Denominational publications can be a good resource when researching the history of your congregation. According to its church history, Trinity Lutheran Church in Old Dime Box, Texas purchased one of its previous buildings from the Evangelical Synod. But where? The modern Evangelical Synod’s modern successor is the United Church of Christ. Moving an entire church …
Some of your sources are going to be wrong. That doesn’t mean that the folks who wrote them are bad people. People make mistakes. Including me. And sometimes information is faulty. So don’t just take what you read for granted, even if it’s from a pre-existing congregational history. I’ve found information that was incorrect a …
When researching your congregation’s history, the history of the religious bodies with which it has been affiliated may yield important clues that help you contextualize your church’s history. That history may also help you track down resources that can aid in understanding your congregation’s history! Your Congregation’s Affiliations It’s possible that your congregation may have …
The Samson Go Mic + Audacity is a great solution for quick recording on-the-go, but what if you need more microphones, and more control over your mix? While you can chain multiple USB microphones using a powered USB hub, that gets complicated, and controlling volume in Audacity isn’t ideal. Enter the Behringer Xenyx Q802USB (affiliate …
One thing you’ll definitely want to do when collecting material for your congregation’s history is interview folks. Oral histories are a fantastic addition to your archives, and often they can give additional color to your history that church records alone will not provide! It doesn’t take much to get started recording oral histories. Using your …
While studying the history of congregations that were founded by folks who spoke German, I noticed something interesting. There are two different words you’ll encounter in the original German names given to the churches. One is “Kirche” – the German word for “church.” But sometimes, you’ll see churches that use a different word… “Gemeinde.” For …
Yesterday morning on the way home from church, I had a thought. Many times congregations start thinking about their history only when approaching a major milestone… 100 years, 125 years, 150 years. And there’s a flurry of activity… attempts to collect photographs, interview people with memories, etc. But what about the intervening years? Perhaps your …