Throughout her life, Jane Paone has lived with a sense that something or someone ethereal has been guiding her steps. Even amid challenging circumstances as a Salvation Army officer, and personal challenges, Jane has felt what she calls ‘the touch of the Holy Spirit’ upon her journey.
And why shouldn’t she? From day one on planet earth, as the daughter of fully committed Salvation Army officers (ministers) – the late Majors Elizabeth and James Moir – she was cast into this life; this environment of belief that God was paramount and God was calling you to serve the world with every skill and every ounce of intellect birthed within you.
In a home in which spiritual and practical leadership were modelled daily, and the family mantra was ‘you can do anything’, it’s no surprise Jane emerged from her formative years with strong leadership traits. Neither is it a surprise, in a church and charity now serving the world in more than 130 countries, that she became an internationalist at heart from a young age.
Born in Glasgow, Jane spent her childhood in various towns in Scotland, moving with her parents as they received new assignments every two to three years. When she was 11 the family moved to England and Jane spent her teenage years in London, relishing being part of Salvation Army corps (church) at Wandsworth and Nunhead and progressing her education.
Life was hectic,’ she says, ‘running here, there and everywhere. But it was a loving environment and my parents were always so positive even when there were challenges. There was always a sense of God’s presence and we were happy.
‘I attended 12 schools growing up,’ Jane notes. ‘My mum and dad always wanted me to be the best. Excellent in my studies, a good girl, well-behaved, you know. Big expectations. I would be put in a classroom at a new school that was doing things differently from the previous school and it was like, on the surface “I’m doing fine” or “I’m going well”. But underneath, things were a bit frantic trying to adjust and keep up.
‘If I got one C among As and Bs there would be questions asked. So I was never allowed to be big-headed. I always had to have my feet on the ground. My mum, especially, kept me humble. I thank her for that because she helped me not to be self-focused, a quality I would need big doses of in the not-too-distant future.’
By the time Jane was 19, it was the mid-seventies and a world beyond London beckoned. A turning point came when, facing uncertainty about her future, Jane moved to Paris where she undertook an advanced six-month course in French, having excelled in the language for six years in high school. What that would mean for her in the long run she couldn’t see; Jane was following her heart. In the mornings she worked at Palais de la Femme, a Salvation Army social institution for women, and studied in the afternoons at Alliance Française.
It was in Paris, devoid of distraction from the busyness of her life back home, that she had time for serious reflection on what God wanted for her future. Some years earlier, in 1973, she had an encounter with God that set her sails in the right direction, spiritually. Billy Graham was preaching at Wembley Arena and God broke through in a big way.
‘I was extremely moved,’ she recalls. ‘I asked God for forgiveness and felt this huge weight just lift from my heart. On the way home there was a big hill we had to walk up in Nunhead. That’s where we lived in London. And I remember clearly that night running all the way up the hill. I was so happy.’ She was 15 years old.
Now, at 19, and on her own in France, a strong feeling that God was calling her to become a Salvation Army officer set in. She returned to London at the end of the course, called not only to officership but, following a visit to Italy, to live and serve as an officer in Italy. There she met the then Lieutenant Massimo Paone, the man who would become her husband. They fell in love and, 12 months later, Jane entered training for officership in the God’s Messengers training session. Two years later, in May 1982, she was commissioned and a week later married Massimo.
The international ecumenical stage
Today, after four decades serving God and humanity with her husband in predominantly international settings – including as leaders of The Salvation Army in Italy and Greece; France and Belgium; and Switzerland, Austria and Hungary – Commissioner Jane Paone serves as the movement’s Secretary for International Ecumenical Relations out of its London-based International Headquarters. She is fluent in Italian, as well as French and English, with Italian spoken at home. She also understands and can speak German.
