Welcome to the North American Baptist Conference Heritage Commission

This is your online connection to the North American Baptist Heritage Commission. The Heritage Commission exists to manage historical documents and artifacts related to the North American Baptist Conference and to provide research services for churches and individuals.

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About Us

The Heritage Commission Archives is the depository for thousands of documents and hundreds of artifacts, each of which in their own way reflect something of God’s providential provisions for and blessing upon the efforts of faithful men and women called North American Baptists. The Archives is located on the campus of Sioux Falls Seminary. Staff and volunteers collect, preserve, organize, and display many of the historical items that have come from churches in North America and NAB mission fields in places such as Cameroon, Brazil, and Japan. They are also available to assist churches and individuals searching for historical information. Resources include:

  • Directories and conference reports dating back to the 1850s
  • Many church anniversary and dedication books and programs
  • All issues of Der Sendbote, The Baptist Herald, and Heritage Horizons (see Collections)
  • Many boxes of print records containing hundreds of files and thousands of letters and other documents related to historical NAB ministries
  • Many German Bibles and other books related to German Baptist history, beliefs, and practices (see Collections)
  • An extensive collection of books pertaining to NAB missions in Cameroon

 
Churches are encouraged to send important historical documents – including anniversary books and dedication programs – to the Heritage Commission. As is the case in most archives, space for storing documents and displaying artifacts is limited, so please contact us before sending written materials or artifacts.
 

What We Do

The Heritage Commission assists congregations and individual researchers by:

  • Helping congregations who request information about NAB churches, former pastors, or members – often for anniversary or genealogical purposes
  • Digitizing documents such as The Baptist Herald and church histories to provide easier access
  • Providing access to archival holdings for researchers who visit the Archives
  • Preserving and managing original records, pictures, and artifacts of NAB churches and organizations
  • Displaying museum items for public viewing
  • Publishing the Heritage Horizons newsletter

 

Contact the Heritage Commission

Email:

nabarchives@nabconf.org
nabarchives@kairos.edu

Address:

2100 S Summit Ave
Sioux Falls, SD 57105

Phone:

(605) 274-2702 or (605) 274-2731