Pastors, watch this encouraging word and important update from Supt. Mark Dean ^^^
Regarding yesterday’s Executive Order from Governor Walz, know first of all that Pastors and church employees are considered essential workers and are exempted from the “Stay at Home” order for ministerial work purposes. That means you can still take care of ministerial duties and pre-record or live-stream service at your church if that cannot be done from home.
Here’s a link to the Executive Order from Governor Walz: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6819018/EO-20-20-FINAL.pdf
In that document, first note the disclaimer at the bottom of page 4.. “These critical services exemptions apply only to travel to and from an individual’s home or residence and place of work and an individual’s performance of work duties that cannot be done at their homes or residence.”
Then scroll to Page 8… Exemptions in the Critical Sector under v: “Faith leaders and workers. This category includes officials, workers, and leaders in houses of worship and other places of religious expression or fellowship, wherever their services may be needed. This category also includes workers necessary to plan, record, and distribute online or broadcast content to community members.”
As a District Office, our physical location will be closed for the next two weeks from March 30-April 10, but we are carrying on with business as usual. Much of our team is working remotely, but you can still send mail, call, or email like you normally would. We’re here to serve you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions. And please be sure to follow us on social media as well. The links are at the bottom of this email.
