LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 41

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SYNODICAL REPORTS , 41

R2-05

Concordia Historical Institute
Department of Archives and History

I. Introduction

The founders of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod recog-
nized, from the very beginning, the importance of preserving his-
torical records so that they could witness to what God has done
among His people and also so that people could be guided by the
wisdom of the past in making decisions for the future. The Synod’s
original Constitution in 1847 included in the chapter addressing the
Synod’s work the directive, “...to start a chronicle of American
Lutheranism.” This work was appointed to Pastor Ottomar Fuer-
bringer. The Secretary of Synod, Pastor F.W. Husmann, was ap-
pointed to maintain an archives.

In March 1927 Concordia Historical Institute was incorporated
by a group of St. Louis pastors and laymen. In 1929 the Synod rec-
ognized and encouraged the institute for its work. It also recom-
mended that Districts, pastors, and congregations take care to pre-
serve the past and donate significant items to Concordia Historical
Institute. The institute was designated as the Department of
Archives and History in1959. Its work and purpose are summarized
in its mission statement:

It is the mission of Concordia Historical Institute to bear witness to
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve the members of His church by
promoting an interest in, appreciation for, and understanding of the his-
tory of Lutheranism in America, particularly of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod as the story of our Lord’s gracious dealing with His
people, by collecting and preserving articles of historical value, stimu-
lating historical research and publishing its results.

The institute fulfills its purposes as the “steward of our Lutheran
heritage” as
+ Concordia Historical Institute Museum cares for and makes ac-

cessible the historic artifacts and documents of the church
through careful preservation and by presenting permanent and
special exhibits;

* it serves the Synod by preserving the records of its officers,
boards, commissions, and other administrative units and making
them available for research;

* it offers guidance to Districts, educational institutions, and con-
gregations on the preservation of their own records and the de-
velopment of their archival programs,

+ it further serves the congregations of the Synod by providing in-
formation on their history, suggestions for observing anniver-
saries and guidelines on historical matters,

it helps to preserve congregational records by receiving the
records of disbanded congregations and by microfilming congre-
gational records;

+ jt seeks to build an appreciation for our Lutheran history and her-
itage by publishing the Concordia Historical Institute Quarterly
and by making its resources available to all who are interested in
studying and understanding our past.

Guided by the witness of the faithful people of God who have
proclaimed the life-giving Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, led by the Holy Spirit and encouraged by the record of how
God’s people have worked together over 150 years, the Synod can
indeed be strengthened and moved to maintain this heritage and
fulfill it in the future.

IL. Goals and Assignments
Networking and the Internet

During the past triennium the Institute made significant strides
in the use of modern technology to provide and enhance its ser-
vices to the church. Thanks to a very generous grant, a computer
network was installed in the Institute building that gives staff mem-
bers the tools to do their work more efficiently and effectively.
Staff communications are greatly enhanced through internal e-mail
and the sharing of documents and information. A database was cre-
ated of the archival and manuscript collections in the archives to

help the staff more effectively manage the resources and retrieve
information.

Institute services to the church and other interested persons and
organizations have also been enhanced by a connection to the In-
ternet for e-mail services and the development of a site on the
World Wide Web. E-mail requests for information and assistance
have increased significantly in the past year. Potential researchers
are able to make arrangements for their visits and to determine
whether we have resources that are pertinent to their work. Re-
quests and inquiries may be submitted via e-mail to chi@tru-
com.com.

A World Wide Web site for the institute opened at the end of
February 1997. The site includes lists of our archival and manu-
script holdings, online museum exhibits, information about
Lutheran history, and institute services. The site has brought our
services and resources to the attention of people around the world
who had not previously been aware of our existence. The World
Wide Web address is hitp://www.chi.lcms.org/. An e-mail mailing
list keeps interested persons in touch with our projects and activi-
ties. To be added to the mailing list, send the message “subscribe
CHI to mailserv@crf.cuis.edu.”

The institute library is being cataloged into the Concordia
Seminary (St. Louis) online catalog, making the published re-
sources in our reference collection available to anyone with In-
ternet access. Thus far, more than 3,000 items have been added to
this catalog. The catalog may be accessed via telnet at the address
telnet:/Nibrary.csLedu.

Archives Grant

A special grant was received in 1996 to engage a project
archivist for three years to arrange and describe the synodical
archives collections and record groups that form the primary insti-
tute holdings. Under this project, which got under way in April,
1997, the papers of C. F. W. Walther and John W. Behnken have
been fully arranged and described for the first time, and the mate-
rials have all been placed into acid-free archival file folders. Find-
ing aids for these collections have been prepared and placed on the
World Wide Web. They provide brief biographies of the persons
involved, descriptions of the kinds of materials included in the col-
lections and detailed listings of the folders.

Records of the synodical Board of Directors have also been
arranged and described. Work is proceeding on the records of other
synodical boards, commissions, committees, and other agencies.
Finding aids for these record groups will be added to the web site
as they are completed.

As a result of this project, the Institute reference staff is able to
assist synodical staff members and researchers much more effi-
ciently. We also have been able to make more efficient use of the
storage space available for synodical archives as duplicate materi-
als and items outside the scope of our responsibility are removed.

It is hoped that the position established with the grant will even-
tually become a permanent staff position. As more and more
records are transferred from synodical offices to the archives, there
will continue to be a need to provide the arrangement and descrip-
tion services so that the resources will be of benefit to the church.
We continue to hope that a formal records-management program
for synodical entities can be developed in the near future to pro-
vide for the permanent preservation of vital and historical records.

Museum

Through museum exhibits and special programs the institute
seeks to build an awareness and appreciation for our Lutheran her-
itage among people of all ages. Museum interest and work have
been on the rise since a new museum curator was added to our
staff. According to our new curator, “... the aim of CHI’s museum
is to offer the story and artifacts of the history of American
Lutheranism, and specifically the history of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. It is a museum that displays what you
cannot see anywhere else.” Under his direction an exhibit observ-
ing the 500th anniversary of Philipp Melanchthon’s birth was cre-
ated and displayed at the institute during 1997 and also at the Sym-
posium on the Lutheran Confessions at Concordia Theological
Seminary, Fort Wayne, during January of 1998. Another exhibit,