Officially, the Paone’s retired in 2020 but Jane was subsequently approached to take on the International Ecumenical Relations portfolio. Here, she finds herself in the cut and thrust of the movement’s global relationships with ecclesial bodies ranging from the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the World Methodist Council and the World Council of Churches (WCC), to global Pentecostal fellowships, Christian Orthodox, Lutherans, Baptists and the Society of Friends, among others.
It's a vital role for the international Salvation Army. ‘People see The Salvation Army as a hands-on, sleeves rolled-up, frontlines Christian movement,’ she says. ‘But behind everything we do is an ethos that places us at the heart of the universal Christian Church engaged in spiritual, theological, missional and ecumenical conversations the world over. I can see that all my life I’ve been in an apprenticeship, albeit a long one, for such a role and such a time as this …
‘Wherever we have been we have always served alongside and supported our sisters and brothers from other faith groups, sometimes in significant ecumenical projects. As an additional appointment, from 2007 to 2009, Massimo was the General’s Representative to the Vatican.’ Besides, Jane notes for the record, with a maternal grandmother who was a strong Protestant and a paternal grandmother who was a strong Catholic, she thinks ecumenism could be in the blood.
This year alone, Jane has represented The Salvation Army at numerous events. These include the World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting in South Africa focused on the theme ‘Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity’; the Global Christian Forum International Committee meeting held at the Taizé Community in France; conversations with both the Anglican Communion and Methodist World Council; and The Salvation Army’s own International Theological Council in London.
When she cannot attend conferences and other significant ecumenical events, Jane is represented by a senior Salvation Army officer from the region where the event is held. Additionally, when appropriate, the international leaders of The Salvation Army inject themselves into the ecumenical space. Earlier this year, General Lyndon Buckingham attended the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome along with the General’s Representative to the Vatican, currently Lieut-Colonel Andrew Morgan, who also attended the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
I love my ecumenical work,’ says Jane. ‘It is such a joy and a privilege to be with very gracious people, gracious brothers and sisters in Christ. I’ve learnt a lot about other Christian groups, including groups like the Greek Orthodox and the Coptic Churches. When I go to the Global Christian Forum we share faith stories and accounts of our spiritual journey. It’s like testimony time in a Salvation Army corps (church).
‘We were at the Taizé Community in France recently and my Syrian Orthodox brother, Father Michael, shared how in Lebanon there had been a bombing and they had to escape the monastery and they didn’t know if the monastery would be in one piece when they returned. When you hear such accounts it opens a window to a very different world. It’s the church international. It’s the Body of Christ international. If they are suffering, then I am suffering.
‘When we worship at our ecumenical gatherings, these deeper themes come through in the liturgies and you feel it more strongly as you worship together. We once visited a slave castle in Ghana where, sadly, the Church had sometimes been implicit in organising enslaved people for transporting across the Atlantic between the 16th and 19th centuries. There was a strong sense of grief as we considered the Church’s own need to confess its sins and to be restored and renewed…
‘Since 2021, I’ve been fostering these international relationships,’ Jane continues. ‘Prior to me, our ecumenical conversations with other faith groups have sometimes resulted in significant books being published.1 When we were leaders of The Salvation Army in Italy, early on Massimo went on a coach trip with other ecumenical representatives that included cardinals and other leaders. There had been a gap in our ecumenical relations work in Italy and they were all saying, “It’s so good to see The Salvation Army.”’
One of Jane’s fondest experiences from her ecumenical relations work was when, on behalf of the General of The Salvation Army, she invited the then Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to address delegates of the movement’s 22nd High Council on the Sunday prior to its commencement in May 2023.
‘I had met and spoken with the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby previously and consider him a friend,’ she recalls. ‘He always strikes me as a humble man, with a wry sense of humour, who cares for and respects others. Prior to his address, I interviewed him and he gave his opinion of The Salvation Army. “You are people who demonstrate that God is faithful to his promises,” he said. “Not that we are good, but that God is faithful. This is what The Salvation Army has always done. God is faithful. He never fails us”2 …
I am always amazed at the respect shown towards The Salvation Army from leaders of other churches and can only believe that those leaders have seen love in action or heard about some caring person in an Army uniform, wherever they are serving in the world.
