Rev Arthur Macarthur

The Rev Arthur Macarthur: General Secretary of the United Reformed Church

Macarthur: though always diplomatic about social issues, he did not hesitate to make a stand on matters of faith

Arthur Macarthur was one of the guiding spirits of the United Reformed Church and a prime mover in bringing together its two constituent churches: the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church in England and Wales.

In December 1960 he was appointed to the post of General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of England at the beginning of a period of great changes in church and society. The Church was convinced that he was the right person because of the skills he had shown in unity negotiations, his administrative gifts and his deep faith. The challenges ahead included decline of church membership alongside exciting ecumenical developments, especially the union of Presbyterians and Congregationalists forming the United Reformed Church in 1972. He was appointed its joint General Secretary then and sole General Secretary in 1974, a post he held until his retirement in 1980.

Macarthur was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1913, his family being members of the United Presbyterian Church. He valued the links with Scotland but regarded his Church as native English of equal antiquity. His distinctive Northumbrian accent and Celtic leanings underlined this conviction.

He studied at Armstrong College, Newcastle, at Durham University and then at Westminster Theological College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1937, and so was given a standing ovation at the Assembly of 2007 for his jubilee of 70 years.

His ministry began at Clayport Street Church in Alnwick, Northumberland, where he was a respected preacher and caring pastor. In 1944 he responded to a call to New Barnet, North London. The church had a healthy membership and strong youth work, both of which he nurtured.

One evening he heard news that a bomb had fallen in Judd Street, close to the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church. The next day he went to inspect the damage and see what help could be given. All the front offices were destroyed and ten members of staff killed. The rebuilt offices later became his working base.

It was in the New Barnet church that he met Esmé Muir. They were married in 1950 and moved soon afterwards to St Columba's, North Shields, where they brought up three sons and a daughter. Macarthur also had a key national role as Convener of the Inter-Church Relations Committee.

In recognition of his many qualities he was elected to high office, being Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of England in 1971, of the United Reformed Church in 1974 and of the Free Church Federal Council in 1980. He held an important committee chairmanship in the British Council of Churches.

In semi-retirement he was happy to return to local ministry in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, until 1986, then retired fully to live in Gloucestershire.

Macarthur made visits to the ecumenical Iona community in Scotland, led by George MacLeod, who was committed to justice and peace. He went to the Agape ecumenical centre in northern Italy and was impressed with its Protestant founder Tullio Vinay and the emphasis on reconciliation. He continued his visits to the Waldensian Church to an advanced age. Macarthur was careful in statements he made on social and political issues, especially in his representative roles, but he was prepared to make a public stand on matters of faith. During the Second World War he chose to go to France with the YMCA as a Christian pacifist. On visits to South Africa his high office opened doors so that he was able to meet leaders in the varied racial communities, seeking to understand their situations. He came to the conclusion that the achievement of Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk, the last President of apartheid-era South Africa, in the creation of the new South Africa was one of the miracles of modern politics.

A similarly complex situation, seemingly impossible to resolve, prevailed in Northern Ireland. Macarthur was involved in a series of secret meetings with representatives of both Protestant and Catholic communities, including members of the IRA. This was dangerous and contentious, but his faith led him to seek a way to reconciliation. He gave an account of these meetings in his autobiography, Setting up Signs.

Macarthur’s appointment as OBE was in recognition of his being one of the outstanding church leaders of the 20th century. His legacy is seen in closer ecumenical relationships in many local settings, the continuation of the search for greater unity nationally and the commitment of churches globally to justice, peace and reconciliation.

Macarthur is survived by his wife and their four children.

The Rev Arthur Macarthur, OBE, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, 1974-80, was born on December 9, 1913. He died on September 1, 2008, aged 94