Born in Newmilns,[4] he benefited from the rich music and singing traditions of the valleys and participation in the life of the local church.
[6] When the Second World War began Allan left his exempted divinity studies and volunteered for service in the Royal Air Force.
Amid the ruins and devastation of war an African American soldier rose to sing the solo Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
[10] Tom Allan was called to his first parish of Glasgow's North Kelvinside in 1946, an inner city area of mainly tenement buildings housing 10,000 people.
Volunteers from Seaside Mission teams and from the congregation visited all homes in the parish, speaking of faith in Christ and offering invitations to church.
[13] Public attention was caught and further increased when Allan published his own reflections in The Face of My Parish (1954)[14] which led the World Council of Churches to invite him to join their Commission on Evangelism.
[16] The emergence of a Congregational Group from all ages, sexes and backgrounds, committed to the work of evangelism, was central to Allan's ministry, offering training in prayer, bible study and application in Christian service.
[18] 1947 also saw the beginning of Allan's involvement with first radio and later television religious broadcasting via the Scottish service of the BBC which began with his ‘Family Prayers’ series and lasted eighteen years.
[24] Tom Allan demitted from North Kelvinside and accepted appointment as Field Organiser for Tell Scotland: he travelled widely to communicate the vision and principles of the Movement, and helped develop a three-year plan of preparation, training and practice with the aim of achieving not simply parish missions but missionary parishes.
[30] Following the Crusade, Tom Allan resigned as Organiser for Tell Scotland and in September 1955 became minister of the city-centre of Glasgow at St George's-Tron Church.
Thomson and the city centre congregations of other denominations, Allan promoted the Glasgow Central Churches Campaign.
[36] A very different kind of ‘pulpit’ opened up for Tom Allan when he was asked to write a weekly column for the Glasgow Evening Citizen.
[37] BBC broadcasting resumed at St George’s Tron using Tom Allan at the great Festivals of the Christian Year and culminating in a full-length TV film called ‘Meeting Point in the City Centre’.
However, it was found that the heart damage was not serious and slowly over a year, he was able to pick up all the tasks as before, accepting invitations to USA and Canada.
[40] A second very serious heart attack while visiting a Billy Graham campaign in Miami, USA, made retirement an immediate necessity.
[43] The Lord Provost of Glasgow, Mr Peter Meldrum, announcing the award of the 1964 St Mungo Prize "for the person who has done most in the past three years for Glasgow by making it more beautiful, healthy, or more honoured", was reported to have said: "Mr Allan had become a minister, friend, and adviser not only to his parishioners but to many others, no matter their religious persuasion ...