Project Timeline

The team of contributing authors has set for itself a rigorous process to write the new history of the Stone-Campbell Movement.  Because this is not an edited volume of essays, great care will be taken to insure that the contributions of all fourteen authors will be woven together into a single narrative.  Additionally, the process includes three major writers' conferences, review by the four editors, and critique by three senior scholars of the Stone-Campbell Movement who are not a part of the writing team.  Though the final product of this process will not appear until late 2012, the writing team believes that the manuscript will be worth the wait.

Spring, 2006 -- The four editors -- Paul Blowers, Doug Foster, Scott Seay, and Newell Williams -- meet twice at Christian Theological Seminary to begin conceptualizing the project and to negotiate with Disciples of Christ Historical Society and Chalice Press to underwrite the project.

Summer, 2006 -- The four editors recruit ten other authors from a pool of over 300 potential contributors, resulting in a writing team of fourteen professional historians.

January 7-10, 2007 -- The fourteen authors meet at Christian Theological Seminary for their First Writers' Conference.  The aim of the conference is to build a community of faith and scholarship, to produce a detailed outline of the new history, and to negotiate individual writing assignments.

Spring, Summer, & Fall, 2007 -- All contributing authors work toward the first draft of their writing assignments.  Many of these assignments will require substantial historical research on new topics.

December 1, 2007 -- First drafts from all contributing authors are due to the managing editor.

January 6-9, 2008 -- The fourteen authors meet at Christian Theological Seminary for their Second Writers' Conference.  The aim of this conference is to strengthen the community of faith and scholarship and collectively to critique the first draft of the new history.

Spring & Summer, 2008 -- All contributing authors work toward the second draft of their writing assignments.

August 31, 2008 -- Second drafts from all contributing authors are due to the managing editor.

September 30, 2008 -- The managing editor will send the entire second draft of the manuscript to all contributing authors for their review and critique.

October 31, 2008 -- Responses to the manuscript from all contributing authors are due to the managing editor.

November 14-16, 2008 -- The fourteen authors meet at Christian Theological Seminary for their Third Writers' Conference.  The aim of this conference is to strengthen the community of faith and scholarship and to review and critique the second draft of the new history.

Spring, Summer, & Fall, 2009 -- All contributing authors work toward the third draft of their writing assignments. 

December 1, 2009 -- Third drafts from all contributing authors are due to the managing editor.  He collates the authors' third drafts into a penultimate draft of the manuscript.

January 6, 2010 -- The managing editor presents the penultimate draft to the other three editors.

Spring & Summer, 2010 -- The four editors meet to work on the penultimate draft of the entire manscript.

September 15, 2010 -- The editors submit the completed manuscript to three outside reviewers for comment.

December 15, 2010 -- Outside reviewers return comments to the four editors.

Spring, 2011 -- The four editors meet to produce the final manuscript.

July 31, 2011 -- The four editors submit the completed manuscript to Chalice Press.

Spring, 2012 -- The editors review and correct the final proofs of the final manuscript, and the managing editor produces an index.

Fall, 2012 -- Publication of the new history of the Stone-Campbell Movement.