Religious leaders we talked to say they can't take sides when it comes to the presidential election or they could risk getting into some hot water, with the IRS.

From the pulpit, clergy say they can't pick and choose.

"We're not a-political, we're not against politics, it's just that fine balance,” says University Lutheran Church Pastor Alan Buresh.

A balance between religion and politics, and if a church falls off the beam they may be hearing from the Internal Revenue Service.

That's because church leaders say the agency can remove it's tax exempt non-profit status.

The IRS says it will investigate a church's tax status if it's “carrying on an unrelated trade or business."

So clergy, like Alan Buresh, say they avoid preaching about political candidates.

"To align one side over and against the other side as being God's candidate, then what if the other candidate wins? And suddenly god is removed from that?" says Buresh.

So instead Buresh says he speaks to his congregation about political issues, like war and social justice, so his listeners can choose for themselves who to vote for.

And he says not everyone within the same religion has the same views.

"Christians can be all over the place on all these issues, and all these candidate issues, without some how believing a good Christian can't believe otherwise,” he says.

But Buresh says he still encourages everyone to head to the polls.

"I think that's part of our responsibility as a citizen,” says Buresh.

Clergy say they encourage their members to pray for both the candidates and the voters during the campaign.

And remember, the presidential election is November fourth.