Preserving History As It is Made

The Bible includes much historical material relating to the people of God. Its writers were very history-conscious. In Deuteronomy this history consciousness was highlighted: "REMEMBER THE DAYS OF OLD, CONSIDER THE YEARS OF MANY GENERATIONS." (32:7)

This concern for the preservation of the historical record continued into the New Testament, especially in the writings of Luke. Thus our Judeo-Christian forebears included historians who recognized the value of preserving the historical record.

We certainly would do well in our day to take the steps necessary to see that the past life and events of our congregations and organizations are preserved for future generations.

History is not only a record of past events, but it displays the mileposts along the way we have traveled. It clarifies the detours we have taken and allows us to learn from our mistakes and profit from our achievements. History is not only the record of whom we have been and who we are, it is also the preview of where we are going.

Appoint a Historian

The office should be filled by appointment rather than by election. The qualifications for the office of historian are such that an individual should be selected for a renewable term of at least three years.

The appointment can be made at the same time other appointive offices are filled. This position should be directly related to the structure of the congregation and be responsible for reporting to and being guided by the leadership of the church.

The historian should be:

• a concerned Christian who is seriously interested in the church and its history,
• a person knowledgeable in the work of the congregation, its structure as well as the functions of its officers and its organizations,
• a person who is trustworthy, one who will not divulge confidences, but carry out trusts in maintaining confidential records;
• interested in collecting, working with and preserving historical materials;
• a competent church worker, especially having the ability to work with the minister(s), officers and leaders of the organizations of the congregation;
• willing to become more knowledgeable in various fields of religious and secular history as well as contemporary church activities;
• ready to continue his or her own professional growth especially in archival and historical techniques;
• able to see history not merely as nostalgic memories of the past, but also as a heritage that can enrich the present and the future;
• a person who will encourage the congregation to celebrate its history and one who will motivate and nurture the entire congregation's awareness of its religious heritage.

Make the Historian a Member of the Historical Society

Few, if any, congregations will provide any remuneration for the work of their historian, but certainly one positive thing which can be done both to show appreciation to the historian and to create a liaison between the church and Disciples of Christ Historical Society is to make the historian a member of the Society. From time to time there are special mailings which go out to known congregational historians. Workshops and seminars are also offered to persons serving as congregational historians.

The Historical Society is eager to work closely with congregational historians both in their local preservation work and in preparing the material to be sent to the Society for preservation in Nashville. Be sure to let the Society know the name and address of your historian.

Some "Don'ts"

• Don't necessarily appoint the oldest or an "older" member of the congregation as the Historian. Find the qualified, interested person
• Don't emphasize your heritage only on some major anniversary such as the 50th or 100th, but provide an ongoing emphasis of different aspects of your history through the years.
• Don't let the historical records be kept by one person in their home. Keep them at the church for they belong to the church.
• Don't store your congregational records in a place of high humidity, bright sun light, or stacked in boxes so that air cannot get to them. Store them in file cabinets if possible.
• Don't let your history be kept only as a memory of the past. Instead keep the documents and records that the church of today and tomorrow may be guided in part by its history.

Steps in Starting and Maintaining an Archives

• Authorization / Appointment of Archives Committee
• Building Support / Planning (read: Luke 14:28-30)
• Charter / Statement of Purpose
  • Mission Statement
  • Collection Policy
  • Access and Use Policy
• Collecting
• Appraisal (deciding what to keep)
  • Information Value
  • Evidential Value
  • Historical / Artifactual Value
• Arrangement (deciding on method)
  • Type of Material
  • Chronological
  • Alphabetical
• Description
  • Preparing a Guide
  • Materials that require Indexing
• Outreach / Publicizing
• Access to the Archives
• Maintaining an Archival Program