Did anything illegal take place? Or is there merely a need for stronger policies covering city officials who engage in outside in endeavors on city time?

Those are the kind of questions that Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring will be trying to answer.

He said he would do so as he looks into concerns that city employees who are members of First Baptist Church of South Richmond, where Mayor Dwight C. Jones is senior pastor, conducted church business during their city work hours.

Mr. Herring said that he is collaborating with the Virginia State Police in undertaking the probe that also would examine the mayor’s involvement in any potential misconduct.

Initially, Mr. Herring said he found little evidence to involve his office in a probe after concerns were raised about the city-church connection last month. However, Mr. Herring said he grew more interested in probing the matter following the release of hundreds of emails involving the mayor and the city director of public works, Emmanuel O. Adediran, who is a volunteer associate pastor at First Baptist.

City Auditor Umesh Dalal reported in early January that Mr. Adediran had spent 38 hours of city time while serving as the volunteer project manager for the church in constructing a new satellite sanctuary in Chesterfield County.

Mayor Jones and Selena Cuffee-Glenn, the city’s chief administrative officer, initially required Mr. Adediran to give up 38 hours of vacation time worth $2,500 as punishment.

Mr. Dalal’s staff turned up the church-related emails on the city’s computer server and released them last week to the Free Press and other news outlets under the Freedom of Information Act.

Mr. Herring said he talked further with the auditor after the emails were disclosed and decided that a probe was warranted.

The emails raise questions about the credibility of Mayor Jones, whose term in office ends in December. They show that the firewall Mayor Jones claimed just weeks ago to have maintained between “the church and city business” since he took office seven years ago was more like a Venetian blind that could be opened or closed at his discretion.

The batch of emails show a constant flow of information from Mr. Adediran to Mayor Jones about the progress and challenges involving the construction of the new sanctuary on Iron Bridge Road.

The mayor responded to at least three of the emails, virtually all of which were sent during normal city business hours, confirming that he knew Mr. Adediran was involved with the church’s construction project on city time and essentially permitted it. They also confirm a sourced Free Press report that Mr. Adediran’s work for the church was well known and essentially authorized.

The emails also show that Mr. Adediran engaged on the church project with companies that had, or were competing for, city contracts and that he communicated much of the information he received to the mayor.

Mr. Dalal has acknowledged he has not turned up any evidence that the city paid for any services or goods used in the church project.

As yet, no emails between the mayor and other First Baptist Church members employed in the city government have been made available. City officials have said at least six of the city’s 58 top officials are members of Mayor Jones’ church.

While Mayor Jones earlier said he had asked State Police to probe Mr. Adediran’s activities and records to see if city property and resources were used in his role with the church, Mr. Herring said he is working with State Police to conduct the review.

“There will be just one review,” Mr. Herring said, which he expects to take “a couple of months.”