During the September 9 evening service, Alistair Begg announced to the congregation of Parkside Church that he’ll be formally stepping from his role as Senior Pastor in a year’s time.
In the last few weeks, I have informed the elders of the church of my decision to relinquish my role as the senior pastor here at Parkside. Not tonight, not tomorrow night, and not for twelve months of nights. But on the fourteenth of September, 2025, God willing, I will make it that long.
…that particular day will be fifty years since I began with Derek Prime at Charlotte Chapel. It will be forty-nine years since I was ordained to the gospel ministry, and it will be forty-two years from the time that Sue and I had the privilege of beginning ministry here at what was then the chapel in Beechwood.”
Begg says this decision is “not precipitous” and is “not driven by anything of which I am personally aware, other than my ambition to pass the baton…into the hands of my successor,” but that it’s being done “to give us time to adjust to the prospect of and to prepare in a timely way for what this transition will mean.” See the full video here.
Alistair Begg is perhaps best known for his syndicated radio program, Truth for Life. He’s authored and coauthor of several books, including Preaching for God’s Glory, Name above All Names, and the Christian Manifesto. With a reputation as a sound teacher, he could occasionally be found on the conservative preaching circuit.
Earlier this year however, he came under intense criticism and was dropped from several radio stations when, during a recent program of Truth for Life, Begg offered a scenario where a Christian woman called in saying that her grandson is about to marry a ‘transgendered person’ (either another man who has ‘transitioned’ to a ‘woman’, or a woman who has ‘transitioned’ into a ‘man’) and wanted to know if she should attend the wedding.
Noting that “people may not like this answer,” Begg said that as long as grandson knows that she believes it is sinful and she does not agree with it, then she SHOULD attend the ceremony, and even buy them a gift, because if not, her absence will simply reinforce the fact that she is “judgmental” and “critical.” After being exocriated online, he doubled down on his position.
