with these questions about biblical mandates during election season and what is legally permissible, data seems to point to a bottom line that churchgoing Christians want and expect their pastors to help them understand and engage on the societal issues of the day.

Congregations Want Your Help!

According to a new study from Lifeway Research, which surveyed 1,008 churchgoers nationwide, 80% expect their pastors to help them understand how to biblically address societal issues. The report revealed that four out of five American Protestant churchgoers “believe a pastor must address current issues to be doing their job.” Only 16% disagreed while 4% were not sure. Lifeway Research also found that congregants at larger churches (500 or more congregants) were more likely to say their pastors rarely spoke on current issues.

The Barna study, which surveyed 3,000 people nationwide, had similar findings, showing 61% of respondents receive weekly sermons on key political topics. The top issues of the greatest interest and influence to congregants regarding the election were inflation (67%), the economy in general (64%), immigration and border security (60%), and crime (59%). Issues like abortion and moral decline came in at 41% and 23%, respectively. Congregants also revealed the topics they have either heard already or want their pastors to teach about:

• Religious freedom (85%)
• Addressing poverty (84%)
• Abortion (70%)
• Israel conflict (65%)
• “Same-sex marriage” (60%)
• “Transgenderism” (50%)
• Immigration and border security (56%)

Recently, nationally known Pastor Jack Hibbs, from Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in California, affirmed that many pastors “will never bring up” issues like the definition of marriage, abortion, protecting children, or who to vote for to preserve a Judeo-Christian worldview. However, he exhorted his fellow pastors in this hour “to stand up and proclaim the truth without apology.” Hibbs explained that the role of the Christian is to “elect those most representative of a biblical worldview to public office,” and warned that if pastors and churchgoers alike do not engage with current issues and make a stand for biblical values, then “the void is filled by the bad guy.”

Political researcher Craig Huey noted that abolition was accomplished after evangelical pastors mobilized their churches against slavery. Huey stated, “The church should be the conscience of the community.”

As it was then, elections today are not just about politics, but about biblical and moral issues. The lives of precious unborn babies, the protection of children from irreversible mutilation, and the assaults on our freedoms and religious liberties all hang in the balance. Since Christians are commanded to be salt and light, voting is a biblical responsibility — and silence from the pulpit is not an option.

You have one opportunity left to speak to your congregation about this election. Please use it.

Liberty Counsel is a nationwide legal ministry dedicated to protecting the sanctity of human life, advancing religious liberty, and upholding God’s design for family. Since its inception in 1989, Liberty Counsel has worked strategically to defend the preborn and overturn the flawed Supreme Court abortion opinions of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In 2022’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court cited Liberty Counsel’s amicus brief that exposed the racist and eugenic history of abortion.  As the battle has shifted post-Roe, Liberty Counsel remains committed to protecting the sanctity of human life in all 50 states.