Life.Church senior pastor Craig Groeschel and Pastor and Innovation Leader at Life.Church Bobby Gruenewald have been quarantined by health officials. The move comes after both men attended a ministry conference in Germany called Willow Creek Deutschland Leitungskongress 2020.
Life.Church, a multi-site church in Oklahoma, is one of the largest churches in America.
The conference ended early after one of the other presenters fell ill and was determined to have COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. While traveling back to the U.S., health officials told them that upon arrival, they should both be quarantined in their homes for 14 days. They are avoiding direct contact with their families, though neither have displayed any symptoms of the disease.
In a statement to Religion News Service, Gruenewald explained, “Pastor Craig and I are at home and healthy. While en route home from Germany, we were made aware of the situation at the conference. We immediately notified health authorities and have followed every recommendation. Out of an abundance of caution, we have been isolated in our homes the entire time, even limited from interaction with our families. We have no symptoms, and someone is checking on us regularly.”
RNS also notes that anyone who came into contact with the speaker who has COVID-19 have also been quarantined, though the conference said the individual is “already on the mend.”
