When it comes to politics in the Church, many believe pastors should remain silent. Instead of swaying their congregation one direction or the other, most keep their views to themselves. According to Lifeway Research, even if it were legal for religious organizations to endorse candidates, 93% of U.S. Protestant pastors said they wouldn’t and do not plan to do so, especially within worship service settings.
While the IRS has explained that doing so would allow churches to express their guidance without losing their tax-exempt status, more than 9/10 have said they will not endorse even if the IRS changes its policy.
Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, brings up a good question: “Since historically very few Protestant pastors had endorsed candidates from the pulpit, we were interested in whether the IRS ruling last year would change that. Were pastors simply obeying the tax law or was their neutrality in a worship setting their conviction?”
Since 1954, tax-exempt charitable organizations, such as churches, have been prohibited from endorsing political candidates. In 2024, however, two churches in Texas sued the IRS for this violation of First Amendment rights. The parties did reach an agreement in 2025 that would allow churches to endorse in their “usual channels of communication” without risking tax-related consequences, but the ruling was rejected.
To date, “only 5% of U.S. Protestant pastors say they plan to publicly endorse candidates during a worship service at their church, while 93% say no and 2% aren’t sure.”
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