Cliff Temple Baptist Church

In the early spring of 1898, twenty-six members of the First Baptist Church of Oak Cliff left the church to form the Oak Cliff Baptist Church to remain with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Walter B. Hillsman led the new congregation until he returned to finish his studies at Baylor University in the fall of 1898. The congregation then chose the Rev. Joe W. English as its next pastor. Pastor English led the church for more than two years and guided the construction of the congregation's first chapel at Jefferson and Lancaster streets in Oak Cliff. The church had three more pastors from 1901 until 1904 when Pastor English returned. During his second tenure he helped with the building of a second church in 1908 and led the congregation to change its name to Memorial Baptist Church. In 1912, under the guidance of Dr. J. B. Gambrell and Dr. George W. Truett, members of First Baptist Church of Oak Cliff and Memorial Baptist Church joined to form a new congregation. The unified church became the Central Baptist Church of Oak Cliff and was led by Dr. W. A. Hewitt until 1918. In 1918 Dr. Wallace Bassett was called as pastor and remained for 48 years until his retirement in 1966 at the age of 81. During his tenure he led the church to change its name to Cliff Temple Baptist Church, oversaw the church's growth to 5,000 members and served in many denominational leadership roles with Baylor University, the Southern Baptist Annuity Board and the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Under Dr. Bassett's leadership and that of his successors the church laid a strong foundation for ministry and social work in Dallas' inner city. (1999)

Cliff Temple Baptist Church is a historical marker in Dallas, Dallas County, dedicated in 1999. It is one of 352 historical markers documented in Dallas County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 574 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.7450, -96.8242 near Dallas. The nearest cataloged historic site is Oak Cliff Masonic Lodge (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Texas Theatre, W. H. Adamson High School, and Medical Dental Building.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5113011819. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.