The Nicene Creed and JC2033
Two events currently loom large on Jane’s agenda. The first is the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, a confession of Christian faith first declared in 325 that features in The Salvation Army’s Handbook of Doctrine.3 The creed emerged from the First Council of Nicaea convened to establish a clear articulation of Christian belief for the Roman empire. It has since been key in the forming of the articles of faith of many Christian groups.4
Throughout 2025, many in-person and online forums have brought people together to celebrate the anniversary and reflect on the creed. This month, Jane will be in Egypt for the WCC’s Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order which will mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. Then, in November, there are plans for a celebration event in İznik (formerly Nicaea), Türkiye, where it is hoped Pope Leo XIV will attend.
While still some years away, the second event that has captured Jane’s focus is the JC2033 movement. ‘It’s 2,000 years since the Resurrection,’ she stresses. ‘Easter 2033 will be a special time and it will be the same date for Eastern and Western churches alike. We’re trying to mobilise every nation, every street, every possible online grouping to share about Jesus and the life-transforming reality of his life, death and resurrection. It will be an amazing opportunity to celebrate as one and to make Jesus known amid the 2030s.’5
The home straight
We’ve been sitting in the Paone’s lounge room in their home in Eastbourne, on the southern coast of England. The couple has lived here since their ‘retirement’ in 2020, close to Jane’s elder brother Les Moir. As a young girl growing up in Scotland and England, Jane says Les was like her ‘comfort blanket’ every time they moved. ‘We did lots of stuff together and we’re still very close,’ she affirms.
While we’ve been on this deep dive into Jane’s life, Massimo has been preparing for a flight to Italy where he will spend time with family while Jane attends another of what seems an unceasing round of ecumenical engagements, this time in Zurich, Switzerland where she will contribute to the 500th anniversary celebrations of the Mennonite and Anabaptist movements.
We’re nearing the end of our time together but there’s one more item that can’t escape our attention, especially with our new All the World readers in mind. In 2018, at The Salvation Army’s 21st High Council6, Jane was nominated for the movement’s top job — the Generalship. She recalls the week vividly: ‘We were leaders of The Salvation Army in Switzerland, Austria and Hungary at the time,’ she explains. ‘The nomination took me by complete surprise. There were 120 in the room and The Salvation Army has never had a married woman officer as General. We’d been through a challenging time in Switzerland and I recall it was a very therapeutic experience to be endorsed by my peers.
‘Ten people were nominated and I was the only woman... There’s no way I’ll be elected, I thought, but as the only woman I must accept the nomination. There should have been more [women nominees]! We had to answer many questions put to us and I remember feeling my heart beating as I gave my answers. My husband was in full support. Eventually, then Commissioner Brian Peddle was elected.’
After two hours of conversation, Jane reminds me that alongside her Salvation Army officer journey, she has given birth to and raised three daughters — Joy, Laura and Novella. All are now adults with their own children, five in total, one living in the United Kingdom (UK), one in France and one in Italy. All are passionate followers of Jesus, Novella a Salvation Army officer herself serving the corps and community at Berwick upon Tweed in the UK.
She’s had a rich life, she insists, full of both challenges and opportunities. And she offers some words of advice for readers: ‘Be who you are,’ she says. ‘While we should always learn from others, don’t try and be someone you’re not. The same for The Salvation Army. Let’s be everything God intended us to be, not some other organisation or church. Salvation is boundless. Salvation is without limits. And salvation isn't just about me, it's about the whole world. It’s a big deal. If the grass looks greener on the other side, stop staring, stop comparing, stop complaining and start watering the grass you're standing on. The churches are much better working together than all of us trying to be the same.
‘And be available. People say to me, “Well, how on earth did you get to be a commissioner?” The truth is that I don’t really know. I said “yes”, I made myself available, you know. And when people asked us to go somewhere, we went.’
