A grand jury Wednesday granted the Virginia State Police permission to investigate whether Mayor Dwight C. Jones blurred his roles as the city’s chief executive and senior pastor of First Baptist Church of South Richmond.

Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring called it a “procedural step” that allows the State Police to probe whether the mayor improperly used his city position to benefit the church or any of its members.

Mr. Herring indicated people should not read too much into the action his office requested from the multi-jurisdictional grand jury, an investigative body that also has indictment powers.

He said that no information has been presented to the grand jury.

“We’re still gathering info,” he said. “First, we needed to get permission for the State Police to assist.”

Other sources have indicated the FBI and the Office of City Auditor Umesh Dalal also are participating in the probe.

Under state law, the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation must have the approval of the governor, the attorney general or a grand jury to be involved in a probe of an elected official.

Mr. Herring announced last month that he would involve the State Police.

While he didn’t have authority to make the request, Mayor Jones earlier asked for a State Police investigation to try to clear any suspicions involving his church and city government after a report by Mr. Dalal found that the city’s director of public works was managing the construction of a satellite sanctuary for Mayor Jones’ church while on city time.

In response to the grand jury’s action, the mayor’s office stated, “We welcome the grand jury’s action that will allow the State Police” to undertake the investigation the mayor previously requested. An impromptu prayer circle gathered Wednesday night on the front lawn of Mayor Jones’ South Side home.

The auditor determined that Richmond Public Works Director Emmanuel O. Adediran, an associate pastor of First Baptist, used city business hours to oversee the church project and used city computers to send and receive emails about the sanctuary development in Chesterfield County.

In the wake of the report, Mayor Jones and Selena Cuffee-Glenn, the city’s chief administrative officer, required Mr. Adediran to give up a week of vacation time based on Mr. Dalal’s estimate that he had misused 38 hours of city time.

The Free Press later reported from sources that Mr. Adediran had permission from superiors to take on the volunteer project manager role for the church and to make up his time on the city job after hours and on weekends.

Emails found on Mr. Adediran’s work computer and released by Mr. Dalal confirmed Mayor Jones was aware of Mr. Adediran’s work for the church while on city time.

The issue of church members conducting church work while on the city clock blew up again when the Richmond Ambulance Authority dismissed a top executive, Pamela J. Branch, who was found to be working on church business while on the job.

Ms. Branch was the RAA’s legal counsel and personnel director and a volunteer clerk at First Baptist. She was dismissed after she objected to being disciplined for violating RAA policy and threatened to sue for religious discrimination.