'Influencing the culture': Megachurch equipping churches to mobilize voters ahead of election
Editors' note: This is part 10 of The Christian Post's year-long articles series "Politics in the Pews: Evangelical Christian engagement in elections from the Moral Majority to today." In this series, we will look at issues pertaining to election integrity and new ways of getting out the vote, including churches participating in ballot collection. We'll also look at issues Evangelicals say matter most to them ahead of the presidential election and the political engagement of diverse groups, politically and ethnically. Read other articles in the series by clicking here.
Representatives from a California megachurch will be traveling statewide to encourage Christians to mobilize voters ahead of the presidential election.
Pastor Jack Hibbs' Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California is putting on a series of events as part of its "Comeback California Tour" that seeks to equip churches to legally and effectively get involved in the political process ahead of the November general election.
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The initiative's website states that the tour "will rally Christians across the state to set in motion the church's crucial task of influencing the culture."
The events, to be held at multiple churches throughout the state during August and September, are open to the public and free to attend. Discussion topics will include "the church's rights to be involved in elections" and "the truth about the plight of our children in public schools."
"For several months, I would say at least ... four, five months, we've been putting our plan together, actual details, inviting the churches where we're actually stopping, talking to the pastors," Gina Gleason, who leads the church's Real Impact ministry that's devoted to equipping churches "to stand for righteousness in the public square," told The Christian Post.
Churches will also be able "to obtain voter and church-compliant election resources" and interact with local candidates.
"California is at a crossroads, urgently needing the Church's influence to reverse the moral decline and stand in the gap for our children, families and communities," the website states. The events are an effort to "unite Christians to bring the values of Scripture and the light of Christ to our state, helping us rebuild and restore our communities," it adds.
The "Comeback California Tour" is part of a broader effort by the California megachurch to get churches involved in the political sphere. Hibbs and Gleason will be among the speakers at some of the upcoming events.
In a previous interview with CP, Gleason shared how her church first embraced the practice of ballot gathering, often referred to by critics as "ballot harvesting," after California passed a law in 2016 allowing "a person [to] turn in a ballot for any person."
"Anyone can turn in a ballot for a voter. And there is no limitation on the number of ballots that you can turn in," she explained.
After victories for Democratic and progressive candidates in the 2018 elections were attributed to ballot gathering, Gleason decided to research the issue further and establish Calvary Chapel Chino Hills as a location for mass mail ballot collection.
"I trained our volunteer team, and we set up our tables in the courtyard with our volunteers behind the table, and behind the volunteers and the table were lockboxes," she recalled. "So when a person walked up to our table, we looked at the ballot and made sure that the ballot was filled out correctly, because there are just a few requirements on the ballot, and that ballot was dropped into the lockbox."
Gleason estimated that Calvary Chapel Chino Hills collected about 6,000 ballots heading into the 2020 election. That figure increased to more than 13,000 in the 2022 election cycle.
Calvary Chapel Chino Hill's Real Impact ministry has compiled a manual instructing other churches on legally engaging in ballot collection.
Gleason said churches could feasibly collect ballots in at least 17 states: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. She stressed that churches seeking to collect ballots must remain neutral and not ask voters which party they belong to or which candidate they vote for.
"You take everyone's ballots, no questions asked," she said.
The first stop on the "Comeback California Tour" is scheduled for Aug. 17 at Calvary Chapel San Jose. Another stop is scheduled for later that day at Heritage Church in Escanlon. On Aug. 24, the tour will head to Cornerstone Church in Fresno.
Stops scheduled for Aug. 31 include Calvary Chapel Fontana in Fontana and Calvary Chapel Church of the Harbour in Huntington Beach. Two stops are currently planned for September: Calvary Chapel El Centro in El Centro on Sept. 7 and Revival Christian Fellowship in Menifee on Sept. 21.
Although California is not expected to be competitive at the presidential level this year, Gleason believes her church can still impact elections.
Speaking at the Family Research Council's Pray Vote Stand Summit in Washington, D.C., last September, Gleason described how "our local school district was run by progressives" and individuals supported by Planned Parenthood and Democratic leadership in the state. Although the state superintendent of public instruction backed the progressive candidate for school board president in 2022, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills member Sonja Shaw won the race.
"All of us working together made a difference in that election," Gleason said.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
