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.
Deindustrialization -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
Unemployment -- Pennsylvania -- Allegheny County
Lutheran Church -- Clergy
Social action
Associations
Container List
Scope and Contents note
The newsletters in this series document the activities of the DMS, DMX, and Confessing Synod Ministries. Many of the activities are concerned with the deindustrialization of Pittsburgh in the 1980s and include information on actions taken against Mellon Bank, Dravo Corporation, and U.S. Steel. Newsletters from the Christ Lutheran Church and St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, both members of the DMS, are also included.
Containers
box 1, folder 17
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box 1, folder 18
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box 1, folder 19
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box 1, folder 20
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box 1, folder 21-25
Scope and Contents note
This series contains press releases regarding the activities of the DMS and the companies the DMS held responsible for Pittsburgh's high unemployment in the 1980s. Many of the press releases are concerned with protests mounted jointly by the DMS and the Network to Save the Mon/Ohio Valley and the actions of corporate executives from Mellon Bank and U.S. Steel. Also included are examples of pamphlets which would be distributed throughout Pittsburgh communities concerning the high unemployment rates and economic fall of the region.
Containers
box 2, folder 1
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box 2, folder 02-08
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box 2, folder 09-10
Scope and Contents note
The documents in this series are concerned mainly with the legal troubles of Rev. D. Douglas Roth. Early in 1984, Roth was removed from his position at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Clairton, Pa., by the bishop of the Western Pennsylvania-West Virginia Synod of the Lutheran Church in America. Roth ignored the order so that he would be granted a disciplinary hearing before church authorities to plead his case; however, the bishop filed a civil court complaint instead. Roth was jailed in contempt of court for failing to appear at his hearing and for conducting services. He remained in jail for several months because he refused to sign a paper that would end his term at Trinity Lutheran Church. Also included are legal documents regarding the DMX's resistance to developers George and Damien Zamias erecting a shopping mall in Frazer Township, Pa.
Containers
box 2, folder 11-15
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box 2, folder 16
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box 2, folder 17
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box 2, folder 18
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box 2, folder 19-20
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box 2, folder 21
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box 2, folder 22
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box 2, folder 23
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box 2, folder 24
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box 3, folder 1
Scope and Contents note
This series contains correspondence from various members of the DMS concerning their activities within the Pittsburgh region. Many of these documents are concerned with the actions of Bishop Kenneth May against the DMS and its leaders, such as Rev. Roth, Rev. Solberg, and Rev. Gropp. There are several messages from Rev. Solberg to various judges in Allegheny County that he sent while serving time in prison, as well as correspondence regarding Rev. Roth's court hearings. Also included are letters from the United Steel Workers of America and the Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers of America to members of the DMS about their efforts regarding unemployment in the Mon Valley.
Containers
box 3, folder 2
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box 3, folder 03-09
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box 3, folder 10-11
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box 3, folder 12
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box 3, folder 13
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box 3, folder 14
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box 3, folder 15
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box 3, folder 16
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box 3, folder 17
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box 3, folder 18
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box 3, folder 19
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box 3, folder 20
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box 3, folder 21
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box 3, folder 22
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box 3, folder 23
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box 3, folder 24
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box 3, folder 25
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box 3, folder 26
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box 3, folder 27
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box 3, folder 28
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box 3, folder 29
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box 3, folder 30
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box 3, folder 31
Scope and Contents note
This series includes press clippings from local newspapers such as the Pittsburgh Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as well as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today, regarding the efforts of the DMS and the Network to Save the Mon/Ohio Valley. The clippings include cartoons, letters to the editor, and feature articles about DMS activities, Rev. Roth's defrocking and arrest, and the state of the steel industry in Pittsburgh. Other documents include flyers and pamphlets distributed by the DMS and papers regarding the film The Fighting Ministers. A copy of the film, as well as a tape containing news features on the DMS, is also present. Photographs taken by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Harry Coughenour at DMS activities are included.