[Updated 10/May/2026]
John Johnston was born in 1912 in Ireland.
New Zealand
In his early childhood the family emigrated to New Zealand, where he received his schooling at Whakatane District High School before continuing to the University of Auckland College, completing a B.A. degree.
He entered ministry-related work early. On 1 March 1935, Johnston began service with the Home Mission (HM) Rangitaiki Outfields under the Bay of Plenty Presbytery, a post he held until 1936. He resigned HM service on 28 February 1937 in order to pursue further study, enrolling in the Theological Hall at Knox College, Dunedin, where he trained from 1937 to 1939.
Hong Kong
Johnston was ordained on 13 August 1940 as an Evangelistic Missionary for China, though his departure was delayed due to the unsettled conditions in China during the Sino‑Japanese War. He finally left New Zealand on 25 January 1941, arriving in Hong Kong on 13 March 1941. From April to December 1941, he undertook language study on Cheung Chau, then part of the South China Presbyterian mission field.
At the end of 1941, as Hong Kong came under attack, Johnston was assigned to assist at the War Memorial Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital.
Following the Japanese occupation, along with the staff of Queen Mary Hospital, he was bussed to Stanley Internment Camp in January 1942 and he was there to September 1945. (A “J. D. Johnston” appears on John Black’s list of Stanley internees as a Store Assistant, though this occupational label does not match his missionary status. Perhaps it refers to his last role with the Queen Mary Hospital.)
Upon liberation, Johnston returned to New Zealand on 24 October 1945.
China
After furlough, he again set out for China, travelling via the United States and departing on 5 November 1946. He arrived back in China on 13 May 1947 and was stationed at Yan Woh, where he engaged in open‑air evangelism and children’s work.
The advance of Communist control in South China forced his departure. Johnston left China on 15 October 1949. During this period he married Gertrude Marshoof, a missionary of the Covenant Missionary Association, on 19 September 1949 in Hong Kong.
New Zealand
Returning to New Zealand, Johnston served in several pastorates—Edgecumbe, Pōkeno, Matamata, and Ponsonby. He resigned from mission staff on 30 March 1950. From 1950 to 1952, he worked at St Stephen’s, Auckland, before resigning and emigrating to the United States.
United States
On 18 May 1953, Johnston was received by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) Presbytery of Philadelphia. The following year he was appointed to missionary service in Formosa (Taiwan) under the OPC Committee on Foreign Missions, where he served from 1954 to 1972.
After returning to the United States, he held pastorates in 1973 at Bayview OPC, Chula Vista, California, and Calvary OPC, Volga, South Dakota.
On 18 September 1974, he transferred to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) through its Vanguard Presbytery.
Taiwan
Johnston then returned to Taiwan, serving from 1974 to 1984 as Professor of Bible Studies at Christ’s College and concurrently as a missionary with the PCA’s Mission to the World (1975–1984).
USA
He finally returned to the United States in 1986.
Jack Johnston died in 1989, aged 75.
A note of clarification: a “Mr Johnston” appears on the 1938 list of European house owners on Cheung Chau (House No. 3), but this cannot refer to Jack Johnston, who did not arrive in Hong Kong until 1941.
Source: NZ Presbyterian Church Archives
Comments
Too Hot for Comfort - the War Years 1938-50 - Bill Ream
Ordained in 1940 as an Evangelistic Missionary for China, Jack Johnston arrived in Hong Kong on the eve of the war in March 1941. From April to December, he engaged in Language study on Cheung Chau.
When the Japanese invaded in December, like other missionaries, he reported to the Medical Services and served at the War Memorial & Queen Mary Hospitals.
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