Digital Archive for Urban Congregations began with a question, “What happened to the Lutheran Church in Chicago?” To answer it, he gathered thousands of page-scans of church archives, recorded 70+ hours of oral histories, and photographed the sanctuaries of 28 churches with the support of a grant from the English District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

After gathering so much data, it became clear that there was too much for one researcher. To offer free access to researchers and Lutherans alike, Digital Archive for Urban Congregations was born in 2022. This small nonprofit is dedicated to offering free access to the history of urban Christian churches through hosting digital material for researchers.