Timothy Lee is the Missional Community Leader at Rotorua Baptist Church, a supervisor, a chaplain and an author.
I believe that the most influential vote of any kingdom representative is not one cast in the ballot box, but rather a vote of action, expressed in the lives of neighbours in our community. It’s not driven by any loyalty to a political party, rather, as Michael Rhodes says: “living out our allegiance to Jesus,”1 who modelled righteousness, justice and mercy in the midst of a deeply political world.
Politics by nature is divisive, whether it’s discussed at work, around the dinner table, or in the church pew. “When you live in Culture War Mode, there is always a battle to fight, a side to take, and people to fear. When you live in God’s Kingdom there is always a stranger to welcome, the neighbour to befriend, and an enemy to love.”2 As ambassadors of Christ, we are not about winning political arguments, rather demonstrating God’s love and reconciliation to our broken world.
This doesn’t mean avoiding politics, rather, maintaining a clear identity to the kingdom Christ personified and called us to serve. “The church must be engaged in politics, but it must not be defined by the arbitrary lines in politics.”3 I suggest that Christians are far more effective serving within different political parties, than creating explicitly Christian political parties! God’s people are encouraged to flavour and preserve our world as salt and light, to be a compassionate fragrance of Christ to those being saved (Matthew 5:13-16, 2nd Corinthians 2:15-17).
As with Jesus’ calling (Luke 4:16-21), it gives me perspective, serving as a chaplain in a ministry to the homeless of Rotorua. Each week they come, wrestling with poverty, trauma, addiction, mental health, injustice, family dysfunction and the lasting effects of incarceration. Some live in emergency housing, some sleep in their cars, and others have nowhere to call home. We serve hot food and offer a welcoming environment where they are treated with dignity and respect. I bring a brief korero of hope from the Scriptures, reminding them that suffering is not the end of their story (Revelation 21:4). Often, the patron’s stories bring me to tears, but they are grateful, and depart feeling spiritually fed. How can my vote count for them with reference to poverty, homelessness, and social housing?
Consider some political party approaches: “The Opportunities Party (TOP) propose increased funding for social housing.”4 Te Pāti Māori propose to: “Strengthen welfare so whānau aren’t punished for being poor.”5 In efforts to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, “NZ First will challenge welfarism that has gone in too many areas from a hand up to a handout.”6 “The Green Party in government will: build enough quality, affordable, accessible public housing to clear the public housing waiting list, and rent increases at 2% per year.”7 National “propose a further $14.54 million over the next year for support services to help people sleeping rough.”8 Labour propose to repeal Govt legislation, stating: “Move on” orders penalise those with the least, and moving someone from one doorstep to the next does not fixed homelessness.”9 Act propose a “new welfare policy to restore fairness, personal responsibility, and the value of work to New Zealand’s benefit system.”10
As Christians, we share responsibility to prayerfully consider different approaches through ethical and biblical lenses. Votes for smaller parties may not translate into parliamentary representation if they fail to meet the 5% threshold. This happened in the 2002 election when 25% of the votes were reallocated to parties with questionable legislation. Whatever our decision in the ballot box, we are called to pray for those in authority, and trust in God’s providence for the outcomes. We choose to walk justly, with mercy and compassion, in order to leave a legacy of hope for our neighbour.
Endnotes/bibliography
1. Rhodes, Dr Michael. The politics of Jesus 2026. Marshall Teague. Unpacking Jesus “City on a hill,” revealing a bold vision of community where mercy, justice, and love redefine what politics looks like for His followers.
https://leadership.baptist.nz/series/crossrhodes-reimagining-biblical-politics/?listen=3
2. White, Dan Jr., Love Over Fear: Facing Monsters, Befriending Enemies, and Healing Our Polarised World. Moody Publishers, May 7, 2019.
3. Roberts, Bryan. Relevant Magazine, October edition 2024. Seven Things Christians Need To Remember About Politics.
https://relevantmagazine.com/current/7-things-christians-need-remember-about-politics-1/
4. 2026 Opportunity Party. Affordable Housing.
https://www.opportunity.org.nz/affordable_housing
5. Te Pāti Māori, Cost of living. 03 June 2026
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/cost_of_living
6. NZ First. Tackling the big one with the Cost-of-living Crisis.
https://www.nzfirst.nz/tackling-the-cost-of-living-crisis
7. Green.
https://action.greens.org.nz/publichousing_2026
8. National. 17 June 2026.
https://www.national.org.nz/news/20260617-honchrisbishop
9. By Labour Voices, 22 February 2026.
https://www.labour.org.nz/news/release-move-on-orders-penalise-those-with-the-least/
10. Act announces policy to make benefits a hand-up, not a way of life. 28 June 2026.
https://www.act.org.nz/news/act-announces-policy-to-make-benefits-a-hand-up-not-a-way-of-life
Read from others in this series:
