THE METHODIST

The holdings in the Methodist Archives Center are arranged according to “provenance” or “office of origin.” The term “agency” is synonymous with “provenance” at all levels in Methodist organizations. The Methodist Archives Center preserves the records created by the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church and its antecedent structures. The record group titles below identify the officers and agencies as they are now constituted and reflect the current structure of the conference. Records created in antecedent structures become “sub-record groups” and have different titles reflecting the agencies as constituted at different time periods. Following is a list, though not exhaustive, of the structures and record group titles for our holdings. Please contact the archivist at 334-833-4413 or <archives@huntingdon.edu> to ask about records we have in the general groupings listed below.

The United Methodist Church [UMC] (1968- )

Alabama-West Florida Conference.

The Central Alabama Conference of was dissolved in 1972 with the uniting of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form The United Methodist Church. In 1972 the churches in the Central Alabama Conference consisting of the African-American churches in the whole state of Alabama, became a part of the re-organized North Alabama Conference or the re-organized Alabama-West Conference depending on their locations.

The Methodist Church [TMC] (1938-1968)

Alabama Conference (1938-1955),

Renamed the Alabama-West-Florida Conference (1956-1968)

Central Alabama Conference 1938-68.

Methodist Episcopal Church, South [MECS] (1846-1938)

Alabama Conference (1846-1863)

Mobile Conference (1864-69)

Montgomery Conference (1864-69)

Re-organized Alabama Conference 1870-1938

Methodist Protestant Church [MPC] (1830-1938)

Alabama Conference (1830-1938)

Methodist Episcopal Church [MEC] (1808-1938)

Originally the area which is now the state of Alabama consisted of districts of the following annual conferences of the MEC:

South Carolina Conference (1808-1810)

Western Conference (1811)

Tennessee Conference (1812)

Mississippi Conference (1813-1831)

The The Alabama Conference was organized in 1832 and existed until 1846 when there was a split in the church over slavery and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was organized.

The The Alabama Conference was re-organized in 1867 and existed until 1938 when it continued as a part of The Methodist Church.

The The Central Alabama Conference was organized in 1876 and existed until 1938 when it continued as a part of The Methodist Church.

RECORD GROUP TITLES

1-Officers’ Records

Bishop

Cabinet

Secretary

Treasurer

Editor of Journal

Registrar

Lay Leader

Director of Connectional Ministries

Director of Communication

Director of Discipleship Ministries

Director of Disaster Response Ministry

Director of Mission Outreach and Advocacy

Director Blue Lake Assembly Grounds

Director of Congregational Development

Director of Disaster

2-District Records—Each district has agencies like the district superintendent’s copies of the local churches’ charge conference records, a Council on Ministries or Core Team, a Board of Missions, a Committee on Ordained Ministry, and the like. Such agencies are sub-groups of each particular district.

Baypines

Demopolis

Dothan

Marianna-Panama City

Mobile

Montgomery-Opelika

Montgomery-Prattville

Pensacola

Antecedent Districts

3-Annual Conference Session COMMITTEES

Administrative Review Committee

Arrangements Committee

Commission on Archives and History

Consent Agenda Committee

Courtesies and Introductions Committee

Diaconal Investigation Committee

Editorial Committee

Episcopacy Committee

Episcopal Residence Committee

Incapacity Joint Committee

Journal Committee

Legal Advisory Committee

Ministerial Investigation Committee

Parsonage Committee

Pastor’s Assembly, Board of Managers

Planning Committee

Records Committee

Resolutions and Petitions Committee

Standing Rules Committee

4-Administrative AgencIES

Archives and History, Commission on

Core Team

Equitable Compensation, Commission on

Finance and Administration, Council on

Pensions and Health Benefits, Board of

Trustees, Board of

Nominations and Personnel Committee

Ordained Ministry, Board of

Council on Ministries

Program Council

Ministry, Board of the

Ministerial Training and Qualifications

5-Program Agencies

Advocacy and Ethnic Ministries, Board of

Bishop's Initiative on Children And Poverty

Church and Society, Board of

Communication, Board of

Congregational Development, Board of

Discipleship, Board of

Disaster Response Ministry, Board of

Global Ministries, Board of

Higher Education/Campus Ministries, Board of

Laity, Board of

Pastoral Care and Counseling, Board of

Role and Status of Women, Commission on

Youth Ministry, Council on

6-Auxiliary Agencies

United Methodist Men

United United Methodist Women

Wesley Heirs

MEC,S—Epworth League

TMC--Woman’s Society of Christian Service)

MEC,S--Preacher’s Aid Society

MEC,S--Woman’s Missionary Society

TMC--Methodist Laymen’s Movement

7-INSTITUTIONS

AWF Methodist Credit Union

Blue Lake Assembly Grounds

Dumas Wesley Community Center

Homes for the Aging

Mathison Retirement Center, Panama City, Fla.

Epworth House, Selma, Ala.

Wesley Gardens, Montgomery, Ala.

Wesley Manor, Dothan, Ala.

Wesley Scott Place, Pensacola, Ala.

Huntingdon College (See Huntingdon Collection

Methodist Archives Center

Mobile Inner City Mission-Metro Ministries

Nellie Burge Community Center

Noah's Ark

Pastoral Care, Counseling and Training

United Methodist Children's Homea

United Methodist Development Fund

United Methodist Credit Union

Wesley Foundations

Alabama State University

Auburn University

Troy University

University of South Alabama

University of West Alabama

University of West Florida

MEC--Asbury Mission

MEC,S--Centenary Male and Female Institutes

8-CONNECTIONAL AGENCIES

Southeastern Jurisdiction

General Conference

Ecumenical Organizations

9- PERSONAL PAPERS

Autobiographies

Biographies

Diaries

Genealogical Records

Manuscripts

Literary, musical, and art works

10- CHURCHES

Circuits

Cemeteries

11-AUDIO VISUAL COLLECTION

Audio and video tapes

Film

Photographs, original art, press productions

Clippings

Scrapbooks

12-ARTIFACT COLLECTION

13-METHODIST HISTORICAL LIBRARY

14-PUBLICATIONS LIBRARY

The NewsConnection

Minutes of the Annual Conference

Connectional Publications

Alabama Christian Advocate

15-HISTORICAL SKETCHES AND MANUSCRIPTS