Pastor Urges Alabama Christians to Vote
Church of the Highlands lead pastor Mark Pettus called on congregants to cast ballots in Tuesday's general election without endorsing a candidate.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Christianity
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Mark Pettus, lead pastor of Church of the Highlands, encouraged Alabama Christians to vote in the general election during his pre-sermon remarks on Sunday. He did not endorse a candidate, instead urging the congregation to vote according to biblical values.
Why it matters
Pettus tied the right to vote to the military personnel who paid for it and said Christians should vote for those who most clearly represent God's Word. The appeal reaches a congregation the church describes as roughly 60,000 weekly attendees across its Alabama campuses.
Church of the Highlands has roughly 60,000 weekly attendees and 25 campuses in Alabama. Pettus succeeded founding pastor Chris Hodges last year and did not endorse a candidate in his remarks.
The players
Mark Pettus
Mark Pettus is the lead pastor of Church of the Highlands, succeeding founding pastor Chris Hodges last year.
Church of the Highlands
Church of the Highlands is a large Alabama-based church with roughly 60,000 weekly attendees across 25 campuses in the state.
The details
Pettus made the appeal from the pulpit before his Sunday sermon, telling the congregation to vote according to biblical values. He framed voting as a responsibility tied to the military personnel who paid for that right.
Timeline
Sunday: Pettus urged congregants to vote before his sermon.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026: Alabama voters head to the polls for the general election.
Cultural Context
Church leaders in Alabama have a long history of encouraging civic participation from the pulpit, a tradition that predates the modern civil rights era. Pettus's appeal stayed nonpartisan, consistent with that tradition of voter encouragement.
Alabama voters head to the polls Tuesday for the general election. Congregants can use the church's appeal as a prompt to check their registration and polling location before Election Day.
The takeaway
Faith leaders can shape civic engagement by encouraging voting without endorsing candidates. Readers can apply this by reviewing their own polling information before Tuesday's election.
Further reading
Explore more on Christianity coverage for context on faith communities and civic life.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Yellowhammer News.
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