Mayors appoint pastors council to lead church reopening

April 22, 2020

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

JACKSON, Tenn.— City of Jackson Mayor Scott Conger and Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris have appointed a group of local pastors who will meet to develop guidelines for the reopening of church facilities.

“I’d like for them to lead the charge on what they feel is best for the health of their congregation as well as people in the community that their members interact with,” said Mayor Scott Conger.

“I’ve admired the creativity and ingenuity that churches have used to continue meeting via online streaming or drive up services. We want people to continue to exercise their religious freedom but have to acknowledge that large groups of people accelerate the spread of this virus.”

The committee’s goal is to recommend guidelines for the city moving into May.

“We expect that individual churches will use different plans to meet their specific needs but thought this would be a good opportunity for pastors to get together and share what has worked best for their church and what could be done moving forward,” said Mayor Jimmy Harris.

“Tony White will participate in the meetings on behalf of the county and Alex Reed will participate on behalf of the city,” said Harris. “This is a joint effort and we are looking forward to receiving the pastors’ recommendations.”

The first virtual committee meeting will be Friday, April 24.