The Salt and Light Council is a nonprofit ministry that trains and equips churches to establish Salt and Light Biblical Citizenship Ministries in churches across the country to restore the biblical and moral foundations of America. The Salt and Light Council promotes constitutional and religious liberties, traditional marriage, and pro-life values. ¹

The Salt and Light Council was a related tax-exempt organization of right-of-center litigation group Liberty Counsel through 2014. ²

Activities

The Salt and Light Council promotes biblical and moral foundations values in an effort to restore in contemporary American society what it claims is the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage. To achieve this, the Salt and Light Council trains and equips its coalition of cross-denominational churches to establish Salt & Light Biblical Citizenship Ministries, whose purpose is to defend constitutional and religious liberties, traditional marriage, and pro-life values. ¹

The Salt and Light Council aims to mobilize Christians at the grassroots level to influence government and civic affairs, claiming that without a “godly influence” governmental authority will destroy “God-given” rights due to the natural tendency toward evil, with the state attacking family, church, and civil government. The Salt and Light Council seeks to achieve its goals through prayer, education, and action. ¹

The Salt and Light Council claims that the family can be restored through traditional marriage between a man and a woman, parental authority over children without government interference, and the abolition of abortion. It also claims that the government can be restored by operating the U.S. as a Judeo-Christian country, where God comes first, the people answer to God, and the government answers to the people. ¹

Funding

The Salt and Light Council is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. While the Salt and Light Council does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from Liberty Counsel ($53,893 in 2014), ³ the American Endowment Foundation ($50,000 in 2023), ⁴ and the National Christian Charitable Foundation ($14,000 in 2017). ⁵

Leadership

Dran Reese is the founder and president of the Salt and Light Council; the founder and president of the initiatives the Content of Character Series, the Judeo-Christian Caucus, and Biblical Voter; and the host of RepentanceandRestoration.com, a daily national prayer line that prays for America. ⁶

Mathew Staver is the chair of the board of the Salt and Light Council and the senior pastor, founder, and chair of Liberty Counsel. Staver is also the chair of Liberty Counsel Action, Faith and Liberty, Freedom Federation, and Liberty Relief International, and the vice president and chief counsel of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Staver is a former vice president of Liberty University and a former trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society. Staver sits on the boards of the Christian Film and Television Commission and Care for Pastors. ⁷

Larry Dershem is the secretary of the board of the Salt and Light Council. ⁸

Art Ally is the treasurer of the board of the Salt and Light Council and the president of the Timothy Plan, a self-described biblically responsible mutual fund company. ⁹

Terry Barnes works in sales, marketing, and web development at Ambassadors Solutions. ¹⁰

Paul Blair is the senior pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma and the Liberty Church of Orlando, Florida. Blair is the president of Reclaiming America for Christ and the founder of both the Liberty Pastors Network and the Liberty Pastor Training Camps. ¹¹

Stephen Broden is a political activist and minister who was the Constitution Party’s candidate for vice president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. ¹²

Karladine Graves is a family medicine specialist at Cornerstone Family Care, specializing in immunization and influenza. Graves advocates for medical freedom and against the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. ¹³

Art Hodges is the senior pastor of South Bay Pentecostal Church and the superintendent of the SoCal District. Hodges formerly worked as a church growth coordinator at United Pentecostal Church International. ¹⁴

1. “Our Mission.” Salt & Light Council. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.saltandlightcouncil.org/our-mission/.
2. Liberty Counsel Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2014, Schedule R, Part II.
3. Liberty Counsel Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2014, Schedule I, Part II.
4. American Endowment Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Schedule I, Part II.
5. National Christian Charitable Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule I, Part II.
6. “About.” Dran Reese. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.dranreese.com/about.
7. “Mat Staver.” Liberty Counsel. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://lc.org/mat-staver.
8.  Salt & Light Council Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2023, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.
9. “Art Ally.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/art-ally-9a0044117/.
10. “Our Team.” Ambassador Solutions. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.ambassadorssolutions.com/what-we-do#our-team-1.
11. “Paul Blair.” Truth & Liberty. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.truthandliberty.net/bios/paul-blair.
12. “Stephen E. Broden.” Ballotpedia. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Stephen_E._Broden.
13. “Dr. Karladine Graves – The courageous Pfizer whistleblower whose information will shock you (ep # 6-24-23).” Spreaker, June 22, 2023. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.spreaker.com/episode/dr-karladine-graves-the-courageous-pfizer-whistleblower-whose-information-will-shock-you-ep-6-24-23–53961260.
14. “About.” SoCal District. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.socalupci.org/about.