Sample Church Election Ballot
A congregational vote carries weight beyond its arithmetic, and a pastor call in particular is one people remember for years. The ballot itself is simple. What matters is agreeing beforehand who may vote, what majority is required, and whether the count will be secret — and writing that down before anyone casts a ballot.
The ballot
Copy this structure into a document, or build it directly in TapVoter.
Call of Senior Pastor
Yes / No on the candidate presented by the search committee. State the required majority on the ballot, e.g. "A two-thirds majority is required to extend a call".
Deacon Board
State seats plainly, e.g. "Vote for up to 3 of 6 nominees".
Elder Board
State seats plainly, e.g. "Vote for up to 2 of 4 nominees".
Church Treasurer
One seat.
Annual budget approval
Yes / No. Attach the budget; do not summarise it on the ballot.
Constitutional amendment
Yes / No. Quote the amendment in full and state the majority required.
Suggested method — Yes/No for calls and motions, approval voting for boards. A pastor call is a confidence question, so a plain Yes/No against a stated threshold is clearer than any ranking. For deacon and elder boards, approval voting lets members support every nominee they would be glad to serve under, which tends to produce a board the congregation is broadly at peace with.
Before you send it out
These are the things that decide whether a result holds up when someone questions it. They vary by organisation and, in some cases, by jurisdiction — so treat each as a prompt to check your own governing documents, not as advice about your situation.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and by your own governing documents. If the vote is contested or consequential, have someone qualified confirm the method before you open voting — challenges after a result are far more expensive than a review beforehand.
Who counts as a voting member
Check how your constitution defines a voting member — restrictions to members in good standing, a minimum age, or a minimum period of membership are all common, but yours may differ. Build your voter roll from the membership roll and settle the edge cases in advance — recent transfers, inactive members, associate members — because deciding them after the result is announced looks like changing the rules to fit the outcome.
Quorum and the majority required
Check what majority your constitution requires for a pastor call; it is frequently higher than for routine business. Check too whether the threshold is of members present or of the total membership, because the second makes abstentions count against. State the threshold on the ballot itself so nobody has to ask.
Secret ballot, and why it matters here
A congregation is a community where people will sit beside each other on Sunday regardless of how the vote goes. That is exactly the situation a secret ballot exists for. If you use a platform, ask plainly who can see how a member voted before you promise the congregation anonymity.
Members who cannot attend
Decide in advance whether absentee or remote voting is permitted; some constitutions require voting in person at a duly called meeting, which online voting cannot substitute for regardless of convenience. If remote voting is allowed, hold the window open long enough for members who work Sundays or are unwell.
Common questions
What majority is needed to call a pastor?
Your church constitution or bylaws set it, and it may be higher than a simple majority. Check the figure in your own documents rather than assuming a common one, and check whether it is measured against members present or total membership, and state the threshold on the ballot so the result is unambiguous when it is announced.
Should a pastor vote be secret?
Many congregations choose a secret ballot, and the reasoning is straightforward: members should be able to vote their conscience without their neighbour, or the candidate, knowing how they voted. If your constitution specifies the method, follow it. If it is silent, the board or moderator should decide and announce it before voting opens rather than after.
Can we hold a congregational vote online?
Some constitutions require a vote at a duly called in-person meeting, in which case online voting cannot replace it. Others permit or are silent on remote voting. Check before you schedule, and if the vote is significant, get the decision minuted so the method itself cannot be challenged later.
Is this church ballot template free?
Yes. Copy the structure below into a bulletin or document, or run the vote on TapVoter free for up to 10,000 members, with anonymous ballots included at no cost.
Run it as a real election, free
Build this ballot in TapVoter and every voter gets their own key, nobody votes twice, and the ballot record carries no voter identifier. Free for up to 10,000 voters.