Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education Records

The Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education (APRRE) grew out of the Professors and Research Section of the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches. For an account of the early history of the Section, see the Paper in Box 1, Folder1 that was presented at the 1963 meeting by Paul H. Vieth, Horace Bushnell Professor of Christian Nurture at Yale University Divinity School. For a more complete history of APRRE, see the essay in Box 2, Folder 14, which was written by Donald F. Williams, Executive Secretary, 1970-1990.

In 1969 the Professors and Research Section decided to meet independently of the National Council of Churches, and its last meeting was held February 6-8, 1970 in St. Louis. The group decided to move in the direction of a separate autonomous society that would become more ecumenical and interfaith. Instead of staying with the predominantly Protestant, interdenominational Council, they wanted to reach out to Roman Catholic, Jewish, and other educators. Their goals were to be: scholarly in focus, international in scope, collegial in structure, and inclusive in stance.

Donald Williams suggested a name for the new organization, Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education, in a Feb. 18, 1970 letter to Allen J. Moore. Plans were made for the inaugural meeting on Oct. 23-25, 1970 at the Statler Hilton in New York city, at the same time that other scholarly societies in the field of religion were meeting. About 34 persons attended one or more of the sessions. The officers elected in February continued for another year: Allen J. Moore, President; Neely D. McCarter, President-Elect; Harriet L. Miller, Treasurer; and Donald F. Williams, Secretary.

The purpose of APRRE was to provide scholars in the field of religious education with a forum for the interchange of ideas and projects and the mutual support for their research and teaching. Instead of a Constitution or By Laws, the group decided to be guided by a statement of principles and structures, which was written in 1971 by Neely McCarter. This grew into a set of "Operating Policies and Practices," which was adopted in 1974 and revised in 1991. Also in 1971, a newsletter was published for the first time; it was edited by the Executive Secretary and featured announcements of the annual meetings and news of the scholarly work and activity of its members.

Since 1971 APRRE has worked very closely with the Religious Education Association of the U.S. and Canada. A meeting in Washington, DC, in June 1971 was attended by representatvies of both groups and it set the stage for a number of cooperative ventures. Many APRRE annual meetings were held in tandem with those of the REA. APRRE representatives sat on the REA Editorial Committee, and papers from the annual meetings were often published in the journal Religious Education. The March/ April 1980 issue was devoted to APRRE papers, and later that year it was decided to make the journal a joint publication of the two organizations. Randolph Crump Miller, editor of the journal for twenty years, was an active member of APRRE; he was Professor of Religious Education at Yale Divinity School and followed Paul Vieth as the Horace Bushnell Professor of Christian Nurture.

Since 1976 APRRE has been a full constituent member of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion, and announcements of APRRE meetings and activities were published in the CSSR Bulletin. Some meetings were held in conjunction with the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and the Religious Research Association, and occasionally with the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature. Abstracts were published with the papers presented at these joint meetings. In addition, APRRE was a charter member of the National Council on Religion and Public Education, and sent delegates to their meetings.

Ever since 1970 annual meetings of APRRE have been held in major cities of the U.S. and Canada. Programs have been planned each year by the President-Elect, with help of a number of colleagues. A Call for Papers was issued at the beginning of each year and decisions were made regarding a theme and schedule. Ellis Nelson began the practice of a formal Presidential Address at the 1973 annual meeting. Task forces were introduced in 1973-74 and the popular Breakfast Roundtables were started in 1973. Other features were added through the years, such as Research Interest Groups, denominational assemblies, gender groupings for breakfast or lunch, liturgies, Doctoral Student Recognition presentations, and formal tributes recognizing the retirement or death of members. Travel grants were initiated in 1975 and they were enhanced by a capital funds campaign. Scholarship assistance was offered to a number of graduate students so that they could attend the annual meetings.

With a grant from the Lilly Endowment, APRRE held a consultation on revitalizing itself on July 15-16 at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Concerns had been expressed regarding the identity and purpose of the association, as well as its relationship to the REA and other organizations. In 1995 APRRE celebrated its 25th anniversary in Chicago. A banquet honored all the past presidents and a special booklet was published for the occasion. Over 150 persons were in attendance.

Donal F. Williams served as Executive Secreatry from 1970 to 1990. The year 1990-1991 was a transition year, with Clarisse Croteau-Chonka and Burton Everist serving in the interim. Padraic O'Hare was called to a three-year term for the period 1991 to 1994, and he was followed by Charles F. Melchert.