Frank Sossamon: The Pastoring Politician
“Pastor” and “politician” are not titles usually seen together, but North Carolina Representative Frank Sossamon defies stereotypes.
Frank is a former pastor who served the IPHC in Cornerstone Conference for nearly 30 years. Cornerstone’s Conference Superintendent Mike Ainsworth shares, “Pastor Sossamon served the Cornerstone Conference IPHC in a number of roles over the years including pastor, Executive Council member, and Men’s Ministries Director.” After deciding to retire from ministry, Frank thought he would fill his days helping his son with their funeral home business.
However, God had other plans. “I used to tell people, if they wanted to see change, maybe they were the ones to do it,” Representative Sossamon shares. When he felt change was needed in North Carolina’s government, he realized God was challenging him to be the change.
Throughout his campaign, Frank stayed true to himself, running a “grass roots” campaign. He did not have thousands of dollars available, so he took the time to speak with people face-to-face, and it paid off. Representative Sossamon leads District 32 (Vance and Granville counties) as its first Republican representative. “We know the Lord will continue to use Frank in this new capacity in the North Carolina House of Representatives for the state and the counties he serves,” Superintendent Ainsworth adds.
Frank’s time in ministry prepared him exponentially for his time in the House of Representatives. “I do a lot of things other representatives don’t do,” he comments. Whether visiting people in the hospital, helping parents care for their disabled child, or supporting a young mom getting her GED after suffering injuries from a gunshot wound, Representative Sossamon continues to serve the people of his community.
Bishop Beacham reveals, “Frank Sossamon has been an unusually effective pastor. He has taken those pastoral caring skills and turned them to use for the larger civic good of North Carolina. The IPHC family is grateful for dedicated men and women like Representative Sossamon who serve in various civic duties doing good for all people.”
Representative Sossamon is a unique example of what can happen when church and state are united. Loving people, whether as a minister or representative, is at the heart of everything Frank does. He shares how pastors can encourage civic duty among their congregations, especially voting, in an interview with Bishop Beacham. “Pastors are scared to talk politics from the pulpit, but the truth is that many issues are not political, they are biblical,” Frank declares.
We encourage you to view the entire interview with Representative Sossaman here. He is also more than willing to connect with anyone who has questions or concerns. His email is frank.sossamon@ncleg.gov. His office address is 300 N. Salisbury St. Rm. 609 Raleigh, NC 27603, and his office phone number is 919-733-5824.
