North Dakota Council of Churches Photograph Collection
Collection
Identifier: Photo 405
Scope and Content
The North Dakota Council of Churches Photograph Collection, is made up of 62 photographic prints. Most of the photos are unidentified. They have been organized and broken down topically into five folders.
The People folder contains mostly professional portraits of various leaders of the organization, those identified are C. A. Armstrong, Rev. Ronald D. Erickson, and Rev. Calvin Petersen. There is also a series of professional photographs of a family praying and entering a church, which can be identified as Plymouth Congregational Church in Fargo, at the time Rev. Clarence E. Parr was minister (1935-1944).
The Buildings folder contains four photographs of buildings, with out people visible. These include, the Canaan Moravian Church in rural Davenport, N.D., the Fargo Union Mission, the North Dakota State Capitol Building in winter, and a view of some unidentified tourist cabins.
The Meetings folder contains 15 photographic prints, many appear to show council leaders and members who appear to be reviewing paperwork, perhaps as a convention. There are also three photos that show Rev. A. W. Heidinger and C. A. Armstrong leaving on the Christian Education tour. Their automobile is parked in the 1000 block, of 6th Street South in Fargo.
The Events folders contain a number of images likely of the North Dakota Council of Christian Education tours across the state visiting various unidentified schools and churches. There is also several group photos taken in front of the lodge at the International Peace Gardens, and the final photo is identified as the Laboratory & Council Officers School, 1935 in Lake Geneva, College Camp, Penn.
The People folder contains mostly professional portraits of various leaders of the organization, those identified are C. A. Armstrong, Rev. Ronald D. Erickson, and Rev. Calvin Petersen. There is also a series of professional photographs of a family praying and entering a church, which can be identified as Plymouth Congregational Church in Fargo, at the time Rev. Clarence E. Parr was minister (1935-1944).
The Buildings folder contains four photographs of buildings, with out people visible. These include, the Canaan Moravian Church in rural Davenport, N.D., the Fargo Union Mission, the North Dakota State Capitol Building in winter, and a view of some unidentified tourist cabins.
The Meetings folder contains 15 photographic prints, many appear to show council leaders and members who appear to be reviewing paperwork, perhaps as a convention. There are also three photos that show Rev. A. W. Heidinger and C. A. Armstrong leaving on the Christian Education tour. Their automobile is parked in the 1000 block, of 6th Street South in Fargo.
The Events folders contain a number of images likely of the North Dakota Council of Christian Education tours across the state visiting various unidentified schools and churches. There is also several group photos taken in front of the lodge at the International Peace Gardens, and the final photo is identified as the Laboratory & Council Officers School, 1935 in Lake Geneva, College Camp, Penn.
Dates
- 1910s-1950s
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSu Archives.
Copyrights
The NDSU Archives does not own the copyrights.
History
The activities of various Christian churches on the northern plains played an important role in the social and religious history of the region. Among the many denominations and sects active in Dakota Territory and later North Dakota were several that would later comprise the North Dakota Conference of Churches. This conference was born out of a desire for ecumenical unity between diverse Christian beliefs. The dream for a "Christian front" did not materialize immediately nor without problems, but those believing in that dream welcomed its arrival with joy.
Early inter-church cooperation in Dakota Territory began in 1888 when the Dakota Sunday School Association began its ministry in what is today South Dakota. In 1890 the North Dakota Sunday School Association held its first conference in Grand Forks and drew over one hundred interested people. Leadership from Winnipeg and Minneapolis were also in attendance and helped found the organization. At the time of their first convention the North Dakota Sunday School Association represented 90 organized Sunday schools in 9 counties. The Association continued to operate into the twentieth century when it was reorganized and renamed.
In 1923 the North Dakota Sunday School Association was reorganized into the North Dakota Council of Religious Education; during the 1930s the organization came to be known as the North Dakota Council of Christian Education. It represented, in 1923, 19 denominations. This reorganization remained intact until another restructuring occurred in 1945. Renamed the North Dakota Interchurch Council, it served in an expanded capacity until the establishment of the North Dakota Council of Churches in 1959.
The founding of the North Dakota Conference of Churches, ca. 1971, was merely an evolutionary step from its predecessors. In the 1960s the changes in structure were profound. Under the leadership of Reverend Oscar Olsen, five ministry branches were administered. They included Christian Education, Christian Social Relations, Ecumenical Relations, Evangelical and Promotional, and the North Dakota Council of Church Women United. In turn, each of those groups were subdivided into specifically defined areas. The change in the infrastructure of the North Dakota Council of Churches was only a part of the overall metamorphosis the organization experienced.
