Herald of Truth

The Herald of Truth was a religious newspaper founded by John F. Funk in 1864. It was the first periodical of the "Old" Mennonite Church (MC) and was also published in German as the Herold der Wahrheit. Funk published the Herald through Charles Hess of Chicago, Illinois until 1867, when Funk's own company, John F. Funk & Brother (later the Mennonite Publishing Company) took over publication in Elkhart, Indiana. The newspaper was sold to the Mennonite Publication Board in 1908.

The first issue was published 1 January 1864 in Chicago, Illinois. At the end of the first year, there were 1,200 subscribers.

The Herald was filled with sermons and biblical exegesis as well as stories of horrific deaths or warnings about keeping the Sabbath holy. While, at several times in the late 1860s and early 1870s, John F. Funk called for "an original number," the pages usually also featured selections from other evangelical periodicals or Anabaptist works.

In 1867, founder John F. Funk moved his operation to Elkhart, Indiana, bringing 1,200 lbs. of type with him as well as a Cylinder press, reportedly the first in Elkhart. Funk printed the newspaper in the basement of a drug store until Funk built premises. By 1892, John F. Funk's Mennonite Publishing Company had 5 presses and 2 paper cutters.

The German-language edition, Herold der Wahrheit, reached German-speaking Mennonites living in colonies in the Russian Empire. The newspaper drew them into conversation with John F. Funk, who then arranged fundraising to aid their immigration to the United States and organized the logistics of their travel.

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