By Colleen McFarland Rademaker

When you set out to become an archivist, nobody tells you how difficult it is to transition from one job to another. That’s not just because the job market for archivists is always challenging, and moving is an ordeal. Starting a new archival position also inevitably requires quickly learning a new historical context, usually without formal instruction. Over the course of my career, through self-study, I’ve developed a solid footing in subjects ranging from Midwestern lumbering and agriculture to American Catholic social services, and from World War II conscientious objectors to glass manufacture.  So imagine my surprise and gratitude when, about six months ago, I received an invitation from Sandy Shapoval, Dean of the Library at Phillips Theological Seminary, to audit the Disciples History and Polity course! During the first week of August 2025, I was one of ten students attending Associate Professor Lisa Barnett’s on-campus class.

Having the time and opportunity to immerse myself in the course was truly a gift. In Dr. Barnett’s classroom, no question was too big, too small, or too tangential. What are the origins of the “third stream?” How much of the New Testament translation published in 1826 was Alexander Campbell’s? Why do Disciples now use the term “sacraments” instead of “ordinances?” Did Thomas and Alexander Campbell celebrate Christmas? I had one “aha moment” after another during the week. As Dr. Barnett introduced the class to Stone-Campbell people and ministries, I found my mind wandering back to the collection in Bethany. Time and again, I pictured archival boxes bearing those names and thought, “So that’s who that is,” and “Oh, that’s how that ministry fits in.” I also appreciated hearing the questions and learning about the interests of my classmates, most of whom are working towards ordination.  Archivists seldom have the opportunity to observe budding historical researchers this closely. I left the class more aware of Disciples seminarian research needs, and that awareness now informs all of my work.

While on the Phillips campus, I also reunited with Phillipa Rosman, the archivist who visited the Historical Society in December 2024, and met the rest of the library staff. These face-to-face conversations are essential both for understanding how the Historical Society can better  support Disciples seminary libraries and for building the social foundation for future collaborations. I look forward to continuing to build these connections between the history we hold, the people who collectively steward that history,and the people with whom we share it.

A special note of thanks to Mac Ice and Doug Foster for this phrase from the title of their 2013 article, “How to Speak Stone-Campbell” for inspiring the title of this article.