BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Few pastors endorse political candidates outside their role at church. Even fewer endorse during a church service. Most Americans like it that way, but they’re growing more supportive of churches jumping into the political fray.

Lifeway Research studies of U.S. Protestant pastors and Americans found little practice or support for political endorsements from clergy and churches. Almost all pastors (98%) say they have not backed a candidate during a church service this year. Three in 5 Americans (60%) believe it is inappropriate for a pastor to endorse candidates at church, as opposed to 86% in a 2008 phone survey.

“As the nation becomes less religious, Americans have less concern about the church’s influence over politics,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Yet the majority of Americans still don’t want official candidate support coming from churches.”

Bully pulpit

Few pastors are endorsing during a church service this year (2%), and just 25% say they’ve endorsed a candidate for public office outside their church role this year. Even anonymously in a recent survey from Lifeway Research, 23% refused to give their preference in the presidential election, up significantly from 2020 (4%) and 2016 (3%).

The percentage of pastors refusing to endorse during a church service has remained unchanged over the past three presidential elections — 98% in 2024, 2020 and 2016. However, fewer pastors say they’ve publicly supported a candidate outside of the church this year compared to four years ago — 25% in 2024 and 32% in 2020. A similar number as today endorsed away from the church in 2016 (22%).

“Almost all Protestant pastors reserve the pulpit for promoting Jesus Christ rather than a woman or man running for public office,” McConnell said. “It is unclear whether the drop in candidate endorsements by pastors outside of their role at church is due to lack of excitement about this year’s candidates or concerns over disrupting unity within their churches.”

Older pastors are more likely to have endorsed a candidate away from their church. Protestant pastors aged 65 and older (36%) and 55-64 (32%) are far more likely than those 45-54 (18%) and 18-44 (11%) to have personally endorsed this election year.

African American pastors (40%) are around twice as likely as white (24%) and Hispanic pastors (20%) to say they’ve backed a candidate this year outside of their church role. Those at churches in the South (30%) are more likely than those in the Midwest (22%) and Northeast (20%) to have endorsed away from the church.

Pentecostal (34%), Baptist (33%) and Methodist (25%) pastors are more likely than Lutherans (15%) to have personally endorsed a candidate outside their church role. Pastors at the smallest churches, those with fewer than 50 in attendance, are most likely to say they’ve made personal endorsements (32%) outside their church.

Politically, Protestant pastors who say they are Republicans (32%) or Democrats (28%) are more likely than independents (16%) to have endorsed a candidate outside of church this year. Those who say they’re voting for former President Donald Trump (38%) and those supporting Vice President Kamala Harris (34%) are also more likely than those who are undecided in the presidential race (8%) to have given a personal endorsement to a candidate for public office.

Voting public

Americans may be slightly more welcoming of political endorsements than U.S. Protestant pastors are to offer them.

U.S. adults are split over the acceptability of pastors endorsing away from their ministerial role, as 45% say it is appropriate for pastors to endorse candidates, but only outside church, 38% disagree and 16% aren’t sure. Those percentages are statistically similar to 2020.

Americans, like pastors, are more likely to be opposed to in-church endorsements. Three in 10 U.S. adults (29%) believe pastors publicly endorsing candidates for public office during a church service is appropriate. Three in 5 (60%) disagree, including 42% who strongly disagree, and 11% aren’t sure.

However, the percentage of Americans who see pastors endorsing a candidate in church as appropriate has risen steadily over the past 16 years. According to a phone survey in 2008, 13% saw political endorsements during a church service as acceptable. That grew to 19% in 2015. Online surveys started with 24% in 2020 before growing to 29% today.

“A new generation of Americans appears more open to pastor endorsements of candidates. Either they have heard less rationale for restricting such endorsements, disagree with what they have heard or have seen no problems with endorsements they have heard about,” McConnell said.

Young adults aged 18-34 are most likely to see nothing wrong with a pastor endorsing outside their church role (59%) and during a church service (44%). African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than whites to believe both endorsement types are appropriate. Similarly, those with evangelical beliefs and Christians who attend a worship service once a month or more are more likely than their counterparts to support pastoral endorsements in either setting.

