I don’t preach candidates or political parties.  I tell no one (other than my family) who I am voting for—not because I’m ashamed of it but because I want the focus of my life and church to be on Jesus and His gospel rather than on national policy and candidates.   I think the great need of America is for us to put our hope in God rather than in a candidate.

Nevertheless, I do love my church and country and I do have some very real hopes and prayers for this election cycle that I can and will share.  I have some prayers for the candidates for President and other offices, some prayers for Christian people, and some prayers for the church.

I hope you join me in these prayers.

What do I want to see from the candidates themselves?

I pray we will see an end to attack ads and verbal putdowns.  I don’t want to hear how “bad” the other candidate is.  I want to know who you are and why you believe I should vote for you.  In a country where there is much political unrest, outright hatred, and violence (not to mention mental illness), I want to see candidates put a damper on hate speech rather than contribute to it.

I pray you will let me know who you are—and I’m talking about your character more than your policies.  Do you have a history of telling the truth?  Can you admit when you’ve been wrong?  Do you have integrity in your personal relationships, your family, and in your personal finances?  Are you personally generous and does the way you spend your money and time indicate this—and not just when the cameras are on you?  What is your faith and how do you put this into practice?  Do you live by high moral standards in your personal life? 

I pray that we will hear some clarity on your policies.  It’s one thing to say, for example, that you want to cut taxes.  That will get you votes, I suppose, but it doesn’t tell me how you plan on doing this without significantly adding to the national debt.  I’m glad you want to “fix” the border, “fix” the economy, “fix” the overseas mess in Ukraine and in Gaza, and “fix” Social Security—everyone wants to do these things.  What I want to know is the “how.”  Do you have a realistic and workable plan or are you speaking just to get votes instead of offering solutions?

I pray that we will hear—before the election—that you will accept the results.  I want to know that you will give a clear and honorable concession speech if you do not win the election.  Our system relies on acceptance of the results by candidates and citizens and a peaceful transfer of power.  Candidates (especially for high-profile offices such as President, Senator, Representative, and Governor) have a huge impact on their supporters.  Will you calm the waters or add to the waves of discontent?  I want to know that before the election.

What do I want to see from Christians?

I want to see much prayer before we vote.  It’s easy to get carried away by the rhetoric of candidates and others who endorse candidates. But I don’t want us to vote on emotion. I want us to honestly seek God and hear from Him and then vote as God directs. Our prayers should “ask” God and not “tell” God our opinions.

I want to see believers vote for people of great personal character, real competency, and solid core values.  Too often, we have compromised on these issues, and the result is that we are often left with “the lesser of two evils” rather than getting to choose from two quality candidates of high moral character.  In part, it’s our own fault, because in primaries and for local elections, we have chosen “celebrity” over “character” and “policy” over “integrity” and we have therefore ignored Biblical principles of leadership.

I want believers to understand that not everyone sees eye-to-eye.  We are not all going to agree.  (I wish that everyone always agreed with me, but the truth is that not even my friends and family members always agree with me on political issues.)  I want us to love people even when we disagree and to refuse to allow political differences to separate friends and believers.

I want to see believers stop the “You can’t be a Christian if you vote for ‘X’ or belong to the ‘X’ party or if you don’t agree with me on ‘X.’”  The Bible is clear on what a Christian is—a believer in and a follower of Jesus.  Attempting to define it in modern political terms is unbiblical and divisive and extremely harmful to the cause of Christ.

I want to see believers accept the results of the election without anger, accusations, pettiness, or bitterness.  We teach our children and teens (at least I hope we do) to accept defeat with grace and good sportsmanship.  Adult believers need to do the same on national issues.

I want to see real prayer after the election for the newly elected leaders.  Whether we voted for them or not, we want to pray that God will use them and help them to do what’s right. 

What do I want to see for the Church, for both my church and the American church as a whole?

I want to see us focus on the great commands of the Bible.  Love God.  Love Jesus.  Love others as we love ourselves.  Follow Jesus.  Preach Jesus.  Make disciples.  I want us to remember at all times that our hope is in God and not in a party or a candidate.  Regardless of who wins the election, our task and mission will be the same. 

I want to see love prevail in the church.  I want democrats and republicans to allow unity in Christ to hold us together even when we disagree.  I want our love to be so strong that nothing can separate us.

I want to see no broken fellowships in the church or between churches.  I don’t want anyone to leave (or feel that they have to leave) because of political differences.  In every election since I first voted (1976) and especially in every election since I’ve been on a church staff (1980), I’ve seen people leave a church mad because of a political statement made by a pastor, teacher, or church member.  I’ve had people leave churches I pastored because I refused to endorse a candidate or because they thought (without knowing because I wouldn’t tell them) that I didn’t vote for their candidate. 

I won’t endorse a candidate.  I won’t tell you who I’m voting for.  I won’t tell you who to vote for.  I won’t endorse a political party.  But I will gladly pray for our nation and for you.  I will tell you of the greatness of God and why I believe in Jesus.  I will love you regardless of your political stance.   

I want the church to be the church and not an arm of a political party.

And I want us to turn to God and trust in God rather than a party or a candidate.

I am, after all, a pastor and not a politician.

And we are the church, not a political party.