Approaches to Congregational History
Ian Evison, Former Research Director, The Alban Institute
Congregations are often places where life in the present and hopes for the future are both shaped by memories of the past. But there is a paradox here. On the one hand, such memories can be fragile and possibly lost. On the other, they can be powerful in their effect on community life. Even if the memories are not spoken directly, even if they are distorted or incorrect, they can exert great influence. History can be wonderful in its capacity to ground both congregational and individual lives—particularly in an era when many are separated from their roots. Yet history can also be dangerous in its ability to tie a community into old patterns or to limit a community’s vision of the future.
People most frequently ask for resources about congregational history for one of two reasons. They may want help getting started on writing a history—often for some event, such as a church or synagogue centennial. Or they may want to include a section on congregational history in a congregational development or planning process. (In strategic planning, for example, a group might create on newsprint a timeline of important events in congregational life.) In the resource recommendations connected with this page, you will find examples and resource suggestions aimed at assisting both needs.
Congregational history includes, however, more than these two subject areas. Resources about congregational history may be divided into four overlapping topics that represent four different but important functions congregational history may play.
- History as Part of the Congregational Story: One can approach the subject as a local congregational historian who asks, "How might I write a history of my local congregation?" or "How I might set-up or maintain an archive of historical documents related to my congregation?" It is common to suggest writing such congregational histories as part of anniversary celebrations—especially as a congregation's founding members age and people begin to sense the danger of losing touch with an important historical era (see, for example, Celebrating Your Church's Anniversary at http://www.pcanet.org/history/local/anniversary.html). Subtopics seen from this angle might include developing and maintaining an archive or collecting oral histories.
- History as Organizational Development: One can approach congregational history from the angle of organizational development. A common technique in leading congregational change processes is working with the congregation or its leadership to tell a story. Roy Oswald's book on strategic planning, Discerning Your Congregation’s Future, has a chapter entitled "An Evening of Historical Reflection." This chapter explains how jointly creating a timeline promotes a common understanding, helps participants deal with myths, and makes space for moving into the future. In Temporary Shepherds: A Congregational Handbook for Interim Ministry, Bonnie Bardot has a chapter entitled "Coming to Terms with History." There, she argues that a primary task for congregational leaders is finding ways to tell the history of the congregation truthfully—creating a language for speaking about what had previously been unspoken or unspeakable. And in Raising the Roof: The Pastoral-to-Program Size Transition, Alice Mann explains how creating a historical chart helps a congregation explore its expectations and ideals for what size it would be.
- History as Individual Memoir or Spiritual Journey: One can approach congregational history as individual memoir or spiritual journey. In the past fifteen years—beginning with Samuel Freedman’s Upon This Rock: the Miracles of a Black Church and Gary Dorsey’s Congregation: The Journey Back to Church—a group of books has arisen that might be understood as "spiritual biography." In such books, the individual's life is viewed in relation to a congregation. They are not direct history—indeed some, like Lischer’s Open Secrets, mask the identity of the congregation. Yet these books have become important to congregational history—both as a powerful way of telling a congregation's story to a larger public and as a way of opening up the richness of congregational life. Such narratives suggest that congregational history can be much more than a record of the building programs and pastorates.
Books in this genre include Samuel G. Friedman, Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church; Gary Dorsey, Congregation: The Journey Back to Church; Nora Gallager, Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived In Faith; Stephen Fried, The New Rabbi; Kathleen Norris, Dakota: A Spiritual Journey; Richard Lischer, Open Secrets: A Spiritual Journey through a Country Church); Heidi Neumark, Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx; and Diana Bass, Strength for the Journey: A Pilgrimage of Faith in Community.
- History as an Academic Discipline: One can approach congregational history as a part an academic discipline that emerged in the 1980’s. James F. Hopewell argued forcibly for the importance of case studies and congregational narratives to the then-emerging field of congregational studies (Congregation: Stories and Structures). At the height of this genre (which unfortunately has not been developed subsequently to any great extent) are the two volumes edited by James P. Wind and James W. Lewis (American Congregations, Volume 1: Portraits of Twelve Religious Communities and American Congregations, Volume 2: New Perspectives in the Study of Congregations).
One could argue that these four understandings of congregational history are so disparate that they cannot be usefully discussed together. However, one could also argue that they are most helpfully understood in relationship to each other. The congregational histories that are published as congregational anniversaries would make more interesting and significant reading if they paid more attention to (1) the forgotten and repressed stories and (2) the historical and community context of the congregation. The results of organizational development approaches to congregational history could and should be understood as important archival material for congregations. And the congregational case studies and spiritual journeys—though frequently not seen as direct resources for congregations—might usefully open up possibilities for exploring how congregational history could be approached in congregational life.
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