Carlton C. Buck

Carlton C. Buck (1907–1999) was an American minister, hymn writer, poet, and educator associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Born in Salina, Kansas, on August 31, 1907, he pursued theological and musical education in California, with studies connected to California Christian College, Whittier College, and San Gabriel College. Contemporary denominational sources identify him as a Disciples minister; he was ordained in 1934.

Buck served Christian Church congregations on the West Coast for much of his career. Before moving to Eugene, Oregon, he held several pastorates in Southern California, including a fourteen-year ministry in Fullerton. He later pastored First Christian Church in Eugene and was active in Christian education and congregational life. After decades of ministry, he retired in 1974 and later lived in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Alongside pastoral work, Buck wrote hymns, poetry, and three books. His texts were selected in several Hymn Society searches, including the Christian-education hymn “O Master Teacher, Teach Us Now” and the family-life text that later circulated under the title “O Lord, May Church and Home Combine.” His work frequently joined practical church concerns—teaching, family life, ministry, and discipleship—with language designed for congregational singing. Although his hymns never achieved the numerical circulation of the most widely printed twentieth-century texts, several crossed denominational lines and entered Methodist, Baptist, and Christian Church hymnals.