The Burke Library Archives, Columbia University Libraries, Union Theological Seminary, New York William Adams Brown Ecumenical Archives Group Finding Aid for Council of Churches for the City of New York: Department of Church Planning and Research Records, 1855 – 1985 http://www.cccny.net/index.html Finding Aid prepared by: Michaela Biondi and student team, 2011 made possible in part by a grant from the Documentary Heritage Program of the New York State Archives, a program of the State Education Department. Updates by Brigette C. Kamsler, 2012 with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation. Summary Information Creator: Council of Churches of the City of New York Title: Council of Churches of the City of New York, Department of Church Planning and Research Records Inclusive dates: 1855 – 1985 Bulk dates: 1930 – 1980 Abstract: Department of Church Planning and Research records include a variety of population/neighborhood studies for the five boroughs of New York and the Tri-State region. Also includes studies of churches and denominations in these areas to aid in the planning work of the department and of Council’s various members. Size: 95 boxes, 1 flat OS box, 3 roll boxes, 58 linear feet Storage: Offsite storage, except Box OS 96-99 Repository: The Burke Library Union Theological Seminary 3041 Broadway New York, NY 10027 Email: [email protected] WAB: CCCNY Dept. of Church Planning and Research Records, 1855 – 1985 2 Administrative Information Provenance: The records of the Department of Church Planning and Research were donated at the request of the Department itself with the approval of the Board of Directors of the Council of Churches of the City of New York. This is documented by a donation letter to Richard D. Spoor from Leland Gartrell dated March 12, 1986. Access: Archival papers are available to registered readers for consultation by appointment only. Please contact archives staff by email to [email protected], or by postal mail to The Burke Library address on page 1, as far in advance as possible Burke Library staff is available for inquiries or to request a consultation on archival or special collections research. Access Restrictions: The collection is unrestricted to readers. Certain materials, however, are in a fragile condition, and this may necessitate restriction in handling and copying. Please note that boxes held in Offsite storage will require 48 hours' notice in response to a weekday request for retrieval. Preferred Citation: Item description, William Adams Brown Ecumenical Archives: Council of Churches of the City of New York, Dept. of Church Planning and Research, series # box #, folder #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York. Administrative History The Council of Churches of the City of New York (CCCNY) is an ecumenical organization whose roots go back to the 1815 creation of the Brooklyn Mission Society, which planted churches and ministries to serve the growing borough’s communities. In 1895 the New York Federation of Churches and Christian Workers, the oldest of the council organizations, was established to continue and expand that work. Several name changes were made to reflect the development of the organization: The Federation of Churches and Christian Organizations in New York City (1901–1925), The Greater New York Federation of Churches (1925–1943), The Protestant Council of the City of New York (1943–1968), and finally in 1968 to the current name. The Council’s Department of Church Planning and Research was modeled after the Pathfinding Service for the Churches, started in 1946 by the New York City Mission Society, to serve as “part of an advance program designed to meet certain emerging problems which no other religious organization was meeting” (Prospectus for Pathfinding). When it became clear to the Pathfinding Service leadership that their particular work was best suited to support the mission and work of the then-Protestant Council of Churches, transfer of the service to the Council was negotiated during 1953 and the Pathfinding Service closed its doors at the end of that year (general letter to friends from Kenneth D. Miller, Chairman). The Department of Church Planning and Research was officially inaugurated on January 1, 1954. As part of the Council, the Department of Church Planning and Research was tasked as the “agency through which the ecumenical church can carry out its planning function and coordinate church planning in New York City.” Its five point plan of goals included a) To define problems generated by the implementation of mission in NYC and to develop solutions to these problems; Michaela Biondi, 2011 and Brigette C. Kamsler 2/26/20 WAB: CCCNY Dept. of Church Planning and Research Records, 1855 – 1985 3 b) To develop joint plans for mission and to evaluate their effectiveness; c) To communicate new knowledge and information about significant ideas for mission; d) To provide liaison with governmental units, private corporations, and various social agencies; e) To provide members of the Department with a means for formal