Dr. William "Billy" McCarrell was born in Chicago to Samuel and Sarah McCarrell. After a rocky childhood and youth, McCarrell graduated from Moody Bible Institute. He served as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Cicero which later changed its name to Cicero Bible Church. During his forty-five years at the church, he saw growth from a congregation of twenty-five to an average attendance in Sunday school and church between nine hundred and one thousand-a megachurch in its time. He saw the church through prosperity and depression and through two world wars. The church supported hundreds of missionaries around the world and McCarrell helped plant twenty churches in the Chicago area. He also oversaw weekly radio broadcasts on WGN radio as well as The Moody Network. The Fisherman's Club, a weekly evangelistic outreach of men to the Chicago area, was founded by McCarrell. Records kept by the church show some amazing facts: -533,815 people were dealt with concerning salvation and eternal destiny. -140,000 professions of faith in Christ were recorded. -17,159,690 gospel tracts were passed out. -Daily radio broadcasts were beamed out over five stations, including WGN. -The Cicero Press was established (1923) for the purpose of producing good Christian books and literature; eventually it was sold to a large publisher and moved out of Cicero. -250 Christian workers were sent out, influenced by Cicero Bible Church. -The very first bus ministry in America was organized, picking up entire families and bringing them to Sunday school and church services at Cicero Bible Church. The bus ministry continued even during the gas-rationing WWII years. Wheaton College conferred an honorary doctorate on McCarrell, who served as a trustee on the board of Wheaton College for forty-nine years. At his funeral in 1979, the then-presiding president of Wheaton, Dr. Amerding, spoke of McCarrell's service and shared that with forty-six years of service, he was the longest serving trustee. While pastoring, he also served for twenty-two years as Professor of Local Church and Personal Evangelism at Moody Bible Institute. He also lectured at Dallas Theological Seminary, teaching on dispensationalism and church planting. This was during the presidency of Dr. John Walvoord, who was the spiritual son of Dr. McCarrell. In 1929, he founded an independent fellowship of churches (IFCA) along with his close friends Dr. M. R. DeHaan (Radio Bible Class), Dr. Oliver Buswell (president of Wheaton), and layman O. B. Bottorff. After his retirement from Cicero Bible Church in 1958, he continued the work tirelessly, traveling across the country and to the United Kingdom. A men's dormitory at Appalachian Bible College was named for him. He even pastored a church in Wisconsin for a time. Through the years, he served on more than fifty organizations, boards, and councils by providing administrative support, advice, or encouragement. They include Pacific Garden Mission, Faith Theological Seminary, Bryan College, Chicago Hebrew Mission, Great Commission Prayer League, and Lightbearer's Association. McCarrell and his wife Minnie were the parents of nine children; their son Paul was killed in action during World War II. McCarrell was known as a "man of one Book" with a relentless evangelistic heart, always sharing Christ with those with whom he came in contact. He was known for his uncompromising stand for separation from the world.
Filled with Scripture and heart-warming stories drawn from the
author's long and rich life and ministry, these small books will
remind the reader of the centrality of Jesus Christ and His Good
News. For those who seem to think that the church is of recent
vintage, and that little of major importance took place prior to
the rise of the megachurch, it is instructive to read from such men
as Billy McCarrell, who served the Lord so thoroughly in another
time and generation. The intensity of McCarrell's love for Christ
and his belief in the transforming power of the Gospel is
infectious.Dr. Gary E. GilleyPastor, Southern View Chapel
(Springfield, IL),
Think on These Things Ministries, AuthorWhat if we had access to
only one book or one chapter of Scripture? Which chapter would be
sufficient to declare the finished work of Christ on our behalf,
the blessings and resources we have for life's challenges today,
and assurance of life and hope beyond this life?Having served as a
pastor for nearly forty years, I've asked myself this question. The
best answer I've come up with is the eighth chapter of Paul's
letter to the Romans. There the Spirit of God inspired Paul to
address the entire spectrum of the Christian experience from the
wonder of "no condemnation" to the glory of "no separation." Using
language and timeless illustrations that can be understood by
everyone, the late Dr. William McCarrell (my wife's grandfather)
has unpacked Romans 8 and provided the Body of Christ with a
valuable resource. Pastor Dean StewartLead pastor, Mayfair Bible
ChurchWhat a joy for Grace Acres Press to republish the late Dr.
William McCarrell's book, The Supremacy of Christ:
Sufficient.Though I read it years ago, I recently read it afresh
with great interest to glean insight and encouragement from this
book written so many years ago--and I was not disappointed! He was
crystal clear and did not garble the Gospel. I loved how he brought
in the three tenses of salvation: so needed but so lacking in much
writing and teaching today. He understands the battle between the
believer's two natures, and how to find victory through the cross
and the power of the Holy Spirit. Originally spoken on his radio
program, "On Wings of Song," Dr. McCarrell writes with the passion
of an evangelist and the heart of a pastor, interacting with each
verse and adding personal illustrations and practical applications
in this great "Golden Chapter" of the Bible. He sums up Romans 8
well at the end of his book: "Every saved one is: Justified that
sin might never condemn him, Sanctified that sin might never
control him, Glorified that sin might never touch him." And all
God's people said, "AMEN!"Dr. Dennis RokserSenior Pastor at Duluth
Bible Church, Minnesota,
Director of the Grace Institute of Biblical StudiesThese days, most
people seem to be obsessed with the now. For many, life is all
about the next moment, and how to find happiness and contentment
right now. Yet there is much more to life than what we can see and
feel and touch: There is an eternal aspect of life that is often
overlooked. In The Supremacy of Christ: Sufficient, Dr. McCarrell
helps us re-center our focus on what really matters most. With the
theological skill of a scholar, and the gracious heart of a loving
pastor, McCarrell walks the reader through these famous words of
the Apostle Paul and reminds us of the blessings that accompany our
eternal riches in Christ Jesus!J. B. Hixson, PhDPresident, Not By
Works Ministries
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