Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1921-1976 (Creation)
Extent
5.033 cubic feet
Name of creator
Biographical history
Reuben Herbert Mueller (1897-1982), American Evangelical United Brethren Church minister, general church officer, and bishop, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He served in the U.S. Army in World War I. He married Magdalene Stauffacher on December 26, 1919. They had one daughter, Margaret Magdalene.
After studying at the Evangelical Theological Seminary and North Central College in Gainesville, Illinois, Mueller was licensed to preach in 1916 by the Evangelical Association.
He was given his first pastorate in 1921, ordained deacon in 1922, and elder in 1924. He served pastorates in Minnesota and Indiana before becoming a district superintendent in 1937.
In 1943, Mueller was chosen executive secretary of the Board of Christian Education of the Evangelical Church, and later of the Evangelical United Brethren Church,. In 1954, he was elected bishop. At the sixth General Assembly of the National Council of Churches in December 1963, Mueller was elected president, and served one three-year term. In the United Methodist Church (1968), he was assigned to the Indiana Area. He retired in 1972.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The material in this collection represents Mueller's work from his first years as a pastor in the Evangelical Association to his retirement from the Episcopacy of the United Methodist Church (1921-1975). The earliest manuscripts include sermons and addresses (1921-1975). The rest of the collection consists of correspondence (1941-1973), photographs (1962-1976), addresses (1921-1975), articles, and clippings (1921-1975). The most sustained record of Mueller's work begins in the 1940's with Mueller's election as Executive Secretary of Christian Education. The collection continues with records from his episcopal leadership, his presidency of the N.C.C., and his involvement in the negotiations for the Uniting Conference in 1968.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged by series.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Reuben H. Mueller Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
Prepared by Morris Davis, Jr., Manuscripts Processor, Myeongho Cha, Student Assistant, and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
Access points
Subject access points
Name access points
- National Council of Churches (Subject)
- Evangelical Association (Subject)
- Evangelical United Brethren Church (Subject)