Guide to the Denominational Ministry Strategy Collection, 1973-1995 AIS.1989.07

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Denominational Ministry Strategy Collection
Creator
Denominational Ministry Strategy Pittsburgh Coalition
Collection Number
AIS.1989.07
Extent
6.25 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Date
1973-1995
Abstract
The Denominational Ministry Strategy (DMS) was formed by a group of Pittsburgh clergymen early in 1982. The original mission of the organization was to assist the newly unemployed steelworkers of the Monongahela Valley and to make the state and local government aware of their plight. In addition to correspondence and newspaper clippings, there is also much polemical material directed against the business and investment decisions of Mellon Bank, U.S. Steel, Dravo and other large Pittsburgh corporations which the group believed had failed in their responsibilities to the communities of workers who had made them prosperous. Many documents in the collection articulate theological and moral positions which attempt to ground the group's political action within the Christian scriptural tradition. Court transcripts documenting the legal battles of the DMS and of Rev. D. Douglas Roth, who was defrocked by the Lutheran Church for his participation in the organization, are also present.
Language
English .
Author
Zachary Brodt.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

History

The Denominational Ministry Strategy (DMS) was formed by a group of Pittsburgh clergymen early in 1982 to assist the newly unemployed steelworkers of the Monongahela Valley and to make state and local government aware of their plight. The DMS followed in the footsteps of past groups such as the Pittsburgh Coalition and the Metropolitan Citizens Organization in that various congregations from the Pittsburgh area banded together in response to changes within their community. After initial efforts by the DMS yielded few results, the group altered its tactics to draw attention to the problems of the unemployed. Joining with the local union activists of the Network to Save the Mon/Ohio Valley, the organization targeted banking and manufacturing corporations within Pittsburgh as the primary reason behind the region's deindustrialization. Some of their protests included removing their money from branches of Mellon Bank and placing fish in Mellon bank boxes, symbolizing that there was something fishy about the institution. This approach brought the group into conflict with the Lutheran Church in America, which initially supported the DMS. Pastors D. Douglas Roth and Daniel Solberg were defrocked by the church in 1984 and 1985, respectively, due to their involvement with the group and both were jailed for refusing to give up their posts. Solberg's brother, actor David Soul, became involved in the work of the DMS and created, along with Bill Jersey, the 1986 PBS documentary, The Fighting Ministers, about their efforts. In 1987, the organization changed its name to the Denominational Ministry Strategy Extended (DMX) as a way of mocking U.S. Steel and their name change to USX. Later that year, the group evolved into the Confessing Synod Ministries in response to the opposition it received from the Lutheran Church. The group is still in operation as of 2007.

Scope and Content Notes

The records of the Denominational Ministry Strategy (DMS) cover the period from 1982 to 1994. In addition to correspondence and newspaper clippings, there is also much polemical material directed against the business and investment decisions of Mellon Bank, U.S. Steel, Dravo and other large Pittsburgh corporations which the group believed had failed in their responsibilities to the communities of workers who had made them prosperous. Many documents in the collection articulate theological and moral positions which attempt to ground the group's political action within the Christian scriptural tradition and also to link their conduct with the Protestant church resistance to Hitler (hence the future appropriation by the group of the term "Confessing Synod"). Correspondence concerning the business and personal matters of the DMS and its leaders are also present, along with photographs taken at DMS events. Polemics against the alleged corporate ties of the Lutheran Church in America and its Western Pennsylvania Synod emerge as another preoccupation as the DMS sought to defend the ministers and their mission in the face of disciplinary actions levied against them by Church authorities. Court transcripts documenting the legal battles of Rev. D. Douglas Roth, who was defrocked by the Lutheran Church, as well as many newspaper clippings regarding Roth and the efforts of the DMS, are included. There are also records from the organization's predecessor, The Pittsburgh Coalition, which was active from 1976 to 1979. Year books of the Metropolitan Citizens Organization (MCO), a citizen action group led by DMS trainer Charles Honeywell that was active from 1978 to 1982, are also present.

Arrangement

  • Series I. Founding and Organizational Documents, 1975-1989
  • Series II. Newsletters, 1986-1995
  • Series III. Media and Press Releases, 1982-1987
  • Series IV. Legal Documents, 1984-1994
  • Series V. Correspondence, 1973-1993
  • Series VI. Publications, 1976-1994

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Charles Honeywell on June 21, 1989. Additional deposits were made on October 22, 1992; January 25, 1993; October 11, 1993; and April 21, 1995.

Previous Citation

Denominational Ministry Strategy Collection, 1973-1995, AIS.1989.07, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Denominational Ministry Strategy Collection, 1973-1995, AIS.1989.07, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Gordon Sheaffer in April 1998. The additions were processed and the finding aid was written by Zachary L. Brodt in January 2008.

Copyright

Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Related Archival Material

Rosenberg, David L., "Pittsburgh in Revolt: Sources and Artifacts of the Struggle against Deindustrialization from the UEL/Labor Archives at the University of Pittsburgh," Pennsylvania History, 68 (Summer 2001): 367–82.

Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America, Local 61 Records, 1943-1988, AIS.1989.05, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh

Separated Material

Photographs taken by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Harry Coughenour, as well as video cassettes of The Fighting Ministers and news footage can be found in the Media Storage room.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Dravo Corporation
    • Lutheran Church in America
    • Mellon Bank Corporation
    • United States Steel Corporation
    • Denominational Ministry Strategy Pittsburgh Coalition

    Personal Names

    • Honeywell, Charles
    • May, Kenneth R.
    • Roth, Dewey Douglas
    • Solberg, Daniel N.
    • Soul, David

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)
    • Clairton (Pa.)

    Genres

    • Press releases
    • Legal documents
    • Newsletters
    • Correspondence

    Other Subjects

    • Labor
    • Deindustrialization -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
    • Unemployment -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
    • Lutheran Church -- Clergy
    • Social action
    • Associations

Container List