WATCH: Highlands pastor Mark Pettus encourages Alabama Christians to vote: ‘Unless Jesus is on the ballot there is no perfect candidate’

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November 3, 2026

Church of the Highlands lead pastor Mark Pettus paused before his Sunday sermon to pray over election week and drive Alabama’s largest congregation to the polls on Tuesday.

Pettus, who succeeded founding pastor Chris Hodges last year, leads a church of roughly 60,000 weekly attendees across 25 Alabama campuses. The appeal from the pulpit is a continuation of Hodges’ belief in the idea that Christians belong in the public square.

“I am so grateful for our nation,” Pettus said. “Thank God for America. And no, we are not a perfect nation, but there is no other nation on this planet like our nation.”

He tied the right to vote to the people who paid for it.

“I am so grateful, of course, so grateful for the men and women that have served in the military and who even died for our country, so that we have the right to vote,” he said. “That is honestly a right that can be taken for granted.”

Pettus told the congregation his grandfather served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and gathered all 13 of his grandchildren to drive the point home.

“One of my distinct memories is how he would just remind us: never forget those who paid for this freedom, never forget those who are serving right now for this freedom,” he said.

Alabama voters head to the polls on Tuesday for the general election. WATCH:

“I’m encouraging everybody to activate that right and to vote this week,” Pettus said. “And I don’t know about y’all. If y’all noticed, there is no perfect candidate in the United States of America. Has anybody else noticed there’s no perfect candidate? Am I the only one? There is no perfect unless Jesus is on the ballot. There is no perfect candidate.”

Pettus did not endorse a candidate. He told the congregation to vote the way Christians have always been asked to, by the Bible.

“What we need to do is to vote our biblical values, to vote the values that we see in the Word of God, not a popularity contest,” he said. “There’s no perfect candidate, but we want to vote for those who most can clearly represent God’s Word.”

Pettus then led the church in prayer, mentioning the shooting near Legion Field on Saturday night that killed one and wounded eight after the Magic City Classic.

He closed with a prayer, placing this week in God’s hands.

“Thank God for America, God. We thank you for this nation, and God, we thank you that your hand has been on America and that you have blessed America. And God, we do thank you right now for the men and women who have paid the ultimate price, those who are serving now. So we have this opportunity to activate all of our rights, but this week to vote.

“God, I’m praying for wisdom right now over my life and over everyone’s life as we step into that ballot box this week. That you would give us the wisdom and discernment to vote those in who most clearly represent your values. God, we refuse to feel anxiety or pressure in all that we’re facing in the world today. Right now, in this moment, we put America back in your hands, and we trust you, God. We thank you today for our nation.

Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.