(ChurchLeaders) A recent survey from LifeWay Research and Scott McConnell has found that while most Americans do not think pastors should endorse a political candidate during a church service, U.S. adults are more conflicted over whether ministers should do so away from the pulpit. At the same time, the number of Protestant pastors in the U.S. who have endorsed a political candidate outside of a church service in 2020 has increased since 2016.
“It may be hard for some Americans to ever see a pastor as being outside of their church role,” said Scott McConnell, who is executive director of LifeWay Research. “While every American is entitled to their political opinion, some people struggle to separate such personal comments from a pastor’s religious office.”