ECFA thanks CO+OP, an ECFA-accredited member organization, for including this article by Aaron Mercer, ECFA Vice President of Public Affairs, in its August 2026 magazine (available here). 

This is a monumental summer for our country. A 250th birthday is a big deal, and it deserves celebration. I know I’ve been enjoying the fireworks and festivities of this anniversary party, and I hope you have, too. 

I also think this is a good time to reflect. Who are we as a nation? Why were we founded? Where are we going? 

As I’ve been considering these questions, my attention has turned to writings of America’s heroes. And one of the greatest of these is our first President, George Washington.  

Today, I’m particularly mindful of Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address (in part because it was read aloud in the U.S. Senate the day I had the blessing of being in Houston for the 2026 Texas Ministry Conference). In a tradition dating back to the Civil War, Congress annually recalls Washington’s parting words of wisdom and warning for the new American republic as he voluntarily gave up the reins of power—a novelty in an age of kings. 

The entirety of Washington’s “sentiments… all important to the permanency of your felicity as a people” are worth the time to read. However, especially noteworthy here is the President’s insistence that “religion and morality are indispensable supports” for the nation’s prosperity, and “virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.”  

He then went on to say, 

Promote then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge…. it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened. 

Now, we could all probably think of a number of practical applications for Washington’s faith-oriented message and his encouragement about the diffusing of knowledge and enlightenment. But in a very simple sense, it strikes me that we need to make sure we are paying attention—that we are keeping ourselves “enlightened” about today’s matters of importance in the public square.  

We need to be mindful of what is happening in Washington, our nation’s capital, if we want Washington to be mindful of us and the faith-based witness we bear.  

Don’t Ignore Washington 

That exhortation to pay attention applies not just to each of us as individual citizens, but as leaders of churches and Christian nonprofit ministries. This is something the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) knows well. In fact, the wisdom of that charge was one catalyst for ECFA’s founding nearly five decades ago. 

ECFA was born in the 1970s—a period when, as President Jimmy Carter famously stated, “a crisis of confidence” was gripping the nation. Ministries were not immune to that crisis. In fact, a number of fundraising scandals had so rocked public trust that the federal government appeared ready to step in. Applying the heavy hand of the state would not have boded well for the principles of liberty at the core of this nation, but if faith leaders had simply ignored the warning signs, a hammer could well have dropped.  

Thankfully, at the encouragement of notable statesmen like U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield, ECFA’s 150 charter members set up a self-regulated accreditation system to restore confidence in the integrity of Christian organizations. The ECFA seal became a symbol of accountability, and the standards it required on matters like board independence and financial audits began to be accepted, if not expected, policies for organizations committed to enhancing trust among their constituents and in their communities.  

ECFA did not forget that lesson from its founding. Its leaders kept a pulse on the public square, and they pursued winsome engagement whenever appropriate. For example, they were a valuable voice in Washington when church audit procedures, appropriate disclosure requirements for religious organizations, and other such matters arose.   

Today, ECFA remains attentive to developments in Washington, state capitals, and the courts on charitable giving, tax exemption, and other matters related to finances, operations, and trust in the faith-based community. In this way, ECFA is able to strategically and effectively help preserve freedom and promote flourishing for all churches and ministries. 

Winsome Engagement Will Be Needed 

This attentiveness to the public square is particularly timely now. Regardless of which party holds the reins of power, a faith-based vantage point can be missed without ministry voices “at the table.” 

For example, a couple of years ago, legislation known as the Foreign Grant Reporting Act sailed in bipartisan fashion through a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The intention of the well-meaning bill sponsor was to close what some perceive as a “loophole” in the current iteration of IRS Form 990 related to the identities of foreign grantees. By calling for information like names, addresses, and more, the bill supporters aimed to better prevent funds from being funneled to terrorists like Hamas, among other malicious organizations.   

That bill could well have advanced into law if no ministry leaders were paying attention. But ECFA was. We knew this wasn’t a new idea, and we knew an important consideration for the current reporting practice. ECFA President Michael Martin was able to inform the Members of Congress that many ECFA-accredited members work with brothers and sisters in Christ abroad in places where governments and other antagonists severely persecute Christians. Publishing details about their identities would put them in harm’s way. 

“In its current form, this legislation could place many Christian missions partners and other charitable workers abroad in serious – even life-threatening – danger,” Martin said. 

Thankfully, Members of Congress took that message to heart and held off on advancing the bill.  

Last year, another situation arose that once again underscored the importance of monitoring government proceedings. The House of Representatives surprisingly resuscitated the nonprofit parking tax, which would add employee parking costs to the unrelated business income tax (UBIT) liability of many ministries. This idea to tax tax-exempt groups on an expense was considered such a failure after its first run in 2017 that Congress repealed it in full two years later. But some legislators wanted another try at it.  

ECFA rallied more than 650 leaders in faith-based organizations—all of whom were thankfully paying attention—and together they urged senators to expunge this “logically flawed and burdensome proposal.” Again, policymakers listened and removed this problematic provision before the underlying “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) became law.  

These examples are the tip of the iceberg, of course. The months and years ahead are most certainly going to hold new challenges related to religious freedom, Form 990 reporting, charitable giving, and more.  

The question is: Will we be paying attention? 

ECFA will, and we hope you will follow along with us. One easy next step is to sign up for our Pulse newsletter at ECFA.org/Pulse. We would be honored to stay winsomely engaged in the public square alongside your ministry in this anniversary year of our nation and beyond.