Prime Minister Bill English will have the support of the Exclusive Brethren at the upcoming general election.

The Exclusive Brethren church is calling on its 8000 New Zealand followers to pray for Bill English's National Party to win September's general election.

The hardline Christian sect issued a prayer agenda calling for the "right Government which maintains Christian principles" to win the New Zealand election on September 23.

A $1.2m leaflet campaign by Exclusive Brethren businessmen to discredit Labour and the Green Party in the leadup to the 2005 election became a public relations disaster for National, who initially denied any knowledge of the campaign.

The Sydney-based leader of the Exclusive Brethren church Bruce Hales with his wife Jennifer.

Nicky Hager's book The Hollow Men later revealed extensive behind-the-scenes cooperation between National and the Brethren over the leaflets, with Finance Minister Steven Joyce named as a key go between.

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Massey University religious historian Peter Lineham said the Brethren had maintained links with National, and had traditionally been 'highly suspicious' of the Labour Party.

LAWRENCE SMITH/STUFF Finance minister Steven Joyce brokered the relationship between the National Party and the Exclusive Brethren in 2005.

"There have been deputations sent to key ministers, so what we're getting should be no surprise that they would come out strongly on the side of National."

A National Party spokesman played down the ties, saying there hadn't been any recent contact or meetings with church members.

The prayer agenda, distributed to Exclusive Brethren members around the world, encourages members to be actively involved in contentious political issues.

The Exclusive Brethren prayer agenda, dated 3 July 2017.

Members of the Exclusive Brethren church adhere to a "Doctrine of Separation" which bans them from engaging in 'worldly activities' such as voting and eating with non-Brethrens.

But when asked if Brethren would be allowed to vote in the upcoming elections, New Zealand-based church spokesman Doug Watt said church members were "free persons to do what their conscience allows".

Watt said the church had not donated money to National or any other party, but individual church members were free to donate to any organisation.

PETER MEECHAM/STUFF Peter Lineham, an associate professor of History from Massey University, says the Exclusive Brethren have maintained close ties with the National Party.

The Exclusive Brethren, who rebranded as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, recognise Sydney businessman Bruce Hales as their supreme leader.

Hales has has called on church members to develop an 'utter hatred' for the world, and once encouraged a mentally unstable New Zealand member to drink rat poison.

The prayer agenda, dated 3 July 2017, showed the Brethren to be highly politically aware, supporting right wing Governments around the world and trying to suppress unions.

STUFF The first Exclusive Brethren spokesman in the church's 179 year history Tony McCorkell died this week.

In Sweden and Argentina, it called for trade unions to be "weakened" and "kept in check".

In the UK, it hoped that "the Government is strengthened to carry out its legislative programme including Brexit negotiations, and that anti-Christian elements may be restrained".

They also waded in on the healthcare debate in the United States, seeking that The Affordable Care Act, which Donald Trump's Republican party is trying to repeal and replace, instead be "retained and improved".

German members were told "prayer needed for the continuance of strong Government" ahead of their elections on September 24.

Church spokesman Doug Watt said church members offered support to any Government they believed was doing the right thing.

In 2016, the church encouraged its followers to pray for the Inland Revenue Department after receiving a favourable ruling.

Meanwhile, a former high profile Brethren spokesman Tony McCorkell passed away this week aged 37.

McCorkell, an Australian, helped transform the church's image when he became their first media manager, and spent time in New Zealand dealing with controversies including a child abuse scandal in 2007.

After leaving the church for a second time, McCorkell spoke out about the church's approach to dealing with child abuse allegations.

"I deeply regret my part in keeping the lid on this," he said.