Many people of faith grapple with choosing the best candidate during elections because one party or one candidate is not completely aligned with the voter’s Christian values. This was apparent in the fall of 2004 when the Democratic Party nominated John Kerry to run for President against the Republican incumbent President George W. Bush. Both parties made an appeal for Christians’ support and tried to find the message and issues that would motivate Christians to support the party's respective ticket in the election. For Christians, there was clearly a need to examine the issues and platforms not from the viewpoint of either party, but rather from the viewpoint of Jesus. There was no vehicle at that time, however, to address these spiritual values in a nonpartisan manner to help Christians inform their voting decisions.

Recognizing this need, in October 2004 Advance Church hosted the first How Would Jesus Vote forum in Washington, DC. The forum engaged prominent Christian leaders from both ends of the political spectrum in a dialogue about casting a ballot based upon Christian principles. The initial event was so successful that in fall 2006, prior to the mid-term elections, Advance Church hosted another HWJV forum.

In response to the demand to provide a larger stage for these programs, Advance Church has established the How Would Jesus Vote tour. We are joining with like-minded churches to prompt a national discussion among Christians and those interested in moral leadership. Our aim is to be a catalyst to ensure that righteous leadership is the outcome of the elections.

The HWJV tour will give Christians from both sides of the political and theological divide—liberals and conservatives from diverse denominations—an opportunity to weigh in together on which factors should guide the voting process for Christians. The forums bring together nationally renowned ministers, theologians, authors, elected officials, and other leaders to challenge participants to go beyond conventional thinking and examine the Biblical foundation for voting decisions.