Herald of Truth: teaching and news across Mennonite homes

John Fretz Funk began Herald of Truth in Chicago in January 1864 and moved his publishing work to Elkhart, Indiana, in 1867. An English-language paper and its German companion, Herold der Wahrheit, made printed teaching and news available to Mennonite readers. The Mennonite Church USA Archives preserves material from the first English issue, and the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s digital collection distinguishes the two language editions.

The paper carried the concerns of Christian households alongside broader church questions. The surviving January 1864 obituary page, for example, joins news of deaths in Ohio and Pennsylvania with funeral Scripture texts and words of Christian hope. Such notices helped readers remember fellow believers beyond their own congregation. During the Civil War, Funk also used the paper to teach nonresistance and examine the responsibilities of Christians facing military demands.

Herald of Truth came to function as an unofficial periodical of the Mennonite Church. Rivalry with Gospel Witness, begun in 1905, coincided with financial difficulties in Funk’s business. In 1908 the new Mennonite Publication Board purchased his periodicals, and Herald of Truth and Gospel Witness were combined as Gospel Herald. The exhibit’s 1864–1908 dates describe the English paper; the German companion has a different publication history and is catalogued separately.