Rev. W. A. Criswell speaking at the Pastors' Conference at First Baptist Church, Jacksonville in 1998. This would be his last sermon before he passed away.
In 1944 Criswell was called to replace George Washington Truett as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas. He would spend the remainder of his life at First Baptist, preaching more than four thousand sermons from its pulpit. During his tenure membership grew from 7,800 to 26,000.
Wallie Amos Criswell, was an American pastor, author, and a two-term elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1968 to 1970. Supporters have described him as one of the 20th century's greatest expository preachers.