William Paton

Nationality

United Kingdom

Date of Birth

1886

Date of Death

1943

Political
Preference

William Paton was a Scottish ecumenist. Born in London, he worked as a missionary in India as a member of the Presbyterian Church of England from 1916 to 1919 and went on to become the first general secretary of the National Christian Council of India from 1922 to 1926. He succeeded J.H. Oldham as general secretary of the International Missionary Council and was involved in the establishment of the World Council of Churches. He advocated for the creation of a spiritual community to make economic and political cooperation possible on an international and European scale, and argued that a spiritual union and Christian values should underlie the rule of law. He convened the so-called Peace Aims Group (PAG), a British ecumenical network working towards peace during World War II. He published several books, including the influential book The Church and the New Order (1941), in which he argued for the declaration of peace aims by the British government, as well as the community of Churches in Britain. In the midst of these actions for post-war planning, he passed away in 1943.