05658
Dec. 8, 2005

Columbia Seminary to house
Montreat historical collection

Georgia institution will create program
for study of Reformed history and theology

by Richard DuBose
Columbia Theological Seminary 

DECATUR, GA — The trustees of Columbia Theological Seminary have approved a proposal from the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to create a program for the study of Presbyterian and Reformed history and theology.

        Under the terms of the agreement, most of the collection of the Montreat, NC, branch of the Presbyterian Historical Society will be moved to Columbia’s John Bulow Campbell Library when the Montreat facility closes in December 2006.

        During a Dec. 5 trustees meeting, the board authorized President Laura Mendenhall and a committee she appointed to work with COGA to work out the details.

        The Montreat facility houses an extraordinary collection of archival, library, and museum materials related to Presbyterian history and to the worldwide Reformed tradition. It includes a large manuscript division, a library of bound books and a museum with artifacts of 500 years of Reformed history.

        The board had reviewed a faculty report on the collection’s educational value and assessed the financial consequences for the seminary. It concluded that as much as $1.7 million would be needed over the next five years to receive and catalog the collection and make capital improvements to the library.

        Board members also considered the theological implications. Trustee James S. Lowry, a Columbia graduate, said after the meeting: “When this Board faces a major decision, someone usually poses the question, ‘Is God asking us to do this?’ For this opportunity, we believe the answer is ‘Yes.’”