VIDEO | Pilgrim Ev. Lutheran Church in West Bend, Wi, featured in documentary series | By Wisconsin Family Council

West Bend, WI – Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Bend, Wi, is part of a newly-released documentary series by Wisconsin Family Council (WFC).  The series is titled, Deemed Non-Essential: When Wisconsin Locked the Church Doors. The investigative series provides a detailed historical and constitutional examination of the state-level administrative decrees that restricted religious assemblies while liquor stores were deemed “essential” across Wisconsin during the unilateral executive orders of 2020.

• Episode 1: When the Church Can’t Be the Church (Fond du Lac) focuses on Trinity Baptist Church and School. Senior Pastor Dan Leeds and School Principal Jeremy Shaeffer explain the spiritual, emotional, and developmental consequences of mandated closures on congregations and Christian education.
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• Episode 2: A Local Misunderstanding Became a Public Controversy (West Bend) documents the law enforcement response at Pilgrim Evangelical Lutheran Church on April 5, 2020. The episode features Pastor Joseph Fisher recounting how a state administrative FAQ document led officers to remove people from a church service.
• Episode 3: Congregations Dispersed synthesizes the testimonies of pastors from both West Bend and Fond du Lac to emphasize equality, asserting that houses of worship do not seek special privileges, but rather equal standing under the law alongside secular commerce. If liquor stores can remain open, then churches should be able to as well.

WFC President Daniel Degner said, “This series shows us a glimpse of how Wisconsinites suffered because government forced churches to lock their doors while it kept liquor stores open.”

There are 3 Constitutional referendum questions on the November 3, 2026 ballot, including a question regarding religious gathering during emergencies. The questions are posted below.

QUESTION 1 – Governor’s Partial Veto

Question: Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating or increasing or authorizing the creation or increase of any tax or fee?

QUESTION 2 – Religious Gatherings During Emergencies

Question: Shall section 18 of article I of the constitution, which deals with religious liberty, be amended to prohibit the state or a political subdivision of the state from ordering the closure of, or forbidding gatherings in, places of worship in response to a state of emergency, including a public health emergency?

QUESTION 3 – Governmental Discrimination and Preferential Treatment

Question: Shall section 27 of article I of the constitution be created to prohibit governmental entities in the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration?