SOCIETY FOR PASTORAL THEOLOGY.
Society for Pastoral Theology records, 1985-2005.
PITTS THEOLOGY LIBRARY RECORD GROUP NUMBER 052
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CITATION: [Identification of item], Society for Pastoral Theology records, RG 052, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.
The Society for Pastoral Theology was founded in 1985. According to its mission statement, the Society is "a community of scholars, teachers, and practitioners of care committed to enriching the discipline of pastoral theology and advancing its role in equipping people for ministry."
A Steering Committee provides leadership to the SPT. The group holds an annual conference each June. Since 1991, the Society has published the Journal of Pastoral Theology. It also maintains study groups on topics in pastoral theology, including the Church and Christian formation, faith and health, religious practices and commitment, and theological anthropology.
Sources of information:
"Mission Statement." Box 4, Folder 6, Society for Pastoral Theology records, RG 052, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory University.
"Society for Pastoral Theology." http://www.geocities.com/societyforpastoraltheology/. Last accessed 13 September 2006.
This record group contains minutes, financial reports, correspondence, newsletters, membership lists, and other records dating from the Society's founding in 1985 through 2005. Of particular interest are the two files of formal papers by Society members on pastoral theology topics.
Most correspondence in this record group is from the office of Dr. Andrew Lester, who served as treasurer of the Society in the mid 1990s. This correspondence covers both financial matters and membership inquiries.
The majority of Society records are arranged alphabetically by document type. Several historical files in which multiple record types were intermingled have been retained in their original order.
Audiovisual materials are located at the end of box 4. These include two VHS videocassettes and a photograph of the founding members of the Society. The photograph was taken at the Society's first business meeting in 1985. A complete list of founding members and a photographic negative of the image accompanies the photograph. The videocassettes contain recordings of sessions on the history of pastoral theology and the history of the Society. The sessions took place at the Society's annual conference in June 2005.
Pitts Theology Library holds numerous other archival and manuscript collections on the topics of pastoral care, counseling, and education. For a complete list of related collections that are open for research use, see the online subject guide.
BOX FOLDER DESCRIPTION/DATE 1 1 Annual Conferences, 1993-1997 1 2 Annual Conferences, 1998-2001 1 3 Annual Conferences and Business Meetings, 2002-2004 1 4 Bibliography Project, 1999-2000 1 5 Brochure, 2000-2001 1 6 Business Meetings, Minutes, 1997-2001 1 7 By-laws, circa 1998 1 8 Correspondence, Leister, Andrew, 1994 1 9 Correspondence, Leister, Andrew, 1995-1996 1 10 Correspondence, Leister, Andrew, 1996 1 11 Expenses, 1998-2001 1 12 Financial Records, undated 1 13 Financial Reports, 2002-2004 1 14 Formal Papers, 1985-1988 2 1 Formal Papers, 1985-1988 2 2 Graduate Programs Directory, circa 1999 2 3 Graduate Student Profiles, 2001 2 4 Historical File, 1985-1986 2 5 Historical File, 1986-1987 2 6 Historical File, 1988-1989 2 7 Historical File Compiled by Rodney J. Hunter, 1984-1989 2 8 Historical File Compiled by Rodney J. Hunter, 1990-1993 2 9 Journal of Pastoral Theology, 1999-2000 2 10 Legal Documents, 2000-2001 2 11 Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 1985 2 12 Membership Lists, 1985-1993 2 13-14 Membership Lists, 1994-1997 3 1-2 Membership Lists, 1994-1997 3 3 Membership Lists, 1997-1998 3 4 Membership Lists, 1999-2002 3 5 Membership Lists, 2002-2004 3 6 Mission Statement and Contact Information, 2002-2003, undated 3 7 Newsletters, 1996-2004 3 8 Policies and Procedures, 2001 3 9 Quick Reference Sheets, 1998-2001 4 1 Steering Committee, 1993-1996 4 2 Steering Committee, 1996 4 3 Steering Committee, 1997-2001 4 4 Steering Committee, 2002-2004 4 5 Study Groups, 1996-2000 4 6 Wabash Conference, 1999 4 7 Wabash Conference, 2000 4 8 Website, 1999-2000 Audiovisual Materials 4 9 Photograph: Society for Pastoral Theology founding members, 1985. 4 10 VHS Videotapes: "History of the Society." Panel discussion by Jim Poling, Nancy Ramsay, Larry Graham, and Peggy Way. Moderated by Jim Lapsley. Approximate running time: 90 minutes. 2005 June 16. "History of the Field." Presented by Rod Hunter, Candler School of Theology, Emory University. Approximate running time: 60 minutes. 2005 June 16.