Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg (born May 22, 1952) is a Scottish pastor. He is the senior pastor of Cleveland's Parkside Church (located in Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, Ohio), a position he has held since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth For Life Christian radio preaching and teaching ministry, which broadcasts his sermons daily to stations across North America through over 1,800 radio outlets. He is also the author of several books. Begg was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952 and still carries a distinctive Scottish accent after years of ministry in the United States. On 2 November 1972, his mother died. Regarding the incident, Begg wrote that "more spiritual progress is made through failure and tears than success and laughter." Begg graduated from the London School of Theology in 1975 and then served eight years in Scotland at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church in Lanarkshire. Begg became senior pastor of Parkside Church, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1983. He was also educated at Trent University and Westminster Theological Seminary. He began studying for a DMin in the mid-1980s, but never completed the degree. Among his influences are Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Stott, Derek Prime, Eric Alexander, Sinclair Ferguson, Dick Lucas, Eric Liddell, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Jim Elliot, and Hudson Taylor.

Begg was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary on May 28, 2009. He was awarded the same degree from both Grove City College on May 16, 2015 and from Cedarville University.

He and his wife, Susan, have been married since 1975. They have three married children and 8 grandchildren. Susan is American by birth and Begg himself became a U.S. citizen in 2004. He remains a proud supporter of his boyhood club, the Glasgow Rangers.