In the decade of the 1960s there was a general awakening of social and political consciousness of which the North Dakota Council of Churches was a part. Prior to the 1960s the council and its antecedent organizations were not involved in politics. The rise and growth of the civil rights movement, the Supreme Court decision regarding prayer in school, and the Vietnam War helped push the council into the political world. The result was a veritable explosion of lobbying efforts and the publication of a multitude of brochures and other materials pertaining to church-related topics. An even more noticeable and certainly far-reaching change was underway at this time.
The influence of liberal theology and philosophy during the 1970s and 1980s was apparent in the National Council of Churches (NCC) as well as the North Dakota Conference of Churches. In the 1980s the emphasis on the social gospel, "liberation theology", and general support of liberal domestic and international policies caused the NCC to be the target of growing criticism. Ironically just as early twentieth century religious groups shunned politics, the NCC of the 1970s and 1980s embraced it. Although not as politically active as the National Council, the North Dakota Council of Churches nevertheless followed the lead of its larger national counterpart.
The North Dakota Conference of Churches continues to be active in a variety of secular and religious areas. Because it represents a wide range of religious beliefs, the Council is understandably in a position of neutrality on doctrinal statements. Nevertheless, the North Dakota Conference of Churches offers a strong and unified organization for its members in those areas where there is agreement.
History copied from the "North Dakota Conference of Churches Records" (Mss 10110) finding aid compiled by the State Archives of North Dakota: https://www.history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/10110.html
Early inter-church cooperation in Dakota Territory began in 1888 when the Dakota Sunday School Association began its ministry in what is today South Dakota. In 1890 the North Dakota Sunday School Association held its first conference in Grand Forks and drew over one hundred interested people. Leadership from Winnipeg and Minneapolis were also in attendance and helped found the organization. At the time of their first convention the North Dakota Sunday School Association represented 90 organized Sunday schools in 9 counties. The Association continued to operate into the twentieth century when it was reorganized and renamed.
In 1923 the North Dakota Sunday School Association was reorganized into the North Dakota Council of Religious Education; during the 1930s the organization came to be known as the North Dakota Council of Christian Education. It represented, in 1923, 19 denominations. This reorganization remained intact until another restructuring occurred in 1945. Renamed the North Dakota Interchurch Council, it served in an expanded capacity until the establishment of the North Dakota Council of Churches in 1959.
The founding of the North Dakota Conference of Churches, ca. 1971, was merely an evolutionary step from its predecessors. In the 1960s the changes in structure were profound. Under the leadership of Reverend Oscar Olsen, five ministry branches were administered. They included Christian Education, Christian Social Relations, Ecumenical Relations, Evangelical and Promotional, and the North Dakota Council of Church Women United. In turn, each of those groups were subdivided into specifically defined areas. The change in the infrastructure of the North Dakota Council of Churches was only a part of the overall metamorphosis the organization experienced.
In the decade of the 1960s there was a general awakening of social and political consciousness of which the North Dakota Council of Churches was a part. Prior to the 1960s the council and its antecedent organizations were not involved in politics. The rise and growth of the civil rights movement, the Supreme Court decision regarding prayer in school, and the Vietnam War helped push the council into the political world. The result was a veritable explosion of lobbying efforts and the publication of a multitude of brochures and other materials pertaining to church-related topics. An even more noticeable and certainly far-reaching change was underway at this time.
The influence of liberal theology and philosophy during the 1970s and 1980s was apparent in the National Council of Churches (NCC) as well as the North Dakota Conference of Churches. In the 1980s the emphasis on the social gospel, "liberation theology", and general support of liberal domestic and international policies caused the NCC to be the target of growing criticism. Ironically just as early twentieth century religious groups shunned politics, the NCC of the 1970s and 1980s embraced it. Although not as politically active as the National Council, the North Dakota Council of Churches nevertheless followed the lead of its larger national counterpart.
The North Dakota Conference of Churches continues to be active in a variety of secular and religious areas. Because it represents a wide range of religious beliefs, the Council is understandably in a position of neutrality on doctrinal statements. Nevertheless, the North Dakota Conference of Churches offers a strong and unified organization for its members in those areas where there is agreement.
History copied from the "North Dakota Conference of Churches Records" (Mss 10110) finding aid compiled by the State Archives of North Dakota: https://www.history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/10110.html
Extent
62 Photographic Prints (62 Photographic prints)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The North Dakota Council of Churches was a conference born out of a desire for ecumenical unity between diverse Christian beliefs.
Provenance
Donated by C.A. Armstrong, 1971 (Acc. 1865)
Property rights
The NDSU Archives owns the property rights to this collection.
- Title
- Finding Aid to the North Dakota Council of Churches Photograph Collection
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository
Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu