We built a collection of interesting documents found by our scholars in the course of their research; by making this collection public through our web site we shared the results of the project's research with other scholars and interested people. These documents--letters, statistical tables, or other records--describe the role material objects and practices have played in the religious life of Americans.
- "The Pastor: A Promoter of Benevolent Efforts"--Raising money has never been easy or without controversy in the church, as this anonymous document from the 1850s aptly demonstrates. (24 kb)
- A Lutheran Rebellion--In 1938 a group of pastors asked the convention of the United Lutheran Church in America to reveal the salaries paid to denominational officers and to set a minimum and maximum for them. (5 kb)
- The New System--St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chicago announced in its March, 1924, newsletter that it would be shifting from pew rents to a pledging/envelope system. (4 kb)
- Pensions for Pastors--The Christian Century reported on a 1924 "scientific" proposal to provide pensions for retired Presbyterian clergy, following the trend in other professions. (4 kb)
- The Religion of Life Insurance--A scholar speculated about the religion side of business for the Christian Century in 1963. (4 kb)
- Report of the Book Steward--A clergyman of the African Methodist Episcopal church reports on his finances and sorrows as the denomination’s book steward for 1854. (4 kb)
- Acres of Diamonds--Russell Conwell’s famous speech from the late nineteenth century embodied the "Gospel of Wealth." (8 kb)
- What is adequate compensation for ministers?--In a booklet from 1960, the National Council of Churches tried to encourage lay people to increase the pay of their pastors. (5 kb)
- A Palace for the Hive--An official of the Church-Erection Society of the United Brethren Church argued in 1894 that church building was an essential part of home mission. (5 kb)
- The Man Nobody Knows--Advertising mogul Bruce Barton describes for his 1920s audience Jesus’ gifts as an executive. (6 kb)
- The Cokesbury Party Book--To help congregations plan social events for youth and adult groups, denominational publishing houses came out with numerous "fun books" full of party ideas. (4 kb)
- Ministerial Dress--A guide to ministerial etiquette from 1950s tells clergy how to dress like a Christian and a gentleman. (15 kb)
- The Fable of the Good People Who Rallied to the Support of the Church--George Ade satirized the financial behavior of American Christians. (2 kb)
- How to Organize Your Church Office--Good advice from an expert on finding the right secretary for your church. (4 kb)
- The Pastor's Wife; Or What Becomes of the Salary--The introduction to the melodramatic tale of a pastor's family forced to live beyond its means by the big city's social pressures. (9 kb)
- A Lutheran pastor of the 1920s praises the envelope system as the best way of encouraging regular giving. (23 kb plus 55 kb of images)
- The Law of Divine Beneficence--A crusading tract writer of the 1850s encourages his fellow Christians to support the church’s work with the poor, as did the first Christians. (10 kb)
- The Communion Credit Card--From a 1930 book aimed at making Communion more meaningful comes this suggested record-keeping system. (5 kb)
- The Minister and His Savings--Good advice on saving for your retirement--ethically--from 1928. (8 kb)
- The Individual Communion Cup--A turn of the century Lutheran pastor explains the theological and sanitation justifications for using the individual cup. (15 kb)
- Planning a Budget--In the early twentieth century denominational offices advised town and country churches how to conduct their business like city churches. (8 kb)
- There Were Twelve--A stewardship play for men’s groups with a somewhat disturbing moral. (27 kb)
- Communion Tokens—A little-known liturgical object held the key to renewing the Presbyterian church, says this 1936 source. (14 kb)
- Tabernacle Infirmary--An Atlanta pastor tells how he founded what is now Georgia Baptist Medical Center. (19 kb)
- Weakness of Common Worship in American Protestantism--Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr fulminates against mainline liturgical practice--and reflects on what it means for a church to look like a church. (15 kb)
- Pagan Ownership and Christian Civilization--A early twentieth-century stewardship official reflects on the historical meaning of property in "pagan" and Christian cultures. (11 kb)
- The God Squad--A late 1960s church woman tells of working with children of privilege in a church coffee house. (14 kb)
- A denominational official testifies his embarrassment over low clergy salaries. (6 kb)
- A layman offers an alternate view of "low" clergy salaries. (6 kb)
- Will We Let Them Get Away With It?--A warning of the impact of television in the late 1940s. (6 kb)
- The National Council of American Baptist Men promised a lot of fun at the Western style fathers-and-sons banquet. (8 kb)
- What Happens to the Money?--To encourage giving to Church World Service, a CWS administrator tells about the impact of individual donations. (11 kb)
- The Baptized Purse--To encourage giving to the church, a denominational magazine uses a valuable tool: guilt. (6 kb)
- Do You Know Where Your Church Offerings Go?--The Reader's Digest warns mainline Protestants about the political agendas of church-supported agencies. (16 kb)
- Christian Diet Restrictions --Mother Nature's next-door neighbor offers dietary advice to the readers of the Women's Christian Temperance Union newspaper in 1896. (8 kb)
- Religion in the Newsmagazines --A religion page from Time from 1940 reflects the ups and downs of American religion. (9 kb)
- Emergency Phone Numbers--A piece of chain e-mail opens a window to popular religious practice and belief. (3 kb)
- A denominational statement urges congregations to look at church personnel practices from the perspective of "worker justice." (12 kb)
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