Politics and the Pulpit
Churches that improperly use their assets to intervene in the campaigns for or against candidates for public office and/or ballot measures risk losing their federal tax-exempt status under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Does this mean that pastors are prohibited from speaking on matters of politics from the pulpit? Must churches remain silent amid the chaos? Absolutely not!
But there is a right way and a wrong way to do just that. In this year of critical mid-term elections, pastors and churches can play a crucial role in the process. Done properly, churches can have a real impact on the outcome of elections for local, state, and national leaders.
CSBC’s HR & Church Compliance Ministry invites pastors to attend this Zoom meeting to hear first hand from attorney Brad Dacus, president and founder of the Pacific Justice Institute, a leading defender of churches and their First Amendment freedoms. Dacus will explain exactly how churches can be actively involved and influential in the political process without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.
Scheduled for two hours, this Zoom meeting will conclude with a Q&A session between attendees and Dacus.
Dacus can be watched daily (M-F) on Brad Dacus Live on Hischannel.com and heard weekly on The Dacus Report on more than 711 radio stations across the country and also as a guest speaker on numerous radio and television programs across the nation. He has appeared on America Live, CBS Evening News, CNN, Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, MSNBC, NBC News, News Talk TV, and The Today Show and numerous times on FOX News.
Dacus’ varied public speaking opportunities include public debate and testifying before the United States House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. He has also testified numerous times before the California State Legislature on legislation affecting religious freedom and parents’ rights. He continues to speak regularly at churches, conferences, graduations and conventions throughout the United States and was presented an honorary doctors of religious freedom and family rights degree from California Baptist University in recognition of his commitment to faith and justice and his pro bono legal work protecting parental rights and religious freedom through the PJI.