communication, formulating decisions, researching problems of mission, developing and testing new hypotheses for mission, drafting and consulting in the drafting of plans to solve specific problems and consulting with members regarding the formal aspects of their planning operations (Preface to the By-Laws, 1965 revision). The Department was comprised of representatives of denominations, of borough divisions and of the Board of Directors of the Council and the various interdenominational units developed by the Department. It was headed by a Chairman, nominated by the Department and elected the General Assembly at its annual meetings, a Vice-Chairman and a Secretary, both nominated by the Department. The Department’s work of investigating and reporting on religious life in the city and surrounding areas produced valuable information for planning new churches and services in areas which were lacking. One of the council’s biggest successes was their method of canvassing a neighborhood to gather statistical data which became the model for the federal census taken every ten years. The struggle to raise sufficient finances to support the staff and its work constantly threatened the Department which lived under a constant threat of cut-backs and layoffs. The department was formally closed in 1985. Collection Scope and Content Note The records, which include materials from outside sources, both published and unpublished, as well as research reports generated by the Department itself, provide information on the populations of the five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding Tri-State region including Long Island’s two counties, northern New Jersey, south western Connecticut, and the Lower and Middle Hudson Valley (LMHV). Materials note changes within individual communities, the churches and provided services. Information on concerns surrounding young persons and particular ethnic groups is also included as well as federal census data for several areas and several decades. The collection is organized in five series: Series 1: Pathfinding Service for the Churches, 1938 – 1953 (2 boxes, 1.00 lin. ft.) This series contains an organizational history, various minutes and reports, and a Protestant Council Appraisal study. Reports on specific topics or groups created by the service appear in other series as topically appropriate. Series 2: Department of Church Planning and Research Office Records, 1946 – 1984 (13 boxes, 6.50 lin. ft.) This series contains the meeting minutes of the Executive Committee, Departmental meetings, Divisional Offices, and the Personnel Committee, departmental newsletters Michaela Biondi, 2011 and Brigette C. Kamsler 2/26/20 WAB: CCCNY Dept. of Church Planning and Research Records, 1855 – 1985 4 and a small amount of general files and reports from the Department. Department reports regarding particular topics or locations are filed with those topics or locations. Series 3: New York City Reports, 1855; 1920 – 1983 (51 boxes, 25.50 lin. ft.) This series is divided into two sub-series: A: By Borough and B: By Subject. This information is both from outside sources and reports generated by the department. Subseries 3A: By Borough Each borough is divided into general borough-wide information, community reports (usually by neighborhoods), reports on specific churches in the borough, then reports on denominational activity in that borough. Bay Chester, City Island, Fordham and Jerome Park do not have their own folders but can be found in larger reports of the Borough as a whole. Of note are b.21/f.3 and b.23/f.13, both which include “Negro” church studies (Brooklyn and Manhattan), and b.18, f.3 (Bronx) and b.40, f.7 which has the only reports on Jewish congregations in the collection. Reports and information on Harlem are found in boxes 25 – 26. Subseries 3B: By Subject This includes NYC Denominations, which reports on eighteen Protestant denominations and also includes Eastern Orthodox, Society of Friends, Waldensian and Scientology. The YMCA is included in this group, and other reports on the organization are found in boxes 16, 24, 31, 32, 36, 74 and 83. Other subjects includes Spanish language communities and other cultural groups, race studies (boxes 45–48; 51–53) and a series of Departmental research materials on such topics as: Christian education, church planning, the church and social issues, housing, mission strategy, tax, water and sewer usage, and demographics and the church (boxes 48–60). A group of outside published materials including social indices, socio-economic statistics, and youth delinquency statistics and the Department of City Planning newsletters and Department of Commerce and Public Events bulletins are included in this group of materials (boxes 60–66). Series 4: Tri-State Region Reports, 1930 – 1983 (18 boxes, 9.00 lin. ft.) This series contains information on Connecticut, Long Island, the Lower and Middle Hudson Valley (LMHV) counties and northern New Jersey. The materials for Connecticut are few and consist primarily of federal census data from 1960–1980.