Pastoring a church through political division

I was born and raised in Ohio. And well we don't talk about that team up North. We don't say their name, and we scowl at people who root for that team. It's kinda us versus them situation. Everyone on my side are the good guys, and well if you root for that other team you are the bad guys.

This scenario is also starting to become a reality for brothers and sisters in Christ when it comes to the political arena. It is common to feel that if you are on my side then you are one of the good guys, and if you are on the other side you are one of the bad guys. Ministry is hard on a good day, but trying to unite one another for a common good during these political times increases the complexity even more.

In 2022 the Pew Research reported that those in both political parties are becoming more critical of one another. You can find the research here: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/republicans-and-democrats-increasingly-critical-of-people-in-the-opposing-party/

What the Pew Research found was that 72% of Republicans felt that Democrats were immoral, and 63% of Democrats felt Republicans are immoral. 72% of Republicans felt that Democrats are dishonest. 64 % of Democrats felt that Republicans are dishonest. 69% pf Republicans felt that Democrats are closed minded. 83% of Democrate felt that Republicans are closed minded.

If this is how our people feel about one another nationally, how are they feeling about those in their church? How do we keep the church united and focused on its mission and call without dividing the church further?

So what should a pastor do?

1. Seek the Lord! I know, I know this seem like a given, but hear me out. Seek the Lord. Allow the Lord to seek your heart and to remove any bias that you knowingly or unknowingly are harboring. Remember your allegiance is not a political party. You allegiance is Jesus. You must have heart shaped by Jesus, even in the political realm, in order to point others towards Jesus. Let the Lord guide you and influence you. Be careful of all the political agendas that are being pushed right now.
2. Do not run away from hard topics. Use this time to preach on the hard things, but be sure it aligns with the Word of God, and not the political agenda that you may side with. As a pastor you are called to point people towards Jesus. Call out injustice. Call out the iniquities of those around us. Do not run from this because you are worried about your popularity. If you are a follower of Christ there should be no issue that you can not address. As a pastor you must know your people. Based on where you live, the circumstances and situations of your people address the issues accordingly. Do it with grace and humility. It will require some wisdom from the Lord ( see #1), and discernment on how to present this in an honest, truthful, and Biblical way to your people. Your job is not to convince people to lean one way or the other. Your job is to point people towards Jesus. Where the people land is on them. Another thing. Some of these discussions and topics may not be appropriate to preach on. The better strategy may be to meet with people one on one, or to have small group discussions on certain topics. This is why it is important to seek the Lord, and let Him guide you.
3. Remind the church of its mission and allegiance. We are called to lay down any allegiance that is not of the kingdom of God. Remind them of the Gospel. This is a great time to do some vision casting and calling people to the greater mission. Saturate that with the Gospel. The Gospel is what unites us because it reminds us that we were on the outside. We were the bad guys. We were the ones who were rejected. But Christ unites us and transcends all that separates us.
4. Model for your congregation what it looks like to be emotionally and spiritually healthy. There are a lot of people in your congregation that are not healthy emotionally and spiritually. They need someone to show them how to be that way. They need someone to challenge them to take positive steps. That person is you. Show them the way. Inspire them with your words and actions. Do what you have to do so you are emotionally and spiritually healthy.

How are you navigating theses politcal divides in the church you lead? Please comment so others can learn what is going well/ or not so well for you ?