Connecting the Gospel to the Capitol

Although I have lived most of my life in the state of Wisconsin—and have lived less than 30 miles from the Wisconsin State Capitol for nearly 25 years—I had never visited Madison’s most iconic building.

That changed on Feb. 4, when, as an individual member of IFCA International, I participated in an event sponsored by the Wisconsin Family Council’s Church Ambassador Network. It was the IFCA Pastors’ Day at the Capitol.

The Church Ambassador Network, under the direction of Dave Skahen with the help of other WFC staff members, organizes events like this at the Capitol on a regular basis. They bring in pastors from around the state—often providing special opportunities, like this one for pastors of the IFCA Wisconsin Regional.

There were five of us from the IFCA who attended, along with Skahen and Dave Lingle, also of WFC. We split into two groups to visit the Capitol, which is home to both houses of the Wisconsin state legislature, including its 99-member state assembly and 33-member state senate.

My group of four made 11 visits during our day at the Capitol. Several of these were prearranged with the offices of legislators who actually serve a member of our group as part of his or her district. Other meetings were impromptu—but some of those also turned out to be the most productive.

We were encouraged to bring a physical Bible, along with business cards, Bible tracts and literature. We were able to have several face-to-face, even sit-down, meetings with legislators or their key staff members, and enjoyed some really good conversations.

We shared the gospel and our literature—I handed out copies of Israel My Glory magazine—and asked our hosts, including sometimes the whole office staff, how we could pray for them. And we prayed—for them and with them.

Some of the legislators, or their staff members, told us about their church involvement, and we met several with a clear testimony of salvation in Christ. We heard about Bible studies that are offered around the Capitol, as well. No one disrespected us, and most of the people we talked to seemed genuinely glad that we were there. Some of them almost seemed startled that we were there simply because we cared about them as people, and cared about their souls.

I was able to say a word about my ministry with The Friends of Israel during a number of our visits, and I also felt a favorable response to that. The people I talked to were concerned about the Jewish community, and the current growth in antisemitism. One legislator, in particular, commended me for the good cause I represent.

The Church Ambassador Network attempts to relate to the legislators at these events by drawing the connection between pastors as shepherds of a congregation and the lawmakers as shepherds of a political district. We also reminded each one that “he is God’s minister … for good” (Rom. 13:4). Everyone we met received assurance that if they ever need prayer or help of any kind, they could call on anyone in the group.

The Apostle Paul desperately wanted to be in Rome—the Capital city of the ancient world (see Acts 19:21; Rom. 1:11-13). Once he was finally there “as a prisoner” (Acts 28:17), he was not at all shy about proclaiming the gospel to everyone and anyone who would listen or could hear it. And the gospel made its impact there—right in “Caesar’s household” (Phil. 4:22).

Even so, today, the gospel remains the only ultimate answer to our increasingly complex societal problems. And if it could make an impact in Rome in the first century, it can do likewise in Madison today. I enjoyed my time contributing my small part to that effort in my state Capitol.