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An appreciation of a congregation's history includes not only learning from its past mistakes, but also honoring its heritage and examining its societal and cultural contexts. Read about other congregations and explore your congregation's story.
To learn more, click on Approaches to Congregational History. Then, check out the basic and in-depth resources listed below!
CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY : Congregational History
  Brethren Guide for Local Church Historians (Web Resource)
This basic guide outlines the steps and materials that are essential to preparing a congregational history as well as to preserving historical records in the local church.
 The Changing Shape of Church History (Book)
Justo L. Gonzalez, Author.
St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2002.
"The history of the church is changing, not just because scholars have new sources, but even more so because the church and the world are changing." So says Justo Gonzalez in this book on the changed perspectives and meanings of church history.
Constructing Your Congregation's Story (Web Resource)
James Wind offers a complete and concise guide to constructing and telling your congregation's story, from assembling the raw materials and developing the basic skills to collecting the inner and public profiles of a church's life.
Discerning Your Congregation's Future: A Strategic and Spiritual Approach (Book)
Roy M. Oswald, Robert E. Friedrich Jr., Authors.
Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 1996.
Combining practical mission planning with a deeply grounded spiritual dimension, the authors have developed a "visioning" and mission development process that enables the whole congregation to understand and foster change.
Preserving Your Church Archives (Web Resource)
Paul Ericksen discusses how to establish and maintain archives in a local church. Such archives, believes Ericksen, help to reinforce a link between generations and enable members to maintain their identity in a rapidly changing world.
 American Congregations, Volumes I & II (Book)
James P. Wind, James W. Lewis, Editors.
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994.
The twelve unique congregations reviewed in this collection illustrate the diversity of American congregational traditions and their impact on American culture.
Black Religion and Black Radicalism: An Interpretation of the Religious History of African Americans (Book)
Gayraud S. Wilmore, Author.
Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1998.
Black Religion and Black Radicalism presents a religious history of African Americans—a history inextricably connected to the history of African American struggles for justice and freedom.
Congregation: Stories and Structures (Book)
James F. Hopewell, Author.
Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1987.
Believing that each congregation has a narrative, James Hopewell asserts that good narratives combine setting, character, and plot to define congregational mission.
Telling the Story: Evangelism in Black Churches (Book)
James Stallings, Author.
Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1998.
James O. Stallings’ main is to help African-Americans recover their “unique” Christian story, and in that recovery, he hopes the community will be encouraged to tell its story into the future.
Upon this Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church (Book)
Samuel G. Freedman, Author.
New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1993.
Author Samuel Freedman profiles the life-transforming ministry of the Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood and takes us inside the church he leads, providing an “up close” view of how urban ministry and transformation work at their best.
Vision and the Church (Web Resource)
Marie Fleming presents congregational vision as a process—shaped through seven "learning pathway" segments. Each segment includes a topical overview, a series of exercises and discussion starters, and a place to record and share insights.
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