James Endicott (May 8, 1865 – March 9, 1954) was a Canadian church leader, missionary and

administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

Life and career

Endicott was born in Devon, England. He emigrated to Canada with his family at the age of seventeen and grew up in a farming community on the Canadian Prairies. Endicott studied at Wesley College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1893. He was elected

Moderator of the United Church of Canada The Moderator of the United Church of Canada is the most senior elected official within the United Church of Canada. He or she may be a lay person or a member of the Order of Ministry and is elected to a three-year term by commissioners attend ...

by the 2nd General Council in Montreal, Quebec, in 1926. Endicott and his wife moved to

Chengtu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese province ...

, Sichuan Province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, in 1894 as missionaries and were integral to the development of the Methodist mission already in place there. He was very influenced by the social gospel movement and was greatly impacted by the plight of the poor and oppressed he encountered while in China. The Endicotts and their five children returned to Canada in 1910 due to the poor health of their youngest daughter and settled in Toronto where James Endicott became

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Church of Canada in 1913. He continued in this position after union with the United Church of Canada until his retirement in 1937. Endicott was a leading figure in efforts to merge the Methodist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian churches leading to the creation of the United Church of Canada in 1925. He served as

from 1926 to 1928. He was recommended highly to this position by his predecessor,

George C. Pidgeon George Campbell Pidgeon (March 2, 1872 – June 15, 1971) was a Christian minister, first in the Presbyterian Church in Canada and then in the United Church of Canada, as well as the last Moderator of the Presbyterian Church before amalgamation a ...

, because of his dedication to and enthusiasm for missionary work. He also served as head of the Foreign Missions Board of the United Church from its founding until his retirement in 1937 and remained a leading figure in the denomination until the end of his life. His son, James Gareth Endicott, was also a minister and missionary in China and was close friends with Lester B. Pearson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endicott, James 1865 births 1954 deaths Moderators of the United Church of Canada Canadian Methodist ministers Canadian Methodist missionaries Methodist missionaries in Canada Methodist missionaries in Sichuan English emigrants to Canada Canadian expatriates in China

Life and career

See also

References