At the turn of the 20th century, North American Mennonites were grappling with matters such as the implications of higher education, expanding overseas missions, urbanization, and leisure-time activities such as theater and ball games. At issue was how to maintain time-honored beliefs and practices amid great change.

Two groups, one in the Mennonite Church (MC) and one in the General Conference Mennonite Church (GC), came to the realization that utilizing the stories and learnings of the past could be an important strategy for nurturing future faithfulness.

So in 1911, each group—acting independently of the other—established the first historical organization for its denomination. MC delegates appointed a committee to write “an authentic Church History,” while 20 GC members formed the Mennonite Historical Association to gather and make available for research “materials of historical and cultural value.”

At Pittsburgh 2011, the Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee—as successor to the GC and MC initiatives—will celebrate a century of historical ministry. Activities will include seminars on topics ranging from archiving tips to Hutterites plus the introduction of a redesigned and revamped Mennonite Historical Bulletin, the Historical Committee’s quarterly magazine of popular Mennonite/ Anabaptist history.

The Historical Committee also will sponsor an exhibit on racial/ethnic diversity in the church and present several seminars featuring recent historical research on race and related issues in the church.