A Key Component In O'Hair's Success

Some time ago I posted some observations about the influence of J.C. O’Hair and why he was such a dynamic leader. I promised a follow on comment on what I believe is the mostly overlooked key to his impact. Saturday I once again was reminded about all this in a most personal way as we celebrated the homegoing of another one of “O’Hair’s men,” George Reihmer. George was one of my heroes—like Franklin, Roy, Bill, Wally, Bob, Oliver, Ed, Al, Stanley, et al had also been. All of them except Bob are now in heaven!

First, the overlooked key: O’Hair’s ministry was grounded in a strong local church. It is really that simple. Oh, it was nothing even remotely like a “normal” local church! No. North Shore Church turns out to be one of the most unique local churches one could ever imagine. I was reminded of that again as we had a memorial service for George.

I could digress for hours/pages! Let me try to make a brief point. When we came to Chicago in August of 1979 we were almost immediately thrust into participation with NSC because we lived in their parsonage when we first arrived. Even though I came to Chicago to work at Berean Bible Society, it was the saints at NSC who provided the support needed by my family to make the adjustments to our new surroundings. These saints opened their hearts to us as no one had, embraced us and we almost immediately became family.

We discovered quickly that these were still “O’Hair’s people.” His ministry stilled lived in them—though he had gone to heaven in 1958! All of the elders of the church had served with O’Hair, although they were young when they did so. And his impact was still deeply impressed on them. Their unrelenting commitment to the Word rightly divided and the bold proclamation of the grace message—to their “ministry on this corner”—found an echo in my heart. Soon we were one-of-heart in every sense of the word. The simple fact that I was overwhelmed with the privilege of “preaching in O’Hair’s pulpit” was enough to make a place for me in their hearts! That they responded with such enthusiasm to the preaching wrote them large in my heart in return.

What all this did for me was provide a first hand insight into a ministry that endured through the decades. O’Hair (really his ministry) still lived in them. These saints knew how to instinctively “take care of each other,” they recognized sound doctrine when they heard it (and when they didn’t!) and would support in sacrificial ways efforts to maintain its clarity and get it out to others. In the face of overwhelming odds, they were determined to keep the work going, having a real sense of their responsibilities to pass the baton to the next generation.

I learned from them what “communion” is really all about. They taught me how to deal with disagreements—some very real and far-reaching—with grace, integrity and gentleness. I was schooled first hand in a level of commitment to ministry that was both natural and all consuming. I didn’t learn a lot of new doctrine from them; I just learned grace as a way of life as I had never experienced it before.

What I discovered was a unique congregation of saints who had in-fleshed the message of grace—not simply as a doctrine to believe but as a life to live. We talk about it, exhort about it, pray and long for it….they actually lived it! And, amazingly, were mostly unconscious of doing so!

When I would talk with them about the “old days” I would discover, for example, that there was once a Chicagoland Men’s Fellowship that meet regularly for years and had an attendance in the 400-500 range. What happened to it? Where had it gone? Why? As I listened to the accounts of those who had been there, I realized that this area wide group was really fueled by the ministry of NSC. They opened it to all comers, didn’t make it simply “their” ministry, but it was the dynamic of NSC that carried it into amazing ministries. And it was after O’Hair died and the leaders who worked with him began to also move to heaven that it began to die off.

The grace movement itself was born and carried on the shoulders of strong, effective, aggressive, regionally influential local churches. It was not para-church organizations (e.g., Milwaukee Bible Institute/Grace Bible College, Berean Bible Society, Grace Mission, Bethesda Mission, Things To Come Mission, Grace Gospel Publishers, Grace Publications, Grace Gospel Fellowship, etc. to name a few of the more visible ones) that propelled the so-called grace movement. It was O’Hair and NSC (whose radio and literature shook the whole nation); it was Harry Bultema in Michigan; it was Prince in Minneapolis; it was Lloyd Peterson in Seattle impacting the whole northwest and Canada; it was Henry Grube and Roy Lange in the deep south; it was Ike Sidebottom in Texas; it was Wasson in Evansville; it was Elmer Shaver in Tennessee; it became Henry Kulp in central Pennsylvania; it was William Root in southern California; it was Anderson in the Philippines; it was Vinton in Africa; it was……well the list goes on and on. You get the idea? It was the Pauline Ministry Model in action! Strong, aggressive local churches doing the work of the ministry and thus impacting whole regions. Sort of like I Thessalonians 1 in action.

That’s what I discovered in the saints of North Shore Church. It’s what they taught me. No, not the “doctrine” of the matter. I already knew that. They “put it into shoe leather,” into actual life, and welcomed us into that life as full participants. It’s been something very special.

Unfortunately, for whatever the reason, the grace movement’s leadership moved out of the hands of strong local churches after the passing of the O’Hair era leaders. By the way, I’ve often pointed out that O’Hair was simply one man who really represented literally hundreds of lesser known men who were doing the same thing across the breath of our nation (and around the world!). The result was the battles of the “big guys” who replaced these God-appointed leaders during the 60’s and 70’s. Without question there were battles that needed to be fought during that era. But the fact is that the doctrine of separation cannot be properly understood, much less practiced, outside the context of the local church. That simple misstep is at the core of the failure of the grace movement to successfully deal with the doctrinal/practical failures of that period.

Happily a new era has dawned. Oh, it has emerged from “outside the camp” of the established arena known as the grace movement. But it is real, vital, growing and going forward at a good pace. Because it is not “David-in-Saul’s-armor,” not shackled with the “organizational” problems faced by much of the “older” grace movement, there is a freedom that seems to be frightening to those of the old school. That’s ok. We certainly understand. They don’t know what to make of us! That’s not unexpected. We aren’t all there is—but we is! And we are the future. There’s a lot more to say about that, but that’ll have to wait for the future!

I am currently about the same age that George Reihmer was when I first met him. As I look over my own shoulder, there are generations following me who are the age I was then. I pray daily that I can offer some of the ensample provided me by those who have gone before. Of one thing I am sure: it will only be accomplished in the context of good, sound local-church-based ministry.

Maranatha!