Protect Your Church

Legal Rights: Churches and Pastors

IRS Affirms What We’ve Always Known: Churches Can Speak Boldly
New IRS Statement Confirms Churches May Speak to Political Issues and Endorse
Candidates from the Pulpit (July 8, 2025 – Florida Family Voice)

ORLANDO, FL — In a significant legal turn with major implications for America’s churches, the Internal Revenue Service has formally clarified that pastors and churches are free to address political issues and to endorse candidates from the pulpit to their own congregations without violating their tax-exempt status.

The official recognition came via a court filing on Monday, July 7, in response to a lawsuit brought by two Texas churches and the National Religious Broadcasters. While the plaintiffs sought a broader exemption for all nonprofits, the IRS instead issued a focused but historic clarification: the IRS will treat church endorsements not as prohibited campaign activity, but as protected internal communication—“a family discussion concerning candidates.”.

“This is a long-overdue acknowledgement of what was already true,” said Erik Dellenback, President of Florida Family Voice. “For decades, pastors were lied to—deceived into believing they  couldn’t speak about political candidates from the pulpit because of something called the Johnson Amendment. But in reality, the IRS had long treated that rule as unenforceable when it came to internal church communication. Now, for the first time, that ‘unspoken policy’ has been made public.”

The 1954 Johnson Amendment has long been used to intimidate faith leaders and suppress the Church’s voice in the public square. But the truth is: the First Amendment protects the right of pastors to preach the whole counsel of God—including on political issues. The IRS’s clarification now reinforces that religious liberty.

“For too long, churches believed the lie,” said Dellenback. “The myth of so-called ‘separation of church and state’ was twisted into a muzzle, creating fear, silence, and disengagement. But Scripture doesn’t separate truth from public life—and neither does our Constitution.”

This ruling does not extend to all nonprofits, nor does it allow public campaign advocacy outside of a church’s membership. But it does formally protect what churches should have always known: biblical preaching that intersects with politics is not only lawful—it’s protected.

Florida Family Voice remains committed to equipping churches with the clarity and courage to engage their congregations in truth, including when elections and candidates are involved. As the 2026 election season approaches, this ruling is a timely and vital reminder that God’s people are not called to shrink back, but to stand firm on the wall of religious liberty.

Q&A For Pastors: What the IRS Ruling on Church Endorsements Really Means (FFV)

Protecting Your Ministry from Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) Lawsuits
Alliance Defending Freedom (English and Español)

Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention 
The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention exists to help churches, Christian schools, and ministries know how to prevent abuse, as well as how to respond when allegations of abuse are made against their organizations. ECAP is a standards and accrediting organization, but also provide free resources on our website to help in creating a safe place for children and the vulnerable. Learn about abuse indicators and prevention: www.ecap.net

How Your Church Can Get Involved in Activism

• Share FFV Voter Guides with your congregation
• Use Our Election Resources for Churches and Pastors – includes bulletin inserts, announcement slides, videos and more
• Volunteer at one of our local field offices
• Write editorials to your local newspaper(s)
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