The meeting convened at 5:00 p.m. with fifty-five persons in attendance.

1. President's remarks. The minutes of previous year's meeting were approved. President Grant Wacker thanked president-elect Charles Lippy for preparing the program, thanked committee chairs, and thanked Steve Olsen for chairing for Executive Secretary Search Committee.

2. Executive secretary's report. The website has received regular updates, but the entire site is really in need of redesign and new features. Plans for the spring 2009 conference in Montreal and the July 2009 conference in Geneva are in process. The transition to the new executive secretary will take place over the early months of 2009, including the transferring of files and documents.

3. Church Historyeditors' report. Editors Amanda Porterfield and John Corrigan introduced staff members Brooke Sherrard and Monica Reed. The number of manuscript submissions is holding, with more diversity in subject matter (especially Asia and Africa). Relations with Cambridge University Press are good; subscriptions are increasing significantly. One concern: some small schools that are not in consortia had to drop out because of cost. The editors are working with CUP to assist them.

4. Committee Reports.

A. Membership. Chairman Keith Francis reported a continuing rise in membership, especially among graduate students, who now number more than one third of total members. The number of foreign members is rising as well. Regular reminders for renewing membership need to be issued by email. He also asked for volunteers to serve on the committee.

B. Nominating. The slate as presented by the committee chaired by John Van Engen was approved.

C. Research/Prizes. Chairwoman Barbara Brown-Zikmund read out names of prize winners and encouraged members to nominate books and articles. President Wacker then presented award certificates to the winners.

D. Finance. Chairman Hans Hillerbrand reported that the committee had two consultations in February and November and decided not to change investment strategy at this point, to keep long-term perspective, and to maintain caution but be optimistic about recovery. Usually, the annual budget is approved at the annual winter meeting, but CUP revenue total is not available until spring. Motion: present budget for 2009–2010 for approval by the Council at the spring meeting. Motion approved.

E. Winter Program. Chairman Lippy thanked the organizing committee, noting more international flavor in the sessions and presenters. Of 134 presenters in the program, 53 percent were male and 45 percent female (2 percent “unknown”).

5. Other Business.

A. Graduate Student Representative. Council member Brandon Bayne called for better ways of networking and maintaining an online presence by fostering conversations between graduate students and senior scholars, and by other means.

6. In memoriam. Joseph Lynch, Gary McGee, and Rosemary Keller were mentioned as having died in the past year.

The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m.