Alistair Begg is the Bible teacher on Truth For Life, a daily and weekend program that brings the exposition of Scripture to a global audience through radio, podcast, and a wide range of digital and streaming platforms. Since its launch in 1995, Truth For Life has featured teaching drawn from Begg’s decades of faithful preaching at Parkside Church, where he served as senior pastor from 1983 until 2025.
Today, Alistair is actively engaged with Truth For Life and speaks frequently at conferences throughout the United States and around the world, where he encourages pastors, theology students, and believers and proclaims the gospel to those who have yet to come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Begg is the author of several books, including Name Above All Names, Pray Big, and Brave by Faith. His books have been translated into many languages and are read by a global audience.
Begg began in pastoral ministry in 1975 after graduating from the London School of Theology. Before joining Parkside Church, he served for eight years in Scotland, ministering at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church.
He and his wife, Susan, have been married since 1975. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
Wes Fowler serves as executive director-treasurer of the Missouri Baptist Convention. Since his election and installation in 2023, Fowler has directed the state’s missionary staff; administered Cooperative Program funds given by MBC churches; served as publisher of The Pathway, the official news journal of the MBC; and set the state’s cooperative strategy for fulfilling the Acts 1:8 mission mandate.
Fowler served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Mayfield, Ky., since 2011. He grew up in that church and was saved and baptized there at the age of eight. He accepted the church’s call to return as senior pastor after serving as student pastor at First Baptist Church, Valdosta, Ga., and senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Homerville, Ga.
While in Kentucky, Fowler served as chairman of the Board of Directors for Sunrise Children’s Services, the state’s largest foster/residential childcare provider. He also served as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC); member of the Mission Board of the KBC; and chairman for the search committee that brought Todd Gray to the KBC as executive director-treasurer in 2019.
Fowler earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Valdosta State University; a Master of Divinity at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; and a Doctor of Ministry with an emphasis in expository preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Fowler and his wife, Tara, have three children.
Mark Mathes has served as music minister of Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., since 2006, after serving in churches in Salem and Festus/Crystal City, Mo. He’s been in music ministry since a young teenager and has led worship in Missouri Baptist churches for 35 years.
Southwest Baptist University conferred Mathes with an honorary degree of Doctor of Music Ministry in 2021. He’s a Dove-nominated songwriter with my than 100 songs recorded by Christian artists and published in choral arrangements for churches.
Mathes earned a degree in Church Music from Baptist Bible College. His passion is to lead others to worship and to write new gospel songs.
He and his wife, Leisa, have two adult children, six grandchildren, and a new great-granddaughter.
Wesley Vance serves as president of the Missouri Baptist Convention and chairman of the Executive Board.
Vance and his wife, Amy, have been married since 2001 and have two children, Addison and Owen. Prior to serving in his current role as executive pastor of Crossway Baptist Church in Springfield, he was the founding pastor of Fellowship Kansas City and on the pastoral staff at Lenexa Baptist Church.
He has served in several leadership roles with his local association, the Missouri Baptist Convention, and various Southern Baptist entities. Before his call to ministry, he owned a multi-state insurance agency focused on employee compensation packages.
Vance combines the passion of a preacher, the heart of a pastor, and the practical experience of a leader. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, and a master’s degree and doctorate from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His desire is to see the gospel flourish around the world in this generation.
Ken Whitten serves as national director of pastoral leadership at the North American Mission Board (NAMB). He loves mentoring pastors and is a gifted expository Bible preacher with a busy global speaking schedule.
Prior to his current ministry assignment with NAMB, Whitten served for nearly half a century in a range of Southern Baptist and other ministries.
He served 33 years as senior pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., leading two campus buildouts and seven church plants. In addition, he has served as president of the Florida Baptist Convention; president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference; trustee of the International Mission Board; board member of GuideStone; chaplain for law-enforcement agencies; and leader in many other local and global initiatives.
Whitten and his wife, Ginny, are parents to four adult children, who all serve and follow Jesus, and grandparents of 13.