85-year-old Alexander 'Sandy' Millar is best known as co-founder of the worldwide introduction course to Christianity known as 'Alpha'.




Though thoughts of being a clergyman were far from his mind when he was child. GHe grew up in Scotland during the second world war with a father who was a Major General. He went to boarding school and onto Cambridge eventually fulfilling his dream of becoming a criminal barrister.




He says he was brought up Christian and prayed everyday though it was later at the age of 27 during a weekend away with his soon-to-be-wife that he experienced the Holy Spirit and the 'assurance' of God's presence. He says this is the time he really became a Christian.




Despite a successful career in law he felt a pull towards the ministry and went onto play a pivotal role in the influential evangelical church Holy Trinity Brompton in Kensington, London where he became vicar in 1985. The church became a hub in the 90s for evangelical Christianity.




Later with Nicky Gumbel he co-founded Alpha which is now in 100 countries, including prisons and has reached 24 million people with the story of Jesus Christ to people who have no faith or those who are just curious, though originally, it started as a course for young Christians.




In this episode of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity Magazine's Tony Wilson about his early life, the beginnings of Alpha and the plan that God has had for him.





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Released on 21 Aug 2025