New undercover footage shows a minister at Democrat U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s longtime church saying the congregation does not have “a lot of people who are religious” and describing St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church as “not a belief-based church.”
In the video obtained by Texas Scorecard, Rev. Carol Johnson describes St. Andrew’s as a “sanctuary church” and says an illegal alien from Guatemala who has “worked here for 8 years” has been living inside the church.
“We don’t have a lot of people who are religious here,” said Johnson.
“We’re not a belief-based church. We’re a values-based church,” she added.
“We don’t spend time on creeds.” Instead, she pointed to the church’s history of activism on LGBT issues, racial justice, and immigration.
EXCLUSIVE: Undercover footage shows a minister at James Talarico’s “Sanctuary church” admitting to harboring an illegal alien from Guatemala.
“We don’t have a lot of people who are religious here.”
“We’re not a belief-based church.” pic.twitter.com/p5zKZvItec
— Brandon Waltens (@bwaltens) September 21, 2026
For his part, Talarico has described himself as a “Christian who hates Christianity.” He has attended St. Andrew’s since childhood and repeatedly credited the congregation with shaping his worldview.
“St. Andrews in north Austin—it’s still the church I go to—really shaped my worldview,” Talarico said in a 2023 interview with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Talarico has also previously pointed specifically to the church’s LGBT activism and sanctuary activities when explaining how his faith influenced his political career.
During a 2023 appearance on Texas Impact’s Weekly Witness podcast, Talarico said St. Andrew’s was “really active in LGBTQ rights in the ’90s” and later drew attention for allowing an atheist to join the church.
“And then in the 2010s, again stirred some controversy by housing an undocumented family, a mother and son, who were close to being deported by ICE,” he added.
“That was the tradition that I was brought up in,” he continued. “It’s what led me to teach public school students on the west side of San Antonio, led me to run an education nonprofit and then led me to run for office.”
The latest footage also comes shortly after separate undercover recordings showed other St. Andrew’s ministers discussing the religious makeup and theology of the congregation.
Minister Babs Miller said in one recording that if St. Andrew’s members were asked whether they were Christian, agnostic, or atheist, “the vast majority would say agnostic or atheist.”
Longtime pastor Jim Rigby was shown in another recording discussing the congregation’s use of an “Inclusive Bible” that uses gender-neutral language.
Rigby has also publicly described an approach to worship that minimizes traditional Christian creeds. Johnson’s remarks in the new footage echo that approach.
Talarico has identified Rigby as a mentor, and has said the church has played a prominent role in his public discussion of Christianity and politics.
Texas Scorecard has reached out to Talarico’s campaign and St. Andrew’s for comment without a response.
