Mack Lyon (1921–2015)

A gospel preacher and in those more than sixty-two years, he lived and worked with local Churches in Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas and New Jersey.

Mack began his preaching in Coalgate, OK Nov. 12, 1939, at the age of 17, and he never looked back. He and his family spent almost three years as missionaries in Western Australia in the 1960's where he established a Congregation in the Riverton suburb of Perth.

He traveled and preached extensively in the Far East and Middle East, in Russia and Eastern Europe and is widely used for special lectures and events by Churches, Universities and Civic Organizations here in the States.

Mack Lyon was best known for his work with the SEARCH television program which is now in its 30th. year. When he committed his life to preaching the gospel, he also committed himself to the use of the mass media. For several years he was a regular writer of a newspaper column titled, THE BOTTOM LINE. For more than 25 years his voice was heard on the radio in Southern Oklahoma and North Texas.

He had his first television experience in 1953 when he became the speaker on the first regularly scheduled TV program by Churches of Christ in Oklahoma. He also produced and preached on the first regularly scheduled religious television program on a commercial TV station in the history of Western Australia in 1967.

He began the IN SEARCH OF THE LORD'S WAY television program in September 1980 on one small TV station in Oklahoma. It is currently being seen on 76 Broadcast TV Stations, 2 Overseas TV Stations, 45 Radio Stations, 1 Overseas Radio Station and some 205 Community Cable Systems in the U.S. It is also carried several times a week to the entire North American Continent, from the northernmost tip of Alaska to the Caribbean, by satellite on the Gospel Broadcasting Network and the Inspirational Channel carried by DirecTV and DISH Network. The program is also streamed on the internet in both audio and video formats to every nation in the world.

Mack Lyon has been recognized for his work in religious broadcasting by Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN and by Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City, OK.

He has been called a "Pace-Setter" among Churches of Christ by the Christian Chronicle, an international newspaper of Churches of Christ.

At the end of the 20th Century he was named by The Gospel Advocate, a privately published monthly magazine, as one of 100 "Trail Blazers" of the century among Churches of Christ.

SEARCH received two Nielsen Awards for the largest audiences for a religious program on the ACTS Network. For two years the program was carried by the U.S. Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) Network to 500 Naval Ships at sea and some 30 Nations in which American Armed Forces were stationed.

He has authored several books. The most popular are Continuing Instant In Prayer (Out of print); Did You Miss The Rapture?; Life And Death And Beyond; The Glorious Gospel; and Paul's Sermon On Mars Hill.