The McLean County Clergy Staff / Ministerial Association Collection was donated on September 1998 by Donald K. Nester, who was a Chaplain affiliated with BroMenn Healthcare. In the late 1960s, several clergy in McLean County met with administrators of the three local hospitals and some local physicians to clarify and enhance the role of clergy in the hospitals. They wanted to form a group that would focus on the participation of clergy as part of the health care team and to work on fostering understanding and cooperation among physicians, hospital staff, and clergy. On April 4, 1973, Articles of Organization were proposed for the Clergy Staff of McLean County Hospitals. The Articles established membership requirements, meeting dates, continuing education experiences, and a committee called the Hospital-Clergy Relations Committee to direct the group. The Hospital-Clergy Relations Committee consisted of the administrators of the McLean County hospitals, three representatives elected annually from the general membership of the Clergy Staff of McLean County Hospitals, and two physicians appointed annually by the McLean County Medical Society. The first official meeting of the Clergy Staff of McLean County Hospitals was held on May 22, 1973. In 1979, the Articles of Organization for the group were revised in regard to officers and election of those officers.
In 1986, a merger was proposed between the Clergy Staff of McLean County Hospitals with the McLean County Ministerial Association. The Association, which had existed longer than the Clergy Staff of McLean County Hospitals, focused on fellowship, professional and personal growth, and cooperation among clergy in McLean County. The merger was proposed to promote better coordination among clergy meetings and prevent unnecessary duplication of functions between the two groups. The merger also was proposed to address declining membership in the groups. In 1987, Articles of Organization were adopted that officially created the Hospital Clergy Staff/Ministerial Association. The Articles formed an Executive Committee to plan programs for the new group.
On October 7, 1992, a vote was taken to disband the Hospital Clergy Staff/Ministerial Association due to declining attendance at meetings. The vote was approved to disband the Association. In February 1997, Articles of Organization were proposed for a new group to be called the Clergy Staff of BroMenn Healthcare. The group was designed to make clergy more effective in their hospital calling and strengthen the participation of clergy in health-care teams. The proposal was developed by a Clergy Advisory Committee at BroMenn. In October 1997, a tentative plan for implementing the Articles of Organization was devised. The collection contains no documentation was to whether the tentative plan was actually implemented.