Politically, Republicans (50%) and Democrats (47%) are more likely than independents (39%) to see pastoral endorsements outside of church as acceptable. Donald Trump voters are among the most likely to support pastors endorsing away from their church role (50%) and during a church service (35%).

The church’s role

Many Americans distinguish between a pastor being directly involved in politics and a church engaging in political activities. Most don’t want churches using resources to campaign for candidates or endorse them during services. And half believe those who do so should lose their tax-exempt status.

Around 1 in 3 (32%) say it is appropriate for a church to publicly endorse candidates for public office, while 55% disagree and 12% aren’t sure. Support is statistically similar to 2020 but a phone survey in 2008 was 22%. More than a quarter (28%) say it’s acceptable for churches to use their resources to campaign for a political candidate. Around 3 in 5 (62%) disagree, including 46% who strongly disagree, and 10% say they are not sure. More Americans see churches using their resources as acceptable today. Support was 13% in a 2008 phone survey but 28% today.

Still, around half of U.S. adults (48%) believe churches that publicly endorse candidates should lose their tax-exempt status, 31% disagree and 21% aren’t sure. Those percentages are statistically similar to 2020.

“In a nation whose recent elections have been narrowly decided, the 3 in 5 Americans who do not find it appropriate to use church finances or an endorsement from the pulpit to support a candidate look like an expectation of what is proper. However, there is no such mandate for the tax regulation that seeks to endorse this,” McConnell said.

Again, young adults (48%), African Americans (48%), Hispanics (42%), those with evangelical beliefs (46%) and Christians who attend church services regularly (40%) are among the most likely to support churches publicly endorsing candidates.

Those already actively engaged in politics are often less likely to mind if their church grows more active. Democrats (35%) are more likely than Republicans (26%) and independents (19%) to believe it is appropriate for a church to use its resources to campaign for political candidates. Harris voters (32%) and Trump voters (27%) are also more likely than those who are undecided (12%) to see this as acceptable.

Despite being among the most likely to see increased church involvement in politics as acceptable, politically engaged voters are also more likely to support punishing congregations that become actively involved. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say churches that publicly endorse candidates should lose their tax exemption (56% v. 43%). Harris voters (58%) and Trump voters (42%) are more likely than undecided voters (26%) to support changing the tax status of candidate-endorsing churches.

For more information, view the complete reports for pastors and Americans and visit LifewayResearch.com.

Methodology

The phone survey of 1,003 Protestant pastors was conducted Aug. 8 – Sept. 3, 2024. The calling list was a stratified random sample, drawn from a list of all Protestant churches. Quotas were used for church size. Each interview was conducted with the senior pastor, minister or priest at the church. Responses were weighted by region and church size to more accurately reflect the population. The completed sample is 1,003 surveys. The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed plus or minus 3.3%. This margin of error accounts for the effect of weighting. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

The online survey of 1,200 Americans was conducted Aug. 14-30, 2024, using a national pre-recruited panel. Quotas and slight weights were used to balance gender, age, region, ethnicity, education, religion and evangelical beliefs to more accurately reflect the population. The sample includes an over-sample of Americans with evangelical beliefs, providing additional reliability for breakouts of this group. Totals for all Americans reduce these responses to their correct proportion through weighting. The completed sample is 1,200 surveys. The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error from the panel does not exceed plus or minus 3.3%. This margin of error accounts for the effect of weighting. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. Data is also shown from an online survey conducted by Lifeway Research Sept. 9-23, 2020, of 1,200 Americans.

Christians are those with a religious preference of Catholic, Protestant, non-denominational Christian or Orthodox. Evangelical beliefs are defined using the National Association of Evangelicals Lifeway Research Evangelical Beliefs Research Definition based on respondent beliefs. Respondents are asked their level of agreement with four statements using a four-point, forced-choice scale (strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree). Those who strongly agree with all four statements are categorized as having evangelical beliefs:

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Aaron Earls is a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.)