Alphons Koechlin

Nationality

Switzerland

Date of Birth

1885

Date of Death

1965

Political
Preference

Alphons Koechlin was a Swiss Protestant theologian. Born in Basel, Koechlin was pastor in Stein am Rhein from in the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, from 1910 to 1921. He went on to become a preacher in Basel from 1921 until 1954 and held several leadership positions in the Protestant Church. As president of the Swiss Federation of Evangelical Churches and an officer in the World Council of Churches, Koechlin participated in the Life and Work conferences of Stockholm (1925) and Oxford (1937), as well as the later WCC Assemblies of 1948 and 1954. He was one of Visser ‘t Hooft’s most trusted friends.

Koechlin’s contribution to evolving ecumenical views on Europe is found in his support for involvement of the churches in the reconstruction process after World War II. With his Swiss compatriot Adolf Keller, Koechlin steered the Department of Reconstruction and Inter-Church Aid as part of the WCC.