Kentucky Council of Churches Records, 1884-1973

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Kentucky Council of Churches

Title: Records, 1884-1973

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection: 3 cubic feet

Location Number: Mss./BA/K37

Scope and Content Note

Contains the records of the Kentucky Council of Churches, an ecumenical organization based in Lexington, Kentucky, with connections to the broader National (and World) Council of Churches. The records include meeting minutes, reports, newsletters, and correspondence related to the council’s activities during the post-World War II era, as well as similar records of related organizations including the Kentucky Sunday School Association (from 1884-1950) and the Lexington Ministerial Association (from 1940-1959).

Several books related to the development of the Sunday School movement in America were transferred to the library.

Historical Note

The Kentucky Council of Churches was established in 1947 as a new manifestation of the Kentucky Sunday School Association, which had been active since 1865. Both organizations were part of the broader trend of religious benevolent and reform societies, aimed at improving society through religious education, outreach, and ministry. By the mid-1950s, the KCC had developed into a rather progressive institution. Previously primarily consisting of white congregations, the KCC began to readily accept African-American churches such as the African Methodist Episcopal into ecumenical efforts across the state. Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, the council repeatedly denounced segregation and racism, worked to aid migrant agricultural workers, argued for the end of capitol punishment, and participated in soil conservation efforts, among other activities. The council continued into the early twenty-first century, and remained an independent organization, although several of the member communions were also members of the National and World Councils of Churches.

Folder List

Folder 1: Lexington Ministerial Association, 1940-1945

Folder 2: Lexington Ministerial Association, 1945-1947

Folder 3: Lexington Ministerial Association, 1947-1948

Folder 4: Lexington Ministerial Association, 1951

Folder 5: Lexington Ministerial Association, 1952-1959

Folder 6: Kentucky Council of Churches, 1947-1966

Folder 7: Kentucky Council of Churches, 1948-1953

Folder 8: Kentucky Council of Churches, 1948-1970

Folder 9: Kentucky Council of Churches, 1951-1955

Folder 10: Kentucky Council of Churches, Annual Assembly, 1956-1962

Folder 11: Kentucky Council of Churches, Annual Assembly, 1963-1967

Folder 12: Kentucky Council of Churches, Annual Assembly, 1968-1973

Folder 13: Kentucky Council of Churches, Baptists, 1950

Folder 14: Kentucky Council of Churches, The Courier, 1949-1965

Folder 15: Kentucky Council of Churches, The Courier , 1966-1973

Folder 16: Kentucky Council of Churches, Ecumenical Institute Reports, 1957-1962

Folder 17: Kentucky Council of Churches, Endowment

Folder 18: Kentucky Council of Churches, History

Folder 19: Kentucky Council of Churches, Institutions, 1956-1960

Folder 20: Kentucky Council of Churches, Property

Folder 21: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1884-1887

Folder 22: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1887-1890

Folder 23: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1891-1893

Folder 24: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1893-1896

Folder 25: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1896-1901

Folder 26: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1899-1907

Folder 27: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1901-1908

Folder 28: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1910-1914

Folder 29: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1925-1949

Folder 30: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1940-1950

Folder 31: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, 1922-1960

Folder 32: Kentucky Sunday-School Association, Conventions, 1871-1888 & 1883-1887

Folder 33: Kentucky Sunday School Association, Conventions, 1888-1893

Folder 34: Kentucky Sunday School Association, Conventions, 1894-1897

Folder 35: Kentucky Sunday School Association, Conventions, 1897-1900

Folder 36: Kentucky Sunday School Association, History

Folder 37: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter , 1900-1903

Folder 38: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter, 1904-1906

Folder 39: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter, 1907-1911

Folder 40: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter , 1912-1917

Folder 41: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter , 1918-1927

Folder 42: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter , 1928-1937

Folder 43: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter , 1938-1948

Folder 44: Kentucky Sunday School Reporter , 1940-1950

Folder 45: Miscellaneous Records, 1923-1967

Subject Headings

Childhood

Communism – United States

Ecumenical movement

Environmentalism – Religious aspects

Juvenile delinquency – Kentucky

Kentucky Council of Churches

Migrant agricultural laborers

Race relations

Religion

Religious broadcasting

Religious education

Sunday school conventions – Kentucky