Thinking about my friend, Craig, in his passing. By Brian Onken, Academic Director of The River

Craig Alan O’Neal

January 3, 1954–July 15, 2025

Why a post about Craig O’Neal on The River’s website? Because he was a great friend of the ministry and instrumental in shaping it from the very start.

I met Craig on my first Sunday in Greenville almost three decades ago. I had been invited to serve as interim pastor for Southside Baptist Church (an opportunity that soon became permanent). On that first Sunday, I had the joyful privilege of dedicating Craig and Karen’s youngest child, Katie. That was the doorway into shared lives.

Our families grew together. We shared family moments and memories. We celebrated the holidays in each other’s homes. We vacationed together. We journeyed in life–and in life in Christ–together.

Early on, Craig and I would regularly meet one-on-one to open Scripture, read and reflect on the life that Jesus invites us into, and pray for each other and our families. I can’t recall a single time we met that the conversation would not, in some clear way, turn to Jesus. We’d focus on all that He was to us and all we wanted in our lives with Him. Those times left an indelible imprint on my soul.

This isn’t to downplay other aspects of my friend that were true. He was a devoted and happily married husband. He was an attentive, thoughtful, and engaged father to his four boys and one daughter. He was a brilliant and successful businessman, managing his highly lauded company. He was an active servant in the church he called home for five decades, leading small groups, mentoring men and couples, and serving as an elder. And he was a partner in launching and overseeing the ministry of The River.

As I reflect on all those years of life and the various dimensions of his life, a few things become evident in each and every area.

Craig was a man of integrity. No posturing, nothing phony. What he was at his core was how he always lived. And at the core was a genuine passion and affection for Jesus. He didn’t simply “go to church;” he lived life with Someone—Jesus. It wasn’t dutiful for him, but it was foundational; he wanted to pursue the One who had captured him by His love.

For Craig, that relationship with Jesus was anchored in the Scriptures. Craig was a man of the Book. He didn’t read and study and memorize and share and talk about Scripture out of duty. He lived that way because he had come to find that the truth about the life he wanted was held out to him in Scripture.

Rooted in that relationship, Craig was a man of infectious joy. He didn’t pretend to be happy; invariably, he was glad for the life that the Lord had given him. That was evident in his ready smile, his encouraging greetings, and his warmth in relationships.

That foundation and that joy gave rise to one other thing that was true about Craig: He was a “man on a mission.” He wanted others to enter into and experience the kind of life he was enjoying with Jesus. Whether in daily life with his family, interacting with others in the business world, rubbing shoulders with friends at church, or on multiple mission trips, he was an inviting voice. He wanted to make clear that Jesus had opened the way for others to find what he was experiencing with his Best Friend.

Prayerfully, hopefully, Craig’s impact on this ministry will continue to be felt. What followed in Craig’s wake are things we should all seek.

Jesus was honored. God was glorified. His family was loved well. Saints were encouraged. The unchurched were invited.

I think that Paul’s words, in his letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:7–8) could rightly be said of my friend, Craig.

You have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith. There is laid up for you a crown of righteousness which your Jesus is delighted to bestow on you as you enter into a fresh experience of His presence.