Evangelical Political Operative Reveals Plan to Fundamentally Transform America — and It Involves 1,000 Pastors

Hundreds of pastors flocked to the Baton Rouge River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last Friday to gather resources, ideas and strategies surrounding how they can successfully run for political office in 2016. 

The faith leaders assembled for the Issachar Training Event, which was organized by the American Renewal Project, an organization that is working toward bringing 1,000 preachers into the public square next election cycle.

American Renewal Project founder David Lane told CBN News' David Brody that he launched his mass initiative to recruit pastors to run for a wide array of elected positions in 2016 after he recognized a similarity between politicians and preachers.

"I'm a political operative as you know. I saw that the skills as a successful politician are the same skills of a successful pastor," Lane said. "The skill set is about the same."

So, he said he launched the American Renewal Project after he began to think about the societal transformation that could happen if he was able to recruit 1,000 pastors to run in 2016 — a prospect that he said "would change America."

"Somebody's values are going to reign supreme. Our values or somebody else's values," Lane told Brody. "It's our goal to bring spiritual men and women into the civil government arena."

According to the Christian Examiner, the event included advice for pastors about how to approach running for office, how to run campaigns and how to offer up key messaging — all elements needed for successful electoral pursuits. 

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal reportedly endorsed the Issachar Training Event in a letter to thousands of pastors last month, writing that the initiative would raise up a new generation of leaders, the Washington Times reported.

"We are going to discuss the importance of raising up the next generation of leaders in America who understand these challenging times and know what to do about them," Jindal wrote. "There is a great need for the kind of leaders we read about in the Old Testament, 'The Men of Issachar' (1 Chronicles 12:32). We need such men and women of wisdom today who will accept the challenge to restore our Judeo-Christian heritage in America."

Watch Lane discuss his efforts below:

While the training session was not officially connected to Jindal's highly publicized "The Response" prayer rally, which was held the next day, the governor reportedly also made an appearance at the event. And both initiatives were reportedly funded by the American Renewal Project.

"Nobody's confused that politicians are going to save America," Lane told the Christian Examiner before the Issachar Training Event. "These engaged evangelicals would be voting for their biblically-based conservative values." 

(H/T: CBN News)

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