In 1903 he joined the importing firm Paterson, Laing & Bruce Ltd. An active member of the Church of England, he soon became involved in youth work.
His pacifism was overtaken by the outbreak of World War I, and after rejection for army service because of a leg injury, he embarked upon what would become both career and ministry by joining the YMCA as a field secretary with the Australian Imperial Force.
Granted the honorary rank of captain in 1918, he remained in Belgium until January 1919 when he joined the International YMCA Hospitality League in London, caring for soldiers awaiting repatriation.
Winning the Dallen prize as dux of the YMCA's training school, he was appointed assistant general secretary of its Melbourne branch.
In February 1920 Massey was named general secretary of the YMCA in South Australia, but before taking up this position he funded his own travel to North America for further study.
They include material relating to the establishment, and early operations of the Councils; in Massey's own words: "pioneering correspondence, plans, my appointment, reports, submissions etc., commencement and growth of the States and at Canberra, papers of conferences of presidents and secretaries from 1949 to 1959."
Some of the allied organisations represented in the collection are: Australian Citizenship Convention; National Migration Consultation, Melbourne, 1962; New Settler's League of Queensland.
Price and Sir Kingsley Morris as well as "A sentimental journey to Australian battlefields in France : the Great Restoration", by J.T.
Cited In Guide to collections of manuscripts relating to Australia; A990 Subjects Massey, J. T. (John Tolson), -- Archives.