Guide to the Church Executive Development Board Records
Open for research.
The Church Executive Development Board was created in 1964. Its purpose was "to help denominations and councils of churches to strengthen their administrative or executive leadership through programs of executive training, conducted in affiliation with various institutions in harmony therewith." The Board was to perform the following functions:
- Help denominational and council of churches’ administrators become more effective in their work.
- Further the process of developing church executive leadership for the future.
- Plan and conduct schools, institutes, and lectureships in church executive development in affiliation with various institutions.
In 1971 the Board contracted with the Center for a Voluntary Society to administer its program. However, financial difficulties caused the Board to dissolve itself in 1974 and transfer its remaining assets to the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies.
J. Quinter Miller was president of the Board from 1964 to 1969. Cynthia Wedel was executive director of the Board from October 1969 to 1974.
The Church Executive Development Board, 1960-1974, files date primarily from 1964 to 1973. They are the combined files of J. Quinter Miller and Cynthia Wedel. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject, name of individual, or name of organization. Items within the files are arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. Partially dated documents are placed at the end of the month or year; undated items are placed after all dated material. Enclosures are placed after their letter of transmittal.
The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, agenda, bylaws, a certificate of incorporation, budgets, financial statements, pamphlets, and leaflets. The files detail the history, development, organizational structure, and activities of the Church Executive Development Board.
The archives of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America were processed in 1980-1984 through two grants awarded to the Presbyterian Historical Society by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Work under the first grant was performed by Dr. Alan Thomson and under the second grant by Donald L. Haggerty.
The archives of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America have been dated from 1950 to 1972; however, there is material dating from before and after this time period. Documents from the predecessor organizations date from as early as 1839. There is also a small amount of material found in the files from as late as 1975. The year 1972 was selected as a cutoff date for the archives because of the major reorganization which the NCC underwent at this time. The archives are arranged in the following record groups:
NCC RG 1: Planning Committee for the NCC, 1941-1951
NCC RG 2: General Assemblies, 1952-1972
NCC RG 3: General Board, 1950-1972
NCC RG 4: General Secretary, 1950-1973
NCC RG 5: Deputy General Secretary, 1947-1975
NCC RG 6: Division of Christian Life and Mission, 1945-1973
NCC RG 7: Division of Home Missions, 1950-1964
NCC RG 8: Division of Overseas Ministries, 1914-1972
NCC RG 9: Division of Christian Education, 1897-1974
NCC RG 10: Division of Christian Unity, 1935-1973
NCC RG 11: Office of Administration, 1938-1973
NCC RG 12: Assistant General Secretary for Executive Operations, 1950-1966
NCC RG 13: Washington Office, 1951-1966
NCC RG 14: Office of Planning and Program, 1943-1973
NCC RG 15: Department of Information, 1951-1974
NCC RG 16: Broadcasting and Film Commission, 1923-1974
NCC RG 17: Special Topics, 1951-1970
NCC RG 18: Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, 1894-1952
NCC RG 19: International Council of Religious Education, 1839-1953
NCC RG 20: Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada, 1901-1952
NCC RG 21: National Protestant Council of Higher Education, 1911-1951
NCC RG 22: United Stewardship Council, 1917-1950
NCC RG 23: Inter-Council Field Department, 1935-1950
NCC RG 24: Association of Council Secretaries, 1915-1971
NCC RG 25: Church Executive Development Board, 1960-1974
NCC RG 26: Home Missions Council of North America, 1903-1951
NCC RG 27: Foreign Missions Conference of North America, 1887-1951
NCC RG 28: Scrapbooks, 1915-1963
Catalog Note
In the society's electronic catalog, all 28 NCC record groups are cataloged together as the records of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| 1 | 1 | Guide to NCC RG 25 | |
| 1 | 2 | Advertising, May-June 1971 | |
| 1 | 3 | American Management Association, Jan 1970 | |
| 1 | 4 | Auditor's Reports, May 1967-Oct 1968 | |
| 1 | 5 | Breakfast Conferences, Oct 1960-Feb 1964 | |
| 1 | 6 | Budget and Finance, May 1964-Nov 1973; n.d. | |
| 1 | 7 | Budget Reports, Monthly, Sept 1964-1968 | |
| 1 | 8 | Burness, Carl G., Dec 1963-June 1964 | |
| 1 | 9 | Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation, Jan 1964-Oct 1969; n.d. | |
| 1 | 10 | Center College: A Case in Long Range Planning, Feb 1970; n.d. | |
| 1 | 11 | Center for a Voluntary Society, Feb 1970-Feb 1973; n.d. | |
| 1 | 12 | Detail Ledger, Oct 1964-April 1968 | |
| 1 | 13 | Detail Ledger, May 1968-May 1969 | |
| 1 | 14 | Detail Ledger, June 1969-July 1970 | |
| 1 | 15 | Detail Ledger, Aug 1970-April 1971 | |
| 1 | 16 | Dissolution of Organization, Feb 1973-Feb 1974; n.d. | |
| 1 | 17 | Duling, G. Harold, April 1962-Nov 1965 | |
| 1 | 18 | Facilitator Training, March 1971-May 1972 | |
| 1 | 19 | Finance Committee, Aug 1965-Sept 1969; n.d. | |
| 1 | 20 | Findings from Survey to Perceive the Leadership Problem of the Churches, Jan 1965 | |
| 1 | 21 | Fund Raising, May 1970-April 1972 | |
| 1 | 22 | Granville Consultation, Nov 1962-Dec 1964; n.d. | |
| 1 | 23 | Greenleaf, Robert K., Proposal for Executive Development for Church Leadership, Nov 1962-Nov 1963 | |
| 1 | 24 | Lilly Endowment, Inc., May 1964-Nov 1969 | |
| 1 | 25 | Long Range Planning Committee, Feb 1968-April 1969; n.d. | |
| 1 | 26 | Meetings, June 1965-Oct 1972 | |
| 1 | 27 | Membership, July 1964-Oct 1971 | |
| 1 | 28 | Minutes, Sept 1964-Oct 1968 | |
| 1 | 29 | Minutes, April 1969-Oct 1970 | |
| 1 | 30 | Miscellaneous, Oct 1962-Dec 1972; n.d. | |
| 1 | 31 | NCC Staff Meeting, Aug 1966 | |
| 1 | 32 | National Training Laboratories Institute, April-Oct 1969 | |
| 1 | 33 | Nominating Committee, July 1964-Oct 1970 | |
| 1 | 34 | Personnel Committee, Sept 1965-Nov 1969; n.d. | |
| 1 | 35 | Program Committee, Sept 1965-May 1967 | |
| 1 | 36 | Promotional Materials, 1965-1973 | |
| 1 | 37 | Selection Committee, Sept 1965-Feb 1968 | |
| 1 | 38 | Steering Committee, Aug 1963-Sept 1964; n.d. | |
| 1 | 39 | Training Sessions, Sept 1965-[1973?]; n.d. |