I was born in St. Andrews – the ‘home of golf’ – so no surprises about the sport I play. I left home for Edinburgh when still 16 to become a journalist with The Scotsman. I gave my life to Christ two years later, and after very little time my career goals changed completely. Before long I was a student at Edinburgh University, finally finishing after ten years with a PhD in New Testament Studies. Even better, I had met and married Alison. We have four children and six grandchildren.
During and after my Edinburgh studies, I became pastor of the Baptist Church in Dedridge, Livingston. Then came a move north to Aberdeen to be pastor of a city centre church. Ten years later I was invited to become General Director of BMS World Mission which brought us south to Didcot. In the next 12 years I preached from Shetland in the north to the south coast of England, and to the far west of Wales, and also visited many impoverished and spiritually challenged countries around the world. Being led away at gunpoint in the Congo jungle was particularly interesting.
In 2006 I was asked to become President of Northern Seminary, located in the suburbs of Chicago. That meant speaking at conferences and churches across America as well as heading up a much-needed evangelical institution dedicated to training mission-minded pastors.
I retired in 2016, and we returned to Didcot and to our membership of Didcot Baptist Church. Becoming an elder is a good fit for me as I try to use whatever experience and wisdom I have in service of Christ and his people.