Exhausted but grateful to be done. That’s how I feel finishing up my ten-week sermon series and accompanying Sunday school class on faith and politics. But really, this was the fruition of a much longer journey. Three years prior, I had signed up for a Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. My goal was to figure out how to disciple the people of my church in the area of politics. After reading 25 books, countless articles, and writing 120+ pages of my thesis paper, I felt like I might finally be “almost” ready to try political discipleship in my church. The time for my thesis project had come, so I had to try.
I had an excuse—scratch that—explanation for why I was doing a ten-week sermon series on faith and politics. “It’s for my doctoral program.” But my small church of about 55 people was still nervous. I could tell. They told me so. What I was doing felt risky to them and to me. In Ephesians 4:3, Paul exhorts a local church to be “ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Was I risking our church’s unity? Aren’t politics something so inherently divisive we shouldn’t talk about them?
I felt that risk, but I also thought we needed to talk about politics. If we don’t disciple our churches in political engagement then YouTube videos, cable TV, podcasts, websites, and Facebook posts will—and already are. I suspect most of those platforms do not have biblical faithfulness and Christ-like sanctification in mind. Aren’t we supposed to make whole-life disciples, which means bringing everything, even our politics, under the Lordship of Jesus? Yes, but it’s not easy.
When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he came preaching “the kingdom of God” (Acts 19:8b). The gospel challenged not only those in the synagogue and eventually the church but also those in the city. God’s kingdom critiqued and shook the very foundations of the city's social, economic, and political structures. Merchants lost money, and an all-out riot erupted. So I suspect Paul does not mean, “Don’t talk about politics,” because the kingdom of God will inherently challenge the kingdoms of this world. But he does care how we preach the kingdom and wants us to do so striving to maintain unity and peace through the Holy Spirit. So how can we do that?
Just one and a half verses earlier in Ephesians 4, Paul starts, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” then he calls for Spirit-empowered unity (Ephesians 4:1b-2). If we as pastors and ministers of God’s kingdom dare to challenge the kingdom of Babylon in our particular time and context, or if we are going to challenge the political idols within our church body, we need humility, gentleness, patience, and love. That will go a long way in a small church, even when we talk about hard things like politics.
If our goal in addressing political issues is to win people to our side or finally convince that particular church member we are right and they are wrong, we are not operating out of humility but pride. If we want to try a whole series on politics or even apply this Sunday’s sermon to some culturally-relevant area, we will need lots of gentleness. And if we think that it is only going to take one sermon, series, class, or conversation to change hearts, methods of political engagement, or in some cases political views within our congregation, we may need a little more patience.
In the end, this all comes down to love. The heart of political discipleship in small churches is love. Does our church know we love them? One of my leaders likes to say, “Love is spelled T-I-M-E.” Have we spent time with our congregation, teaching them, eating with them, visiting them in the hospital, or when they lose a loved one? Time spent with our people outside of political discipleship prepares the way for political discipleship.
If our church knows we love them, I suspect they might be willing to give us enough grace to talk politics. I know my series was challenging, and not everyone agreed. They told me so. But even then, I was surprised when my people kept coming back week after week. I felt humbled by their love, patience, gentleness, and humility towards me. Together, blessed by the Holy Spirit, we have been working on keeping our Christ-centered unity, even as we talk, discuss, and often disagree about politics.
Perhaps you were hoping for a step-by-step method for doing political discipleship in your local church, preferably a way that won’t ruffle any feathers or cause anyone to leave. Paul’s biblically faithful kingdom-centered preaching provoked a riot, so those probably are not the best goals. But suppose our goals are to exhibit humility as we preach and listen, recognizing we don’t have all the right answers, gentleness even when we say hard things and patience with the process (it will take time). And suppose we do this all out of love for God, each other, and our neighbors, with a desire to grow in that love. Suppose we cover our political discipleship in prayer, asking other pastors and prayer warriors to pray for us as we engage. Maybe, if the Holy Spirit wills it, we will see fresh fruit budding on the stem.
Here is one advantage we have over YouTube videos, cable television, podcasts, websites, and the most recent Facebook post trying to do political discipleship. We have love. We have God’s love flowing through us. We can speak truth, with love, based in God’s Word, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to a particular people, knowing their stories and what shapes them. The best internet algorithm cannot beat your heartbeat for your people. Political discipleship in a small church does not start with what you say but in the deepest parts of who you are, your heart.
Maybe you will preach a 52-week series on politics (please don’t), start a small group using a curriculum, or have personal discipleship conversations talking about the news. I preached a Biblical-theological framework for thinking through faith and politics. It was topical, which had its weaknesses, but also its strengths. Preaching through books like Daniel, Amos, and Jonah also offers many political discipleship opportunities. If you preach a series, try to have time to discuss it. Politics make us want to talk back, and we all have something to say. I am very grateful for my Sunday School class, as it allowed my people time to process together. Whichever way you make whole-life disciples, do it according to the way God has gifted and called you, and best fits your congregation.
There is something particularly exhausting about political discipleship. It’s high-stakes. It takes courage. But if the Holy Spirit is in it, he can turn that risk into reward. Where people feel fearful of what you might say, they can encounter God’s love and your heart for them. Even in political discipleship, the church can become more unified, energized, and Christlike. Go with God.
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Jonathan Romig
Jonathan helped launch Cornerstone Congregational Church in Westford, MA, in 2015 and has continued to serve as their pastor. He graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with his Master of Divinity in 2013 and hopes to complete his Doctor of Ministry in 2022. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his wife Monica and two children, Elijah and Evangeline.