Step #3: Build Relationships with Elected Officials

Unlike many Christians around the world and throughout history, we possess almost magical powers that open the doors to the offices of elected officials. Those powers are called citizenship and the right to vote, and we should use them.

Many Christians have overlooked a simple practice: meeting with elected officials to pray and partner with them to solve problems.

How to Build Relationships with Elected Officials

1. Ask for a Meeting with Your Elected Official(s) at their Office (Town Hall, Statehouse, etc). Arrange a meeting with your elected official by contacting their staff. Ask another Christian to go with you if you are nervous about the meeting.
2. At the Meeting, Ask How You Can Pray for Them.  This one needs little explanation. I Timothy 2:1-2 commands us to pray for those in authority, so ask if you can pray for them about the stress of their office and (if they volunteer such information) their personal lives.
3. At the Meeting, Ask How You Can Partner with Them. Instead of seeing government officials as enemies, we should see them as partners in building a better city, state or nation. Ask them about the big problems in their district and how you and your church can get involved in solving them.
4. Make It a Habit to Stay in Contact with and Visit Your Elected Officials. Public service, like leading a church, can be difficult and quite lonely. Officials have remarked to us how rare it is to receive thoughtful correspondence and visits from their constituents. Practice the ministry of presence with your elected officials.

On to Step #4

If you have reimagined your role (Step #1), mastered public apologetics and the law (Step #2) and built relationships with elected officials (Step #3) you are prepared to begin solving your community’s biggest problems (Step #4). On to Step #4!