WASHINGTON _ Of the $4 million spent last year by James Lankford's campaign to win a U.S. Senate seat, it was a relatively small amount. But it stands out for its unique _ and perhaps uniquely appropriate _ nature.

There among the year-end bonuses and commissions to his staff members and advisers was a payment of $21,000 for "faith-based consulting."

The campaign of Lankford, the Oklahoma City Republican who ran a Baptist youth camp until a few years ago, cut the check to the Student Development Institute of Oklahoma City, an organization headed by Paul Abner.

It received a total of $40,500 for faith-based consulting, and Abner received another $1,200 for expenses.

In an email response to questions, Lankford’s campaign manager did not respond to the question of what faith-based consulting actually entails.

Holly Isch said Abner “has previously volunteered with several campaigns in Oklahoma, but his company is not a political consulting company; like most of us on the campaign team, he does not have a political background. ”

Isch, who worked for Lankford at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma before signing on to his first campaign, was among the new senator’s other faith-based connections who was rewarded at the end of the year.