General Conference of the German Evangelical Congregational Churches of the United States. Records, 1883-1971

General Conference of the German Evangelical Congregational Churches of the United States.

Records, 1883-1971

RG 0779

1.5 linear ft. (3 boxes)

Processed by Colleen Mahoney, spring 2009

Copyright: requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the archivist or librarian.

The General Conference of the German Evangelical Congregational Churches of the United States of America was founded in Crete, Nebraska in 1883, with the goal of improving communication and collaboration among German churches across the American west. The Conference filed papers of incorporation in Chicago, Illinois in 1910. The association officially changed its name to the General Conference of Congregational Churches of America in 1949. In 1950 the General Conference relocated to Yankton, South Dakota. Membership included Congregational Churches in the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. The General Conference sponsored missionaries to Brazil and Argentina, the School of Theology at Yankton College, and the Pioneer Press. The General Conference was dissolved in 1964, and their papers were donated to the Congregational Library in 1971.

This collection includes the incorporation records, minutes, correspondence, and some publications of the General Conference. The Nebraska State Historical Society has some items of this collection available on microfilm. The Congregational Library also has The Christian Messenger, the Conference's official newspaper, in its holdings. Many of the early records and correspondence in this collection are in German.