The Latourette Initiative for the Documentation of World Christianity

Kenneth Scott Latourette

D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity 1921-1953

The Latourette Initiative is a proactive program to preserve and provide access to the documentation of world Christianity. It provides funding for the microfilming and digitization of published and archival resources documenting the history of Christian missions and the life of the churches in countries where missionaries served.

The Initiative is named for Kenneth Scott Latourette (1884-1968), who was D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale Divinity School. Latourette was instrumental in changing the focus of the Day Missions Collection at Yale from a resource for training missionaries to a collection documenting the history of Christian missions. The endowment he established to further the work of the Yale Divinity Library provides the funding for the Latourette Initiative.

Projects funded by the Latourette Initiative include:

World Council of Churches

• World War II-era records of the World Council of Churches (distributed by Brill /IDC Publishers)
  • YDSL Fiche Ms117
  • Digital version available to Yale community through Brill Online Primary Sources
• World Student Christian Federation Archives, held by the World Council of Churches (Brill)
  • YDSL Film Ms313 
  • Portions of WSCF archives held at Divinity Library (RG 46) also filmed: Fiche Ms123
• Programme to Combat Racism (Brill)
  • YDSL Film Ms367
• Dialogue with People of Living Faiths (Brill)
  • YDSL Film Ms381
• Christian Medical Commission (Brill)
  • YDSL Film Ms516
• Relations with the Roman Catholic Church (Brill)
  • YDSL Film Ms517
• Correspondence of the General Secretaries (Brill)
  • YDSL Film Ms518
• General correspondence (Brill)
  • YDSL Fiche Ms113

Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh

• Regions Beyond Missionary Union Archives (distributed by Adam Matthew)
  • YDSL Film Ms312
• Sudan United Mission (Adam Matthew)
  • YDSL Film Ms387
• Missionary periodicals & Alexander Duff pamphlet collection (Adam Matthew)
  • Film Ms576  / Guide

Melbourne School of Theology (Australia)

• Unevangelised Fields Mission (distributed by Pacific Manuscripts Bureau)
  • YDSL Film Ms536
• South Sea Evangelical Mission (PMB)
  • YDSL Film SD2345 , Film SD2346, Film Ms271, Film Ms375, Film Ms482

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

• ELCA mission archives
  • available through Primary Source Media: Guide
  • see YDSL Archives of Organizations listing for specific microfilm call numbers

Uganda Christian University: Church of the Province of Uganda Archives (Brill)

• Finding aids and link to digital files [Digital files available only on Yale campus]

Gujarat United School of Theology: Gujarat Diocese Archives, Church of North India (Brill)

• Monograph collection [Digital files available only on Yale campus]
• Archival collection [Digital files available only on Yale campus]

Documentation of Chinese Christianity

• China Free Methodist Church
• Chinese Baptist Convention
• Chinese Christian Literature Council
• Christian Weekly
• Denominational periodicals from Hong Kong
• Holy Light Theological Seminary
• Hong Kong Christian Council
• Reichelt Collection
• Studium Biblicum OFM
• Taiwan Lutheran Church

Archives of the Presbyterian Church of Cuba Online

• Available through BrillOnline Primary Sources

Missionary Archives from Lesotho, 1832-2006

• Available through BrillOnline Primary Sources

Microfilm produced by Latourette Initiative projects is available for Interlibrary Loan. Contact the Special Collections Librarian for more information.