Commission on Archives & History
Membership and Contact Information
The Commission consists of four clergy members and four lay members nominated by the conference Committee on Nominations and elected by the annual conference for a term of four years with a maximum of two terms. The current Commission chair is Melanie Young.
Role of the Commission
The Commission is the successor to the Historical Society of the Detroit Conference, which existed from 1880 to 1969. It is charged by the United Methodist Book of Discipline to preserve the history of the United Methodist Church and predecessor denominations within the conference boundaries. The Commission meets three times a year, including one with a guest lecturer at Annual Conference. Commission responsibilities include:
- Maintain a fire-safe historical and archival depository and see that all current items (of historical nature) are preserved therein
- Provide for ownership of real property and receive gifts and bequests
- Provide liaison with shrines, landmarks, and conference historical sites in their bound
- Assist the bishop or conference program committee in planning for historical observances at annual conference
- Establish retention and disposition schedules for local church records under guidelines set by the General Commission on Archives and History
- Encourage and assist local churches in preserving their records and compiling their histories
- Engage with other Wesleyan, Methodist, or Evangelical United Brethren-related denominations in lifting up our joint heritage.
Programs and Activities
- Annual Reports and Meeting Minutes
- Conference Cane
- Designated Historical Sites
- The Historical Messenger newsletter (Detroit Conference Commission on Archives & History)
- Michigan Methodist Historical Markers
- Other United Methodist Archives and Historical Societies