EFC Election Kit 2008: Guidelines for Church Engagement in Elections

Churches are charities that serve the common good. The government has specific guidelines that outline the allowable political activities of charities.

Here are some steps churches can take to encourage their members to be responsible Christian citizens during a federal election:

1. Church members are encouraged to get to know the candidates, pray for them, and ask about issues of interest or concern. It is highly beneficial for members to become involved in the electoral process and to vote.
2. As a charitable institution, a church must be non-partisan. In other words, a church may not endorse a particular candidate or political party, or use its resources to support a candidate or party (even if they attend your own church).
3. Church staff, volunteers or members of a church are free to engage in political activity outside the church, on their own time or with their own money.
4. Churches may invite all candidates to speak at the same event or service where the church meets. Churches can also organize an all-candidates debate. See how to do it.
5. Churches are free to provide information on issues of interest or concern that flow from Biblical teaching, as long as the church does not link its views to any party or candidate. A church is also allowed to publish how all Members of Parliament voted on a given issue.

Get your congregation or faith community involved with election issues. Invite them to pray for the candidates, and consider how they can respond to God’s call to social justice issues through the election process.

Share information about all-candidates meetings and encourage people to vote!

Remember that your vote matters. The number of people who vote in a federal election can steadily increase if churches choose to get their congregations involved.

Some actions, however, may put a church’s charitable status at risk.

What can’t churches do?

A church may not:

• Invite candidates to speak at different times, or at separate events or services.
• Highlight or publish how one particular party or candidate voted on a given issue.
• Promote or oppose any one candidate or political party.
• Distribute literature for any one candidate or party.
• Post signs for a candidate or political party on church property.
• Encourage its members to vote for a particular candidate or party.
• Endorse a candidate or party from the pulpit. 
• Link its views on issues of concern with those of a particular party or candidate.

As long as a church remains non-partisan, individual members are free to exercise their freedom of speech and their freedom of choice.

Encourage family, friends, and other church members to make good use of their democratic right to vote, and to speak up for issues they are passionate about.