Dorey, George, 1884-1963

George Dorey (1884-1963) was a Methodist/United Church minister, administrator and Moderator of the United Church. The bilingual George Dorey came to Canada from the Channel Islands in 1904 at the invitation of James Woodsworth. Educated at Victoria University (B.A.) and Emmanuel College (B.D.), Dorey entered the ministry of the Methodist Church in Saskatchewan in 1914, subsequently serving as Superintendent of Home Missions for South Saskatchewan, 1929-1936; Associate Secretary of the Board of Home Missions, 1936-1945; Secretary of the Board of Home Missions, 1947-1954; Acting Secretary of General Council, 1954-1955; and Moderator, 1955-1956. Dorey had an interest in social and religious work amongst 'new' Canadians in the West, especially in his capacity as Secretary for Home Missions in Saskatchewan. He was concerned that Protestant churches were not doing enough to bring the ethnic groups (Germans, especially the Mennonites, Ukrainians, Austrians and others) into the Canadian mosaic, although he expressed reservations about the idea of assimilation. In detailing his thoughts on home mission work he made use of data from the social surveys done in the 1910s to examine the religious, social and educational accomplishments and needs of new Canadian settlement in Western Canada. Following his retirement, Dorey served as President of the Canadian Council of Churches.