Information Alert: Pastors Energized at Conference
Victoria Cobb, President
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Nearly 250 pastors and church leaders yesterday joined together in Williamsburg at a “Watchmen on the Wall” conference co-sponsored by the Family Research Council and The Family Foundation of Virginia. The attendees were urged to speak out on important issues of the day and to encourage their members to take their civic responsibilities seriously.
This year The Family Research Council is hosting several “Watchmen on the Wall” pastor conferences across the nation, including Washington, DC, California, Arizona, and New Hampshire. To date, nearly 2,000 pastors have joined together and hundreds of others have joined The Family Research Council’s pastors’ effort.
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins told the crowd, “Your leadership is absolutely fundamental and essential to this nation. My hope for American is not bailing out Wall Street. My hope for American is not in education. My hope for American is not in our strong military. My hope for America is Jesus Christ.”
Former U.S. Congressman Bob McEwen encouraged pastors to make sure people in their congregations are registered to vote stating, “There are fifty million self-identified evangelicals in the United States. That’s fifty million votes. Fifty million votes wins everything.” Statistics indicate that at least half of self-identified evangelicals are not registered to vote. Dozens of churches in Virginia have been holding voter registration drives and will continue to do so up until the registration deadline.
Pastors were also educated by Alliance Defense Fund senior counsel Jordan Lorence about their legal rights concerning speaking about issues, educating their congregations and providing election materials. Lorence has argued numerous times before the United States Supreme Court.
The audience also heard from Bishop Harry Jackson of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, Virginia Delegate Brenda Pogge, and Attorney General Bob McDonnell.
The Family Foundation, along with its pastor outreach arm Pastors For Family Values, co-hosted the event. Pastors For Family Values provides support for pastors who speak on cultural issues and provide civil leadership. Pastors For Family Values was formed in 2007 after Virginia’s voted to pass a Constitutional amendment defining marriage when pastors involved in that effort approached The Family Foundation with the concept of forming a pastors group.
Attendees left the room yesterday energized and challenged. Represented in the room were nearly 20,000 church going Virginians. The impact these pastors and those church members can have on Virginia’s political culture is enormous.
There is a tremendous amount of energy among pastors and church leaders and there is no question this energy will affect the congregations they represent. The potential impact of this energy and leadership cannot be underestimated. It isn’t intended to simply affect one election or one campaign cycle but to bring change to an entire culture. Yesterday was an important step toward that change.
It is absolutely essential for church leaders to take the lead and speak out on the values issues that shape our nation and our culture. While some organizations try to intimidate and discourage religious leaders from exercising their rights and freedoms in the political sphere, we are urging them to reject those fear tactics and take a vocal stand on important issues. Only when our churches take a stand will we see our laws begin to reflect the traditional values our nation once stood upon.