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One of the most important, yet difficult, tasks of the anniversary
celebration will be the actual writing of your church history.
The following suggestions are given for the proper preparation of a
church history.
The History of Your Church: How to Write It
The only way a church can
understand itself is to develop a clear history of its life. One’s love
for his church is deepened when he knows the facts of its past.
The one who writes the history of a church, therefore, enables the
church to keep alive its yesterdays in order to enrich its tomorrows.
Experiences of former years will profitably teach new generations the
importance of continued progress.
From the beginning the writer should have a clear concept of the task
that he/she is undertaking. The following suggestions are given as
guidance in essential steps preparatory to writing a history of a
church.
The facts must be found. History is not a narrative of traditions or
legends, but instead, it is an interesting statement of facts. One must
find the facts before he can write a history.
How can one find the facts? Fortunate is the church that has all the
minutes of its business meetings, deacons, committees, and educational
organizations. One can possibly write a history of a church without having
these basic materials, but without them his/her work is greatly hindered
and made much more difficult. There are some churches that have all of
their minutes of church proceedings. The great majority of churches,
however, have many open gaps, for it is so easy for church records to get
scattered around in various places in the church or in the homes of
members or former members.
Records in the courthouse will reveal the property that the church now
owns or has owned in the past. Associational minutes and previously
prepared histories of the church also furnish many details. Conversations
with older members will be of great help and will often suggest other
sources of information. Get the congregation to seek out old newspapers,
state Baptist papers, church bulletins, and promotional booklets that were
once prepared for special church occasions. Your church may be mentioned
in previously written accounts of Baptist life in your state or
association. These and other sources will help you to find the facts about
your church.
Survey reasons why your church was organized. What were the general
conditions at the time, and for the decade before the church was
organized? What was the religious situation? How did your church come to
be organized? Was it located in a new community? Did a group move from
some other location and settle? Did a group, with the blessing of the
parent church, establish your church? Was there a church dissension with
dissatisfied members withdrawing? Discover all of the reasons for the
organization of your church as well as the place and time of organization.
Background information such as this needs to be secured if an adequate
church history is to be written.
Discover the facts concerning the early years following the
organization of the church. What was the place of organization (home,
schoolhouse, or store building)? If possible, name the founding members.
Has the church had more than one name? How did it get its name? Name the
ministers who assisted in the organization. Tell of the confession of
faith that was adopted. Describe the initial service or organization. Name
the charter members. Whom did the church call to be its first pastor? What
salary was he paid? What provisions were made for him to live? What
deacons, Sunday School officers, and other officers were elected? When did
the church join the district association? What was its attitude toward
missions and its total gifts to missions? What was the budget the first
year? Develop a full picture of the beginning of your church. Information
about the first year after organization should be emphasized.
Develop the church history around the facts discovered. In one church
it would be better to follow one method of developing the story, while the
development would differ in another church. To illustrate: One church has
had five pastors in the fifty years of its life. In this case, one would
develop the periods around the ministry of each pastor. In another church
the pastors have averaged a ministry of less than three years. Yet in that
particular church there are some definite developments of progress which
furnish a natural division. It is at this point that the writer will need
to get the picture clearly in mind and develop the history
accordingly.
A brief account of each pastor’s ministry might be considered by the
writer. In telling of each ministry the writer would emphasize the
pastor’s service as a preacher, pastor, leader, and developer of his
church and people, soul-winner, and as a teacher. The ministry of the
church in denominational cooperation and stewardship development during
each tenure could be emphasized.
Present the history of educational organizations. When one has written
the general history of the church, he needs then to write a history of its
educational organizations. In some instances a representative of these
organizations might assist in gathering and classifying information for
the author of the church history. But for unification of the work, one
person should write the complete history.
Adequate space should be given to the contributions of each major
educational organization and auxiliary of the church. How did each come to
be organized? When? Who was the first superintendent, director, or
president? How many individuals were enrolled during the first year?
Average attendance? Major officers during the years? A careful appraisal
of the last five years should be included.
State and appraise the values of the church’s service to the community.
Estimate the church’s cooperations with the association, state, and
Southern Baptist Convention. Important laymen who may have been reared in
the church, whose lives have aided the work of Christ, should be
mentioned. Give details if your church has shared in some remarkable way
in the life of your community or in the Baptist fellowship of your region.
A hopeful word regarding the outlook and expectations for the future might
well be included.
Preserve the history. The church history committee should continually
strive to collect all the records, bulletins, reports, and other items
that constitute historical resource materials and see that they are safely
stored and microfilmed.
Be certain to have your church minutes microfilmed. This insures your
vital records against loss or damage. You have insurance on your building.
If the building burns or is destroyed another can be built. If records are
lost or destroyed, they cannot be replaced, unless they have been
microfilmed. The church should have its records protected by this
process.
At least once in twenty-five years a church should
publish its history either by having it printed or duplicated. Secure
competitive bids from a number of capable printers to insure the best
price. Provide enough copies of the history to give one to each church
family plus a surplus so that a copy may be given to each new member or
family who later joins the church. Send two copies to your state
Baptist Historical Collection.
What the Texas Baptist Historical Collection can do for you:
Provide information about how to write your
church history.
Provide forms for church history and Pastor’s
biography.
Provide biographical information and
photographs of former pastors.
Provide basic statistics about your church.
Provide addresses of living former pastors.
Microfilm church minutes.
- Provide for preservation of your church history and minutes.
What you can do for the Texas Baptist
Historical Collection:
Send two copies of your church history to the
Collection.
Send available biographical information and
photographs of former pastors to the Collection.
Send copies of all special occasion programs
and articles about your church to the Collection.
Deposit your church minutes and other records
with the Collection.
- Join the Texas Baptist Historical Society.
Mail inquiries may be sent to:
Texas Baptist Historical Collection
4144 N. Central Expwy, Suite
110
Dallas, Texas 75204
(972)331-2235
tbhc@bgct.org
Written by: Norman W. Cox
If you have questions or
comments, please email us at tbhc@bgct.org.
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