The Nazarene Archives is home to thousands of items that provide a window into Nazarene life and history. For just over 36 years, Stan Ingersol has been the manager of the Archives, helping steward and preserve the history of the Church of the Nazarene. Ingersol will retire at the end of February. 

“At the time I came, the collections were about 700 cubic feet of material,” Ingersol said. “Over the years, it has grown to somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 cubic feet of material. It is a tribute to the fact that we have been able to highlight the archives program in different ways, and people know to send this material [to us].”

Ingersol originally signed on to a four-year commitment to the role in 1985, which is a part of the General Secretary’s office. He was the second full-time archivist for the Nazarene church, succeeding Steve Cooley, who became the first archivist for the Church of the Nazarene in 1979. Ingersol has worked tirelessly over the last 36 years to help process valuable material that shares the whole story of the Church of the Nazarene from the early period to more recent times.

“We are not Xerox,” Ingersol said. “We do not document the world. What we do instead is try to assemble a cross-section of collections that document different parts of Nazarene culture: camp meeting culture, revivalism culture, missions, women and their roles in the church.”

In addition to this, the Archives assembles collections based on themes and cultures present in Nazarene history. 

“The BGS, general secretary, general treasurer, district superintendents, and pastors all have a different angle of vision through which they see the church,” Ingersol said. “And so you try and assemble collections that collectively would allow you to look at the church from different angles and different perspectives.”

Nazarene Archives continues to accept collections from missionary families, former general superintendents, and many others. To earn the trust of these families who donate manuscripts and documents to the

Archives, Ingersol says there has to be a level of credibility, which he believes is one of their biggest achievements.

“With archives, you have to build credibility,” Ingersol said. “And if you’re not careful, you can lose it.”

Over the next two months, Ingersol will be passing along his knowledge and expertise to Ryan Giffin, who will officially take over as Archives Manager on 1 March 2022. Giffin has been a pastor for the last 10 years, most recently serving at Village Community Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, Kansas. 

Both Ingersol and Giffin hope that the Archives will become a more accessible and more widely used resource for those who are seeking information about the Church of the Nazarene. Whether it is for congregational history, dissertation research, or any other reason, they want people to be able to access it, both in person and online. 

“I think finding a way to attract people back to the archives is important,” Ingersol said. “The pandemic has reduced the number of research visits. If we’re not having research done [at the GMC] and if the collections aren’t used, then what’s the point?” 

Giffin has a doctorate in biblical studies from Asbury Theological Seminary with a focus on manuscripts and material culture. 

“I’m a product of the Church of the Nazarene, and I’m fascinated with our story and our holiness legacy,” Giffin said. “The archives are going to outlive anyone who is the manager of them. I find stewarding our tradition for generations to come to be very important.”