A Kansas where the Church influences society with biblical truth
in every school district, city, county, and the three
branches of Kansas state government
The Church Ambassador Network believes that God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of Him – that means people from all political parties and ideologies. We see in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 that Paul ministered to both Jew and Gentile. In a similar manner we seek to tear down partisan walls by ministering to members of all political parties. The Church of Jesus Christ is so much bigger than partisan and ideological battles. The Church is not here to serve any party or candidate, or to further their agendas. The Church is here to bring the transformative gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere it goes – including the halls of government.
We hold to the teachings of Scripture that government is an institution of God with the unique purpose of punishing evil and rewarding good, and that those who serve in it are God’s ministers. The government, however, needs moral guidance and counsel from the institution of the Church to fulfill its purpose. It needs the true north that the Church provides through its head, Christ, and the Word of God. While it is important for the two institutions to remain separate, they must work together. The question must not be, “Whose side is the Church on?” rather the question is, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” (Joshua 5:13-14).
The world left to its own devices will never fulfill what God instituted governments to do. For righteous legislation to pass and for our government to fulfill its vital role in the administration of “liberty and justice for all,” we need the Church to bring the Great Commission to the halls of government. We must lay aside partisan politics and engage government with the gospel and the timeless truths of the Scriptures. The Church can lead the way in transforming government by broadly and biblically speaking to many issues, rather than only a few. We can do this by teaching all people about God’s redemptive love, regardless of political party.
That is why we work to build relationships between the shepherds of God’s Church and the shepherds of God’s government. We can do this by building genuine relationships with governing officials that incorporate both the personal and their unique role as a leader in our land. We bring pastors to elected officials for the sake of the kingdom. The government is an institution of God’s, and when it fulfills the purpose God called it to, it brings Him glory.
We do not only want pastors to embrace this vision, but all the Lord’s people. If we are to be a light to all aspects of our culture, including government, the Lord’s people must engage in culture in a biblical way (Matthew 5:16). Our vision includes positively influencing every school board member, city councilman, county commissioner, state legislator, and members of the executive and judicial branches. To see this vision fulfilled will require hundreds of churches across Kansas to decide to engage government as part of their responsibility to grow Christ’s kingdom and influence others for God’s truth.
Foundational Principles: