Donald J. Bruggink's Contribution to Reformed Church in America Historiography Elton J. Bruins Just as Edward Tanjore Corwin was the principal historian of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) during the nineteenth century, Donald J. Bruggink is its principal historian in the twentieth century. Corwin made his contribution by producing four editions of the Manual of the Reformed Church in America,1 a mother lode of Reformed Church history, and A Digest of Constitutional and Synodical Legislation of the Reformed Church in America,2 an invaluable source on the work of the General Synod. Bruggink made his noteworthy contribution by founding and editing the Historical Series of the RCA and bringing forth thirty volumes between 1967 and 1999.3 The impact of Corwin's work can be readily attested to; we must now take note of the impact and success of Bruggink's prodigious labors as general editor of the series which have contributed so much to a better understanding of many segments of RCA history. When at the first meeting of the newly constituted Commission on History (COH) in 1967, Donald suggested the publication of RCA monographs, prospects of success were not good. The denomination had enjoyed a well­ 1 4 celebrated 300 h anniversary in 1928 at the height of good times in the RCA and the USA, but the Great Depression that followed proved to be rocky ground for the seeds of future historical work. Edgar F. Romig produced The Tercentenary Year, 5 a full record of the events that took place in 1928 to recognize the organization of the first Dutch Reformed Church on the Island of Manhattan in 1628. A slim volume was produced in 19336 to update the 1922 edition of Corwin's Manual, an edition compiled by Charles E. Corwin, son of Edward T. For the most part, the work of Edward and Charles Corwin from 1859 to 1922 was not followed up in the RCA until the publication of the Historical Directory of the Reformed Church in America, 1628-19657 edited by Peter N. VandenBerge, librarian of New Brunswick Theological Seminary. This valuable work followed the pattern set by the Corwins but lacked the notes they wrote for many of the biographical listings. The publication of the historical directory revived the faltering interest in RCA history. The tercentenary celebration had stimulated an interest in the history of the denomination. Sage Library at New Brunswick Seminary became the center for the deposit of many historical records. 8 The General Synod formed a Committee on History and Research in 1930, but the Depression and World War II so discouraged research and writing on RCA history, that by the 213 mid-fifties the committee no longer met on a regular basis. In 1958, James E. Hoffman, stated clerk of the RCA, was given the responsibility for all historical records, and the regular committee became an advisory committee to his office. Shortly thereafter, Hoffman suffered a major illness and retired in 1961. 9 A change in the apparently dismal prospects for history in the RCA came with the appointments of YandenBerge (1957), and Marion de Yelder as successor to Hoffman. De Yelder desired to carry out the General Synod's charge to be responsible for the archives of the church. YandenBerge brought to the stated clerk's attention the deplorable state of the church records housed in the seminary's Sage Library. By 1966 two significant events signaled great improvement: the publication of YandenBerge's Historical Directory, and the formation of the permanent COH, properly funded by the General Synod. De Yelder convened the first meeting of the COH on April 13, 1967.10 There, its members heard the good news that within the first year of its publication, sales of the new historical directory had exceeded 1,300 copies. The bad news was that YandenBerge had resigned his position at New Brunswick to accept a similar position at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York. At the same meeting, the stated clerk expressed a need for an updated digest of synodical legislation. Some such work had been done by Hoffman's office to supplement Corwin's A Digest of Constitutional and Synodical Legislation of the Reformed Church in America of 1906, but these supplements were in typescript form and of uneven quality. The origin of the historical series is recorded in a minute of the April 13 meeting of the COH: "It was suggested that the Commission might sponsor the publication in paperback form of scholarly studies about the RCA Dr. Bruggink and Dr. Bruins were appointed as a sub-committee to explore this possibility and work out a comprehensive plan to be presented at the next meeting of the Commission." 11 Although the source of the suggestion is unmentioned, it was undoubtedly Donald since he was made chair of the sub-committee to look into the matter. The suggestion itself was a follow-up to two of the four responsibilities given the commission by the General Synod the year previous. Tho:;e two were to collect and preserve the official records and documents of the church and to maintain a permanent archive. The third was to "promote an interest in the history and traditions of the RCA," and fourth charged the commission to "furnish information about and further research on the history of the RCA." 12 Historical research and writing in the RCA had taken a turn for the better. YandenBerge had good news to report to the synod at its June 1967 meeting at King College, Bristol, Tennessee. 13 The sale of the historical directory was going well, the work of the commission was underway, an archival program was organized and situated in the Dutch Church Room of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and funding for COH was in place. Nothing was said about the nascent historical series, but at the COH's October 30, 1967, meeting, Don presented a document entitled, "Report on Historical Monographs 214 to the Commission on History, RCA" which was amended and accepted by the commission. The Historical Series of the Reformed Church was launched. Without Don's astute leadership and publishing experience, the concept of an historical series may never have become a reality.14 COH was funded by the General Synod and by grants from the program boards of the church (Education, World Missions, North American Missions) all soon to go out of existence with the creation of the General Program Council. 15 Of the $4,500 COH budget that year, $1 ,500 was designated to publish the first manuscript under consideration: Herman Harmelink Ill's Ecumenism and the Reformed Church. The first key issue after funding was the choice of a publisher. Don immediately pressed for the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company of Grand Rapids. He knew this company well, its prices were very competitive, and its owner, William B. Eerdmans, Jr., although a member of the Christian Reformed Church, was interested in RCA history. Although the commission had decided not to limit itself to Eerdmans, Harmelink' s book, the first volume in the series, was published by this company in 1968. The commission's choice of Eerdmans was not well received at "475," shorthand for the headquarters of the RCA located in the Interchurch Center at 475 Riverside Drive in New York City. H. Hudson Brack, Director of General Synod Operations, notified me as the COH's chair in a letter dated December 3, 1968, that the General Synod Executive Committee (GSEC) had approved a policy statement that all printing and publishing by the agencies of the RCA were to be done under the colophon of the "Half Moon Press," an in-house term used occasionally in the past. Brack faced a chaotic situation. For example, in a postscript to his letter, he reported receipt of a bill from Eerdmans on October 17 in the amount of $2,009.37 with a reference number of 55591. Brack did not know what this bill was for, although he assumed correctly it was the bill for the first volume of the historical series. The GSEC's policy statement regarding the Half Moon Press addressed this chaos in RCA publishing. A key player in this decision was undoubtedly Winfield Burggraaff, a respected veteran in the ministry of the RCA, who was then responsible for the Board of Education's editorial services, and favored the policy. Don immediately made a carefully worded, six-page response to "475," which examined the new policy closely and opposed it vigorously. He argued against it on the basis of cost and distribution. The RCA often published "excellent materials without any adequate apparatus for distribution" 16 which ended up on some closet floor, usually at the RCA Bookstore. From his own publishing experience, Don knew that a major publisher such as Eerdmans had professional expertise in sales, distribution, and marketing. The RCA Bookstore, then located in Teaneck, New Jersey, clearly did not. If the volumes of the historical series were to find distribution beyond very limited denominational boundaries, the engagement of a publisher such as Eerdmans was essential. To limit the future publications of the series to the Half Moon 215 Press and the denomination's bookstore would be to hide the RCA' s scholarly work under a bushel. Furthermore, the Half Moon Press lacked "facilities for its own production, layout and cover design," all required for good publication. Don's document clearly demonstrated that he knew far more about publishing than anyone at "475." The young scholar/professor from Western Michigan was shaking the foundations of church headquarters. Don's position finally prevailed, but not without one more objection from Burggraaff.