Rev D. Marc Owen

Marc was born and grew up in Swansea, South Wales. Converted at the age of 12, he sensed a strong call to Christian ministry and by the age of 16 was encouraged by his pastor to take part in services and eventually preach. He entered training for ministry at Bristol Baptist College and went on to pastor to a number of churches in the South West of England. He was invited to become Church Life Secretary for the Baptist Union of Wales in 2005, taking on responsibility for mission and aspects of ministry amongst the Baptist Churches of that Union. He has travelled extensively as an evangelist, teaching on a variety of issues including Christian leadership and Church growth. Married to Sarah, they have two children, Jonathon and Kathryn.

 

Rev Dr Ian Randall

Ian Randall was born in the north of Scotland. At university in Aberdeen, where he met his wife Janice, he studied economics and history. In 1980 he felt the call to Baptist ministry and trained at Regent's Park College, Oxford and held pastorates in the South of England. Formerly Director of Research at Spurgeon's College and a highly respected historian, he has written a number of books including 'Communities of Conviction'.

 

Rev Dr Stuart Blythe

Stuart Blythe is a lecturer at the Scottish Baptist College, University of the West of Scotland. Previously he has been a minister in two churches, Springburn Baptist Church and then Kirkintilloch Baptist Church. He has a particular interest in the radical roots of Baptist identity.

 

Rev Alan Donaldson

Rev Alan Donaldson is the new General Director of the Baptist Union of Scotland, having taken up the post in April this year. Before coming into his present post, he was Senior Pastor in the Baptist churches of Leven and then Dumfries. His initial studies were undertaken at the London School of Theology after which he spent some time working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Moscow, Russia. Alan is married to Ruth, they have two teenage children and as a family they have been foster carers for over 10 years.

 

Rev Dr Parush Parushev

Parush joined the academic team at the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) in Prague in 2000. He is currently the Academic Dean and a lectures in Applied Theology. Parush was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and grew up in an atheistic family that had strong links with Communist ideals and practice. His ideological beliefs were challenged by the witness of communities of believers in Poland, the Netherlands and Bulgaria. He and his wife Nina committed their lives to Christ in the Baptist Church in Sofia in 1990. After more than 20 years in teaching and scientific research, he was appointed a Director of the Bulgarian Baptist Theological Institute. As an alumni of several theological seminaries in the USA and an ordained Baptist minister, he has served Bulgarian and international Christian communities in different pastoral and teaching ministries.