He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1952, and still carries a distinctive accent after nearly 30 years of pastoral ministry in the United States. Alistair graduated from The London School of Theology and then served eight years in Scotland at both Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church. Mr. Begg was educated at Trent University, and Westminster Seminary as well. Among Alistair's 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.

He was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Cedarville University.

His wife, Susan, is American by birth, and Alistair himself became a U.S. citizen in 2004. He and his wife, Susan, have been married over 30 years and have grown children.

In January 2007, Alistair notified his congregation at Parkside Church as well as the Truth For Life family that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had surgery on April 23, 2007, and an update from the Truth for Life web site stated it was successful and his long term prognosis is excellent. He has since had two followup operations to deal with scar tissue interfering with his bladder, and more operations may be necessary