David L. Allen serves as the Dean of the School of Preaching, Distinguished Professor of Preaching, Director of the Center for Expository Preaching, and holds the George W. Truett Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He was married to Sherri for 37 years, who died of cancer in 2015. They had four children and five grandchildren. God in his grace brought Kate Finley into his life, and they were married in October 2016. Trusting Christ at age of nine, he responded to God’s call to preach at sixteen. He received the B.A. at Criswell College (1978), Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1981), and Ph.D. in Humanities with a Major in Linguistics from The University of Texas at Arlington (1987). He has preached in churches, revivals, conferences, and lecture series. He has also authored numerous works on theology and preaching.