The July/August issue of Messenger magazine celebrating 2020 graduates.

MESSENGER magazine is the official magazine of the Church of the Brethren. The magazine traces its beginnings to 1851, when Henry Kurtz published the first issue of The Gospel Visitor.

The first issue of what was then called The Gospel Messenger was published in 1883, after the creation and consolidation of many publications over the intervening decades. It was considered the official church paper, though it was not actually owned by the church until 1897, when the church assumed ownership of the Brethren Publishing House.

In 1965, under editor Kenneth I. Morse, the paper became a biweekly magazine, took on a completely new look, and shortened its name—to simply MESSENGER.

MESSENGER became a monthly magazine in 1973. It now has 10 issues annually, with combined issues in January/February and July/August. It offers selected articles online at www.brethren.org/messenger.