Which churches have publicly partnered with Turning Point USA and faced backlash?
Executive summary
Several churches and faith leaders have publicly partnered with Turning Point USA’s faith arm — often called TPUSA Faith or Turning Point Faith — and faced backlash ranging from campus pushback to vandalism and public criticism. Reporting documents specific incidents: The Movement Church in Alabama was vandalized ahead of a TPUSA Faith event [1]; historically Black colleges pushed back against Blexit/TU-associated outreach from TPUSA [2]; and churches have launched TPUSA chapters that drew community protest and petitions (examples of school/church chapters in Maine and a high‑school petition in Arizona) [3] [4] [5].
1. Churches publicly partnering — the moving parts
Turning Point has an explicit faith initiative, variously called TPUSA Faith or Turning Point Faith, that seeks to build church partnerships and “unite the Church” around its priorities; TPUSA’s own materials and affiliated sites describe that effort [6] [7]. Rolling Stone and Word&Way described TPUSA’s outreach to pastors and churches — including pastor summits and a program that asks religious partners to align with certain political and cultural aims — which clarifies why congregations and pastors are the organization’s stated targets [8] [9].
2. The Movement Church (Alabama): partnership followed by vandalism
AL.com reported that The Movement Church in Madison County, Alabama, was publicly identified as a partner church for a TPUSA Faith event and that its building was vandalized ahead of that event; TPUSA publicly commented on the vandalism as involving “one of our partner churches in Alabama” [1]. That incident is an example of visible, sometimes violent, backlash tied to a named local church hosting or promoting TPUSA activities [1].
3. Historically Black colleges and Blexit/Black outreach: institutional resistance
Reporting in The Salt Lake Tribune and other outlets documents pushback when Blexit — a Black conservative group tied to TPUSA — visited historically Black colleges and universities. Institutional leaders and campus communities objected to Blexit/TPUSA outreach, showing that partnership or presence on campuses (and in campus‑linked ministries) can provoke organized resistance from students and administrators [2].
4. Growth of church- and school-based chapters sparked community friction
Local reporting from Maine and Arizona captures how launching Turning Point chapters at churches, schools, and high schools has provoked debate. In Maine, at least 20 TPUSA chapters were reported to have launched across churches, colleges and high schools in the weeks after Charlie Kirk’s death, stirring local attention [3] [4]. In Arizona, a Change.org petition targeted a Turning Point club at Saguaro High School, reflecting community-level pushback when TPUSA-affiliated groups enter K‑12 settings [5].
5. Why churches drew criticism — ideology, political activity, and messaging
Critics highlighted TPUSA’s blending of political aims and religious outreach. Word&Way reported that TPUSA’s pastor summit pressed churches to unite around hot‑button cultural issues (for example, opposition to “transgenderism”) rather than traditional theological topics, and that speakers repeated claims characterized as false by that outlet [9]. Rolling Stone documented agreements TPUSA asked of religious partners and noted the organization’s push to marshal churches into political frontlines, which explains why some congregations faced internal and external backlash [8].
6. Two competing perspectives in coverage
Sources show two competing framings: TPUSA and its faith arm present church partnerships as a ministry to “unite the Church” and counter “wokeism” [6] [7]. Critics and some religious reporters depict TPUSA’s approach as political mobilization that pressures churches to adopt partisan cultural stances, generating division and, in some cases, protests or vandalism [9] [8] [1].
7. What reporting does not say or fully document
Available sources do not provide a comprehensive list naming every specific church that has partnered with TPUSA and faced backlash; reporting instead gives representative examples (The Movement Church in Alabama, Blexit visits to HBCUs, multiple Maine churches launching chapters) and broader descriptions of TPUSA’s faith strategy [1] [2] [3] [4] [6]. Details on internal church deliberations, exact contractual terms of partnership for each congregation, and full incident timelines for every reported backlash are not found in the current reporting (not found in current reporting).
8. What to watch next
Monitor local news where churches host TPUSA Faith events (local outlets noted vandalism in Alabama and petitions in Arizona) and coverage of campus responses to Blexit/TPUSA visits [1] [5] [2]. Also watch investigative pieces on TPUSA’s faith agreements and whether religious partners are formally signing the kinds of participation clauses Rolling Stone described — that reporting explains the mechanics that attract both supporters and opponents [8].
Sources cited: AL.com reporting on the Alabama church vandalism [1]; Word&Way coverage of the pastors summit [9]; Rolling Stone analysis of TPUSA faith outreach and partner agreements [8]; Salt Lake Tribune reporting on HBCU pushback [2]; Maine and Press Herald local reporting on chapter growth in churches and schools [3] [4]; TPUSA/TPUSA Faith sites describing the faith initiative [6] [7]; Arizona station reporting on a high‑school petition [5].