Pastor Neal Jackson has won in the 78th district of North Carolina with 71% of the Republican vote. Jackson decided to run after state Rep. Allen McNeill, Jackson’s “great friend for many years,” decided to call it a day after 10 years of service.
Jackson, Beulah Baptist Church’s Pastor in Bennett, North Carolina, reveals he was motivated by a trip he and other pastors made to Israel with David Lane’s organization, the American Renewal Project.
He said: “We were just challenged that we as Christians must invade the public arena,” says Jackson. “We’re to be a light in a dark world, and this includes the arena of politics.”
During the trip, Jackson felt the urge to pray for people in authority over him, but he didn’t know the names of most of his elected local and state officials at that time.
He added: “So I just came back and started taking them out to eat and developing relationships.”
As Jackson prayed for them and got to know their names, he began to pray: “God, if You open up doors, we will serve You while pastoring, but getting out of the church building and into the community.”
When McNeill announced he was retiring, Jackson felt God was blessing the timing and the opportunity. His church members and his family both gave him their blessing to run for office.
However, Jackson wasn’t so sure of the rest of the community’s support. He said: “I wondered how they would respond to having a pastor representing them in Raleigh, but the community has been above and beyond just wonderful in embracing us.”
Jackson’s first step as a candidate was getting in touch with churches to pray for the upcoming election. Also, he appeared and talked at many organizations and business gatherings in his area. During his campaign, he did not only highlight his pastoral experience, but he spoke about the 13 years of experience he had in financial planning and insurance sales. But at all speaking engagements, he says, he led with his faith.
In a motivational video he sent to his community, he said: “You say, ‘Why should I vote?'”
“Life is on the ballot tomorrow. I give you my word—I will be pro-life every day that I’m in Raleigh.
“Morality is on the ballot, and I give you my word—I am a Christian. I am a conservative, and I will act like that. And I will vote like that.”
Jackson’s campaign website, nealjackson4nc.org/issues, makes his position on many issues clear: “pro-life,” “pro-family,” “pro-gun,” “pro-freedom,” “pro-jobs,” “pro-law enforcement” and “pro-education.”
While talking on The Water Cooler with David Brody podcast, he said: “It’s great that we have all these members, and they come to church. But unless we get outside the salt shaker and into … society, we’re really not impacting culture as Jesus commanded.”
He said he believes politics and prayer are the only way to change the United States.
He said: “We go into the prayer closet to hear from God. And then when God tells us what to do, we go into the arena and we work for God. So I believe it’s a hand in a glove; prayer and politics [are] going to save America.”Â
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