Ira Lutts North (August 31, 1922 in Ethridge, Tennessee – January 15, 1984 in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

) was a preacher and author within the

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...

. North's family operated the North Funeral Home in

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee The city of Lawrenceburg is the county seat of Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States, The largest city on the state's southern border between Chattanooga and Memphis, it lies on the banks of Shoal Creek. The population was 11,633 at the 20 ...

in addition to the family farm in Etheridge, so that he grew up in somewhat more affluent circumstances than most Middle Tennesseans of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

era. North received his education at David Lipscomb College (now

Lipscomb University Lipscomb University is a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on ...

, Abilene Christian College (now

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...

(B.A.),

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

(M.A.), and

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

(Ph.D.). At the age of 17 North began a 43-year preaching ministry that ranged from Illinois and Louisiana to Tennessee. His longest ministry service was for

Madison Church of Christ Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Madison, Tennessee Madison (originally Madison Station) is a former settlement, now a suburban neighborhood of northeast Nashville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is incorporated as part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The p ...

(suburban

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

). He began preaching for the Madison church in 1953 and continued there for over 30 years. During the latter part of his tenure, he also served as editor of the ''

Gospel Advocate The ''Gospel Advocate'' is a religious magazine published monthly in Nashville, Tennessee for members of the Churches of Christ. The ''Advocate'' has enjoyed uninterrupted publication since 1866. The ''Gospel Advocate'' was founded by Nashville-a ...

'', the longest-running and most-influential periodical in the Churches of Christ, having been originally established prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and edited for a long time afterwards by

David Lipscomb David Lipscomb (January 21, 1831 – November 11, 1917) was a minister, editor, and educator in the American Restoration Movement and one of the leaders of that movement, which, by 1906, had formalized a division into the Church of Christ (with ...

. During his time as its primary minister, the Madison church grew to one of the largest Churches of Christ worldwide. In failing health due to

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, he retired to his farm in the Neely's Bend section of Madison shortly before his death. North wrote several books, most notably ''Balance - A Tried And Tested Formula For Church Growth''. He was also the primary teacher on the nationally televised ''Amazing Grace Bible Class'', often taped on Sunday nights at the Madison building, which featured lessons like "If I Were a Woman" among other topics. North's son Steve became an attorney after graduation from the

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

school of law and eventually moved his practice to a stone building near the Madison Church of Christ building which was the former home of "Colonel" Tom Parker, manager of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, while his daughter-in-law, Jo Ann North, was the longtime Assessor of Property for

Davidson County, Tennessee Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville ...

; both are now retired. An encourager of

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

programs,

Vacation Bible School Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a religious term usually used to represent a week long event in the summer. History The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894. Sunday school teacher D. T. Miles, who also ...

and other youth outreach protrams, the ''Gospel Advocate'' posthumously called him a "lover of the very young" in 1990. His wife, the former Avon Stephens, whom he wed in 1939, died in April 2008.

References

External links

* 1922 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Protestant religious leaders Abilene Christian University alumni American Christian clergy American members of the Churches of Christ Lipscomb University alumni Louisiana State University alumni Ministers of the Churches of Christ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni People from Lawrence County, Tennessee 20th-century American clergy {{US-Christian-clergy-stub