Local Public Servants to Pastors: Teach the Bible to Political Leaders! What “Blessings” and “Guiding Lights” You Will Be!

The first city council members in the nation to participate in a Local Government Ministries Bible study, heartily endorsed Capitol Ministries on a live radio program and implored pastors to launch Bible studies for public servants in their neighborhoods.

“David and I are looking for more pastors to come alongside their local political leaders,” said Garrett Gatewood, Rancho Cordova, California city councilman. “What blessings you will be to a politician if you step up and be that guiding light.”

Gatewood made his comments while co-hosting a recent Pastor-to-Pastor radio program along with David Sander, Rancho Cordova vice mayor, offered on the Salem-affiliated station, KFIA in Sacramento.

The men said their purpose for hosting the radio show was to introduce more pastors and public servants to Capitol Ministries’ Local Government Ministries (LGM) initiative, a partnership with local churches and individuals to establish discipleship Bible studies to city and county elected leaders. They also wanted pastors to be aware of CapMin’s mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the political arena throughout the world.

Gatewood said when he was a newly elected public servant, he met Dr. Dan DeShong, CapMin’s Local Government Ministries director, at River City Christian Church which they both attended. He told Dr. DeShong that he was wrestling with entering politics because he did not want his faith to be compromised in any way by serving in office. Dr. DeShong invited him to participate in a LGM Bible study and they were joined by Sander and another elected official.

It took the men more than a year to work through the curriculum which is the CapMin book, Oaks in Office: Biblical Essays for Political Leaders. The book contains in-depth, exegetical Bible studies that are written specifically to meet the faith needs of public servants, both personal and professional. Some studies examine thorny social issues such as abortion, illegal immigration, and racism through a timeless biblical lens.

In 2019, Gatewood and Sander became the first public servants in the nation to complete the curriculum in weekly Bible studies led by Dr. DeShong. The effort took more than a year and when they were finished, they began the studies again and are continuing to study the Bible weekly with Dr. DeShong.

At that time, the book contained 52 Bible studies. It is being revised to contain 76 studies.

Gatewood noted that particular topics covered by the studies were of great benefit to public servants including how the Bible should inform your values, how to deal with pride, how to deal with anger, alcohol and office, and the importance of truthfulness for Christian public servants.

“Participating in the CapMin Bible study is literally one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Gatewood said.

Sander said the studies also provided examples of righteous leaders that today’s public servants may follow. “That is what is so great about Capitol Ministries,” Sander said.

Two Bible studies that significantly influenced and benefitted Sander were “Understanding the Separation of Church and State,” and “God’s Institutions and Their Roles on Earth.”

“There is a predominate cultural view that Church and State are to be totally separate, but that was never the intent,” Sander said.

Gatewood agreed, saying the role of Christians in office is also greatly misunderstood.

“The world has decided it believes Christians want a theocracy and that is far from the truth,” Gatewood said. “The truth is, God set up five institutions that are to be separate. We don’t want those institutions to take over each other’s responsibilities, but we do want them to influence each other. The world now doesn’t even want these intuitions to influence each other.”

Sander agreed. “Garrett brought up a good question, how do you function in elected office as a Christian?” he said. “You can’t deny your faith, but you can’t operate as a theocracy either. Christ didn’t encourage us to conquer the world and Christianize it through the power of government.”

“Our world says you cannot bring your beliefs in government, but that [was] never [God’s] intent,” Gatewood said. “The Church should be influencing government decisions.”

Sander noted, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).