About Dr. Tom Wallace
Preaching the Gospel for 70 years!
After pastoring 3 very successful churches for 41 years; then spending 29 more years traveling to 54 countries and all 50 states helping other churches with missions, soul-winning and stewardship conferences; I am still booking meetings. My 70 years of experience has prepared me to help pastors and people. The Lord has blessed me with good health and strength. My books and ministry helps add to the meetings. I am a fundamentalist in faith and practice, a traditionalist in my music preferences, and preach from the KJV Bible. I especially enjoy Sunday meetings when I can teach a combined Sunday School class, preach both morning and evening services and stay over for a Pastors’ meeting on Monday or Tuesday somewhere in the area.
Biography
Dr. Wallace was born August 22,1930, in Odd, West Virginia. His parents were Lonnie and Reba Wallace of Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania. He was married to Janith Farr from 1950 until her death in 2002. They have four children: Debbie, Tom Jr., Tim and Donna. Debbie is married to David Hicks, who serves as Administrator of Central Christian School in Sharpsburg, Georgia. They have two sons, Mark and Derek. Tom Jr. is married to Kayla. He is an accountant in Dallas, Texas. They have two sons, Tommy and Timmy. Tim is married to Becky. He is the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Rainbow City, Alabama. They have one son, Nate. Donna is married to Bruce Barton, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida. They have three children: Bradley, Brady and Joanna.
Dr. Wallace remarried on August 7, 2004, to the former Mary Cluck of Athens, Tennessee. Mary’s husband went to heaven just two months after Jan’s death. Mary and Dr. Wallace were introduced to each other through a mutual friend, Dr. Don Sisk. Bro. Sisk had led Mary and her late husband to the Lord in the early ’60s. Mary has two children: Debbi and Tammie. Debbi is married to Tom Gerdt and they have four children: David, Sam, Gabe and Bonnie. The Gerdts live in Athens, Tennessee and are very active in Fairview Baptist Church. Tammie is married to Dr. John Swangim and they have one daughter, Sarah. They make their home in Porter, Indiana, and serve the Lord in Fairhaven Baptist Church. Dr. Wallace and Mary are living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and travel together in the ministry.
Dr. Wallace was saved at a General Motors Assembly Plant in Wilmington, Delaware. He began preaching in the noon services at the plant and preached there until leaving for Bible college. He served on the staff of Highland Park Baptist Church, Chattanooga, Tennessee, with Dr. Lee Roberson for two years (1953-1954).
Education and Honors
- 1948 – Graduated from Kennett Consolidated High School, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania
- 1954 – Graduated from Tennessee Temple University, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- 1971 – Received honorary Doctor of Divinity from Bob Jones University
- 1994 – Received honorary Doctor of Divinity from Louisiana Baptist University
- 2003 – Received honorary Doctor of Divinity from Canadian Baptist Bible College
- 2019 – Honored by the officers of BIMI for 50 years of service as a trustee
He pastored three great churches during his ministry: Baptist Bible Church, Elkton, Maryland, 1954-1971; Beth Haven Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, 1971-1986; Franklin Road Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from September 1, 1991-January, 2000. He is Pastor Emeritus of Franklin Road Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 2000 to the present time.
Some of the other accomplishments are listed below:
- Active in radio work for over 30 years
- Published two church papers, “The Visitor” and “The Beam” for the same period
- Founder and past president of Elkton Christian Schools, Elkton, Maryland, (K-12)
- Founder and past president of Beth Haven Christian Schools, Louisville, Kentucky, (K-12)
- President of Franklin Road Christian School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, (K-12) 1991-2000
- Established a Bus Ministry in Elkton, Maryland, that grew to 18 routes
- Expanded Bus Ministry at Beth Haven Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, to 42 routes
- Tripled attendance at Louisville church in first 2 years, High of 5450
- Led the Baptist Bible Church, Elkton, Maryland, through eight major building programs
- Led the Beth Haven Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in building a 3300 seat auditorium
- Led Franklin Road Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in building a new educational building, and purchase of three other buildings and two additional properties
- Past president of International Fellowship of Fundamentalists
- Served as president of Board of Directors of BIMI for 8 years
- Vice-president of the “Sword of the Lord ,” Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- Vice-president of Beacon World Missions
- Executive Board of Frontline Fellowship
- Board of Directors of Bible Open Air Mission, Fanwood, New Jersey, Ary Williams, founder/president
- Visited and served in all 50 states and 54 foreign countries
Dr. Tom Wallace
A Minute With The Preacher
Promotional Material
Highlights and Mountain Top Experiences
- Preached to 7,820 people at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in 2019 in Mexico City for missionary, Kevin Wynn and had 722 professions and 526 baptisms in a Thursday night service. This was a mountain peak experience for me!
- Shook hands and had my picture taken with President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and spoke to a crowd of 20,000 plus at the “Fundamentalism ’84 conference at the convention center in Washington, DC.
- Spoke at the Super Conference in the mid ’70’s for Dr. Jerry Falwell at Thomas Road Baptist Church.
- Hosted a five-week tent revival meeting in the early ’60’s with Evangelist Oliver B. Greene in Elkton, Maryland. The whole town was touched.
- Hosted Governor Lester Maddox for a Sunday at Baptist Bible Church in Elkton, Maryland, when he was running for President.
- On several occasions while having lunch with my pastor friend, Don Strange, at the Colonel’s Lady restaurant in Shelbyville, Kentucky, Colonel Harlan Sanders would come by and chat with us. Later he came to our big meeting with 22 churches at the convention center in Louisville, Kentucky, and gave a clear-cut testimony of his faith in Christ.
- Was I surprised when a man who worked for Lester Roloff showed up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, with a tractor and trailer load of oranges as a gift for me from Bro. Roloff!
- I can still picture two of my small children sitting on the lap of Dr. John Rice and the other two snuggled up next to him in our home in Elkton, Maryland, when he had come to have supper with us.
- During a tent meeting with Dr. Bill Rice on the campus of Tennessee Temple University in 1952, I gathered up 17 junior boys in my small car and brought them to the meeting. All of them responded to the invitation to accept Christ as their Savior that evening.
- I will never forget when we had a revival meeting in 1954 with Evangelist Jack Thompson, Joe Potts, and Ken Bowen, who were layman from Dr. J. Harold Smith’s church in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Our attendance was averaging 125 per Sunday and we saw 234 saved. Our church doubled at that point.
- My cousin, Don Paisley, who was the purchasing agent for the University of Delaware, called and asked me if I would conduct the funeral service for his wife, Betty. I went by the home to meet the family. The four children and their mates were seated around the dining room table. None of them were saved, including Don. What a great experience it was to win all of them to Christ!
- One of the great privileges of my life was working for Dr. Lee Roberson for two years doing visitation for 20 hours a week for 20 dollars. The Lord gave me many souls and helped me enlist many people into the family of our church.
- I preached on a Sunday morning for Dr. Jack Hyles when he wanted to break their Sunday school record. The goal was 20,000. Lester Roloff preached at 8:00 o’clock, Jack VanImpe at 9:00, Jimmy Dickens from Nashville was there for the children’s program, and I had the privilege to preach at the main service at 11:00 o’clock. The attendance was 22,275.
- In August of 2019 I helped my good friend, Phil Wheeler, win souls at the County Fair in Lebanon, Tennessee. I was scheduled to have my 89th birthday that month and I got the idea that I might be able to win 89 souls for that month. I began to pray for that to happen and began to work at it. I was filled with joy when I won the 89th on the last day of the fair and four days before my birthday!