He was the host of the radio program Dawson McAllister Live on Sunday nights from 10:00pm–2:00 am ET, which had an average audience of 500,000 listeners a week.
[1] After his 1968 graduation from Bethel College in Minnesota, McAllister began studies at Talbot School of Theology.
During this time, he accepted a position as a part-time youth pastor at Reseda Baptist Church, where he began speaking to teenagers.
Young worship leaders like Chris Tomlin,[2] Todd Proctor, Jeffrey Dean Smith, Joel Engle and Al Denson got their start at McAllister's conferences, along with speakers like Mark Matlock.
McAllister and his team made the move to a fully web-based ministry in 2017 in an effort to reach as many teenagers and young adults as possible.
His website, TheHopeLine.com, includes streaming radio, podcasts, social media, blogs, stories, videos, eBooks, online chat and mentoring, referrals to support groups and counseling organizations, and other digital resources.