Pastor Urges Leaders to Mobilize Voters for 2026 Midterms

Lakepointe Church pastor Josh Howerton is encouraging religious leaders to push congregants to vote.

Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Christianity

Screen-print poster illustration of a wooden ballot box on a simple platform, evoking civic duty and tradition. — Lakepointe Church senior pastor Josh Howerton is actively calling on religious leaders nationwide to mobilize their congregations for the 2026 midterm elections. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should religious leaders openly encourage their congregations to vote in political elections?

Lakepointe Church senior pastor Josh Howerton is calling on fellow pastors to actively encourage their congregations to vote in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. He argues that millions of Christians potentially abstain from voting in races that are often decided by thin margins.

Why it matters

Howerton views secular complaints to the IRS as a strategic harassment tactic designed to silence religious leaders from speaking on political matters. He maintains that no church has ever lost its tax-exempt status due to a sermon.

The Internal Revenue Code prohibits tax-exempt entities from intervening in candidate campaigns. Lakepointe Church pastor Josh Howerton notes that 50,000 congregants attend the church led by Ashley Wooldridge.

The players

Josh Howerton

He serves as the senior pastor of Lakepointe Church in Texas.

Freedom from Religion Foundation

This organization advocates for the separation of church and state and requested an IRS investigation into Lakepointe Church in 2024.

Ashley Wooldridge

He leads a church with 50,000 congregants and was identified by Howerton as a pastor who supports voting initiatives.

The details

Howerton has used social media platforms to identify other pastors who are encouraging their followers to participate in the electoral process. He specifically defends religious institutions against pressure from groups like the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which requested an IRS investigation into his church in 2024.

In 2024, the Freedom from Religion Foundation requested that the IRS investigate Lakepointe Church.
In October 2026, Josh Howerton began urging fellow pastors to encourage congregant voting.
The 2026 midterm elections are scheduled to take place in November 2026.

Culture Shift

This effort marks a departure from traditional cautious approaches toward the Internal Revenue Code's prohibition on political intervention by tax-exempt organizations. Pastors are increasingly testing the boundaries of what constitutes permissible civic engagement versus campaign support.

The push by church leaders to increase voter turnout could lead to more organized get-out-the-vote efforts within religious communities across the country. Readers may see an increase in political discourse during religious services leading up to the November 2026 elections.

The takeaway

Religious leaders are increasingly vocal about the distinction between civic encouragement and partisan campaigning. Congregants should remain aware of how these evolving discussions may affect their local church's community outreach and election-year programs.