← Back to Biographies
JG

John G. Paton

May 24, 1824 – January 28, 1907

Missionary to the New Hebrides

Carried the gospel to the New Hebrides with fearless missionary courage

Biography

Scottish Reformed Presbyterian missionary to the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu. After urban ministry in Glasgow, he sailed to the South Pacific and served among island peoples amid danger, disease, bereavement, and repeated threats to his life.

Faith & Testimony

Paton trusted Christ with striking courage. When warned that he would be eaten by cannibals, he answered that if he lived and died serving Jesus, it made little difference whether worms or cannibals consumed his body. His autobiography stirred missionary resolve across the English-speaking church and testified to God's preserving grace in perilous gospel work.

Sources