In a culture increasingly marked by division and moral ambiguity, Family Research Council’s newly launched Pray Vote Stand (PVS) Chapters stands as a vital initiative to empower Christians as beacons of truth by “renewing faith and reviving freedom one community at a time.” These chapters are designed to equip believers to bring biblical conviction confidently into the public square — “locally, prayerfully, and biblically,” said FRC President Tony Perkins, during Wednesday’s “Washington Watch.”

Perkins highlighted the transformative potential of bridging the gap between spiritual and civic spheres, stressing the need to bring faith not merely into the public square, but “bringing elected leaders alongside our pastors” to foster “that spiritual awareness.” In fact, forming these relationships is at the heart of PVS chapters. Tim Echols, a key leader in the effort, emphasized that true collaboration between those who uphold biblical values and lawmakers must be grounded “in churches. They must be biblically based.” He warned against the pull of “partisan politics,” advocating instead for initiatives rooted in an environment where participants are “reading the word of God, [where] they’re praying, [and where] everything’s biblically centered.”

At their core, these chapters guide political and faith leaders to “think through the Christian worldview and a cultural impact [it can have] for their own individual community,” Echols explained. Perkins expanded on this, noting that “this is more than just political engagement. … [I]t’s more about teaching [leaders] how to think biblically” in every aspect of life.

Pastor Rodney Lord of Ohio’s Freedom Gate Church shared a personal insight into the need for resources like the PVS chapters: “Over the years, I’ve noticed that any time an election rolled around and there were issues on the ballot for people to vote for, I would get phone calls from sometimes people in our congregation or others and say, ‘Can you tell me what to do?’ So, there was this awareness that they weren’t really informed, and it takes work to be informed.” He stated that PVS chapters serve as a “model and tool … [to] equip not just the people in our churches, but in the broader community.”

Echoing this sentiment, Pastor Ben Zeigler of Ohio’s Oak Grove Church, a participant in PVS chapters, shared in an exclusive interview with The Washington Stand how he believes this initiative will transform local engagement. “Many grassroots Americans are not really aware of the issues that affect us, especially when it comes to Christian liberties,” he said. “And so, just having the opportunity to be able to share with people on the grassroots level things that they wouldn’t be aware of otherwise” is a huge step in the right direction. After all, he continued, “unless we’re aware of these things, we don’t know what to do about it. So, being aware of it then allows us to be able to encourage people to get involved with the voting and the standing.”

Zeigler emphasized how prayer, while crucial to Christian involvement, is only one part of the equation — awareness requires action. “When we are aware and when we’re informed about what’s going on in America, informed about things that the mainstream media is not talking about, then we can be more ready to take a stand.” In fact, Zeigler explained how his own congregation has been hungry to know more about how they can be involved. Even with a congregation that is fairly in-the-know of what’s happening around them, he said, “there’s always things that drop through the cracks that we aren’t aware of.”

As Zeigler put it, these chapters are only just beginning, meaning it will likely start with “small, incremental growth.” Yet, as he went on to emphasize, you never know how a few interested believers taking action can inspire others to do the same. What Zeigler wants for his church, and all churches, is to carry an awareness that leads to more Christians understanding that their purpose is far more than “having a party line vote,” but in voting and standing in a way that is founded on Christian principles.

“I really think it’s going to be foundational in the church in general … for us to come together as informed citizens and then have good discussions,” he stressed. “Anytime the community comes together and has a good discussion, even when we have opposing values, it creates a strength. And I think that’s a good thing as we move forward.”

On the topic of looking ahead, Perkins outlined the ambitious vision: establishing at least one PVS chapter in every county across America within the next 10 years. Each chapter would be anchored in a local church, serving in “anchoring Christians in biblical truth for godly engagement.” He cautioned that this truth cannot be “replaced with libertarianism,” which he identified as a “tension within the conservative movement.”

Echols reinforced this by focusing on eternal priorities over temporal power: “Political parties exist for one purpose, and that is to gain the majority — to hold the power.” And yet, he said, “that’s not what we’re interested in doing. We’re interested in reaching the Powerful — our Heavenly Father and His perspective on life.” Through structured lessons and discussions, the chapters aim to “improve the worldview of folks in their congregation … to help them be civically engaged. Maybe it’s going to a county commission meeting, going to a city council meeting, going to the Capitol, to the legislature, [or] doing a prayer walk at the Capitol.”

Beyond education, the chapters promote active outreach, encouraging Christians to be “praying for elected leaders [and] building relationships with them,” Perkins emphasized. “There is a whole list of things that the chapters can do, but the main thing is … to pray, understand the spiritual battle that we’re in and the responsibility we have [to] vote, engage as Christian citizens, and stand — stand on that biblical truth, no matter which way the culture is headed.”

This movement, amplified through PVS chapters, is about faith informing action, ensuring that Christians not only participate in society but shape it with the unchanging principles rooted in Scripture. And so, Echols wrapped up the discussion with a call to action: “[W]e’ve been called to be salt and light. And in order to be salt and light, we’ve got to have some engagement.”