He was well known for being an innovator of the church bus ministry that brought thousands of people each week from surrounding towns to Hammond for services.

[1] Hyles was born and raised in Italy, Texas, a small, low-income city in Ellis County, south of Dallas.

At the age of eighteen, Hyles enlisted in the United States Army and served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.

After receiving his education Hyles pastored at the Miller Road Baptist Church in Garland in Dallas County for about six years.

[1][5] In 1959, Hyles moved to the church-provided parsonage at 8232 Greenwood Avenue, Munster, Indiana, and became the pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond.

[6][7] Towns presented a plaque to Hyles in 1971, naming First Baptist Church of Hammond the nation's largest Sunday school.

[6] In 1972, and for several years following, Christian Life Magazine proclaimed First Baptist Church of Hammond to have "the world's largest Sunday School".

[10] In that year, the First Baptist bus route ministry consisted of 1,000 workers using 230 buses to ferry as many as 10,000 people every Sunday.

[11] Hyles wrote approximately fifty works in his lifetime with over 14 million total copies in circulation, including the popular Is There A Hell?, based on a sermon he preached at a National Sword of the Lord Conference.

The Calvary Contender wrote, "Hyles will be remembered as a one-of-a-kind, ever controversial leader whose ministry touched the lives of multitudes.

In 1984, for instance, he addressed a large gathering in the small city of Snyder, Texas, the seat of Scurry County, hosted by pastor Luther Wallace "Buck" Hatfield (1929–1995) of Faith Baptist Church.

In his book, Enemies of Soulwinning, Hyles taught that one could not be born again unless the King James Version was used somewhere along the line in that person's life.

Falwell also said, "He inspired me as a young pastor to win others to Christ through Sunday school, the pulpit, and personal witnessing.

[3][23] During a Sunday school class "a church worker reportedly witnessed the act and removed the girl from the room, police said.

[24] The paper reported the "lawsuit claims Hyles and the church had not fulfilled their obligation to ensure that children were protected from harm during Sunday school.

"[24] Furthermore, the lawsuit "claims the minister told the child's parents that Ballenger 'just loved children,' and, 'You don't have a case.

"[33] The report "said the sermon has the 'ring of Jonestown' to it—the mass suicide in Guyana in 1978 by followers of cult leader Jim Jones.

[34] The Times of Northwest Indiana also condemned WJBK's series, calling it "highly irresponsible" and "a monstrous overreach".

"[36] The woman then told what happened, Petri said, recalling that a church program instructor led her to a room and served as a lookout while two to three males raped her.

David had multiple affairs with other women while pastoring the church in Texas, before moving to a different state, divorcing his wife, and leaving the ministry.

Schaap was embroiled in a major controversy, where he admitted having sexual intercourse with an underage girl and transporting her to do so, across state lines.