Council On History
Preserving The Seventh Day Baptist Legacy
The work of historic preservation and promotion among Seventh Day Baptists in the USA & Canada is carried out by the Council on History.
The Council’s mission is to “remember our past to inform the present and envision the future.” It inherited this mission from the SDB Historical Society, which merged with the General Conference in 2016.
The work of the Council is in two primary areas: maintaining the Historical Library and Archives (SDBHLA) at the SDB Center in Janesville, WI, and facilitating the telling of stories using the collected resources of that collection.
Access to the Historical Library & Archives is available at www.sdbhistory.org. Those who join a supporters group for the library are eligible for access to the full collection at the website. Researchers looking for additional access are invited to contact Director of Education & History, Nick Kersten.
Those interested in genealogical research, please note that the library is not primarily a genealogical library and does not directly provide reference assistance to genealogists, but volunteers are available to aid with requests as they have time available. To begin a genealogy request, inquire at genhelp@seventhdaybaptist.org.
Meet the Director: Rev. Nicholas Kersten
Nick Kersten is the Director of Education and History for the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference of the United States and Canada. He also serves as an elected elder at the Milton Seventh Day Baptist church. Prior to his current role, he served as Librarian-Historian of the Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society for nearly ten years from 2005-2014. Nick and his wife Brittany have four young children. Nick is passionate for equipping the church to make fully formed disciples who take their kingdom advancement responsibilities thoughtfully and seriously in this generation, and in light of the lessons that history teaches.
Rev. Nicholas Kersten