Early American Methodist Newspapers
Encyclopedia
Newspapers and news magazines have always been an important source of information
for Methodist Churches and their members and constituents. In the U.S.A., there have been a variety of instruments published over the years, some by General Conferences, others by Annual Conferences, others by individuals.
These are some of the early papers published by various Methodist denominations.
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
for Methodist Churches and their members and constituents. In the U.S.A., there have been a variety of instruments published over the years, some by General Conferences, others by Annual Conferences, others by individuals.
These are some of the early papers published by various Methodist denominations.
- The Christian AdvocateChristian AdvocateThe Christian Advocate was a weekly newspaper published in New York by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It began publication in 1826 and by the mid-1830s had become the largest circulating weekly in America with more than 30,000 subscribers and an estimated 150,000 readers....
was the first paper published weekly under the authority of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was commenced in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 9 September 1826. It continued publication for many years as the first official and leading paper of the M.E. denomination. - Zion's Herald, published in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, actually preceded The Christian Advocate, but was not officially owned by the General Conference. It was later merged with The Missionary Journal. Later, Methodists in New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
re-established Zion's Herald as a separate publication.http://oldwww.drew.edu/books/200Years/gallery/gal087.htm - The Missionary Journal, published in CharlestonCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, was another publication which preceded The Christian Advocate. Neither, however, was owned by the General Conference. - The Christian Advocate and Journal and Zion's Herald was a merger of The Christian Advocate with the earlier Zion's Herald and The Missionary Journal.
- The Western Christian Advocate was another early publication of the M.E. General Conference. It was published in Cincinnati especially to serve the needs of the Methodist Church as it spread westward with the frontier.
- The Christian Recorder was the title of an early official periodical of the African Methodist Episcopal ChurchAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
, begun in 1863. It was published in Philadelphia. - The Ladies' RepositoryThe Ladies' RepositoryThe Ladies' Repository was a monthly periodical based in Cincinnati and produced by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. From 1841 to 1876, the magazine devoted itself to literature, arts and doctrines of Methodism, containing articles, poetry, fictions, engravings, and notes of interest to...
was the monthly magazine founded in 1841 by Cincinnati Methodists. - The Nashville Christian AdvocateNashville Christian AdvocateThe Nashville Christian Advocate was a weekly newspaper of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. It served as the central organ of the denomination as well as the official paper of the Tennessee Conference. It was the largest and most influential of the Methodist newspapers in the South. It was...
was a weekly newspaper, founded in 1836, that served as the official organ and preeminent weekly of the Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthMethodist Episcopal Church, SouthThe Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
.