Guide to the Foreign Missions Conference of North America Records

The Foreign Missions Conference of North America, 1887-1951, files date primarily from 1920 to 1950. The papers represent the combined files of Wynn C. Fairfield, executive secretary, 1946-1950; Sue E. Weddell, secretary, 1944-1950; Emory Ross, general secretary, 1940-1945; Fennell P. Turner, secretary, 1919-1928; and Florence G. Tyler, secretary, 1935-1940. (Tyler was also secretary of the Federation of Woman's Boards of Foreign Missions of North America.) It should be noted that the materials found within this record group are almost entirely administrative files. It appears that the majority of the Conference's archives were deposited over a period of years with the Missionary Research Library at Union Theological Seminary in New York.

The files are arranged alphabetically by subject, name of organization, name of individual, and geographic location. 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 at the end of all dated material. Enclosures are placed after their letter of transmittal. Newspaper clippings, unless enclosed with correspondence, are placed at the end of subject files.

The files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, constitutions, articles of incorporation, press releases, budgets, financial statements, surveys, questionnaires, programs, biographies, pamphlets, leaflets, and newspaper clippings.

The files contain documents relating to a number of area, functional, and standing committees of the Conference. These include the China Committee, Far East Committee, Interchange of Christian Leadership, Japan Committee, India Committee, Missionary Personnel Committee, and the Special Program and Funds Committee. The files concern a variety of subjects such as the Board of Missionary Preparation, communism, the International Missionary Council, immigration, passports, postwar planning, radio broadcasting, religious liberty, slavery, women in the ministry, and World Day of Prayer.

Included in this record group are the files of the Federation of Woman's Boards of Foreign Missions of North America. This organization was formed in 1915 "to afford Christian women of America an opportunity to do cooperative work in foreign mission fields." In 1933 the Federation merged with the Foreign Missions Conference. The files consist primarily of minutes and agenda, but also include correspondence, reports, financial statements, and printed matter. Also found here are materials relating to the World's Missionary Committee of Christian Women, a group founded in 1888. These papers of Abbie B. Child, secretary of the Committee, consist of correspondence, minutes, programs, pamphlets, and receipts.

There are a number of files relating to union churches located overseas. These files, arranged by country and city, consist of correspondence, reports, constitutions, deeds, financial statements, bulletins, and pamphlets.

The researcher is also referred to the files of NCC Record Group 8, Division of Overseas Ministries for further material concerning the Foreign Missions Conference.