Gratitude and New Beginnings: Resigning as MTI Ministry Year Coordinator
October 2014, a Soldier of 8 years with two deployments and a litany of fond memories and a fair bit of trauma departed Fort Gordon, Georgia, for the last time. Staff Sergeant Reynolds became Erik Reynolds, embarking on a journey into Christian ministry. The days that followed afforded me the opportunity to reflect on a career of service to my country during a time of war, which left fond memories even in the most arduous of times. The people, places, missions, late nights, early mornings, weeks in the field, extended deployments, etc. I left knowing I gave everything I had, head held high. When someone says, “Thank you for your service.” I swell up with gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of the United States of America.
Was my time in the Army perfect? No. Did I like everything about it? No. But service to others is worth the scars, both physical and emotional. My time had come to an end because my life’s journey needed to enter a new chapter. This week, one chapter has closed, and another has begun. I’ve resigned as the Ministry Year Coordinator of MTI, and like the days following my departure from the Army, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to serve.
It was time to leave the Army. I did my job and gave it everything I had, but my life’s circumstances had changed, and the Army’s landscape had, too. Two young children, a wife of only a few years, and my passion was serving overseas and in the field. I knew that to be happy as a Soldier, I needed to do Soldier things. To be a good dad and husband, I needed to stop doing those Soldier things. Therefore, it was time to leave.
That's also true of my time with MTI. It’s an excellent program that continues to train people for pastoral ministry. They have an excellent staff that cares for the church, is passionate about the Gospel, and wants to mentor others as they pursue vocational and bi-vocational ministry. When Dr. Matt Larkin called me up a few years ago to ask me to join his team, I was honored. I’ve held the strong conviction that when someone asks you to serve, if it aligns with my gifting or skill set, then I should seriously consider it. I spent the next few years teaching, mentoring, and writing or rewriting some courses for the Ministry Year. When he departed to pastor in another denomination, I was saddened by our loss but deeply grateful for how the Lord had used him.
Dr. Larkin’s replacement, Mike Alix, remains an exceptional leader. He leads with empathy and integrity and works diligently for the Kingdom of God. His co-laborers, Jesse Stevens and Matt Rice, are scholars in their own right who love Christ’s church and serve him with love and passion.
For the attentive reader of the Advent Christian Voices blog, my departure is probably no surprise. As the years passed and my theological journey continued, my convictions and understanding of Christian essentials grew, particularly the Apostolic faith as established in the ecumenical creeds. This unavoidable feeling that I was a man without a home in the Advent Christian Denomination became overwhelming. My local church continues to be a caring, kind, and supportive family of Christians. It’s the wider Advent Christian community and I that are no longer compatible – and that’s okay!
Over the last decade, my role has been that of an ardent voice for the essentials of the faith, including passionate pleas at the 2017 Triennial to adopt the NAE Statement of Faith and, in 2026, to adopt the Declaration of Principles 2026. Every position I’ve held outside the local church in recent years (Regional Vice President, Ministerial Committee, Adjunct Faculty, etc.) has come at great personal cost to my family and my mental/emotional health. I’ve served during arduous times to support efforts to restore the core essentials of the faith as the core essentials for our churches.
The years have not been easy, but at times they’ve been fun. I’ve made lifelong friends and learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I'm grateful for these experiences, friendships, and lessons.
As someone who struggled with their post-Army and post-war identity, the Advent Christian Denomination welcomed me with open arms. However, the more I was exposed to the denomination, the more tension built as I worried I might not fit in. Others probably saw it but didn’t say anything because they were too nice to me and too desperate for pastors. Nevertheless, many were kind, encouraging, and understanding as I sought to grow as a person, pastor, and theologian. I couldn’t be more grateful.
Although I have disappointments, I harbor no resentment. I asked the Advent Christian Church to be something it wasn’t, and it expected me to be something I could not. The last decade + culminated in one event at the 2026 Triennial. An illustrative picture of my time here – standing grief-stricken among the Triennial body, I spoke out loud to what I believed was a defense of the faith because, in that moment, I had believed we’d voted against core Christian orthodoxy – an intolerable position in my mind. However, I was wrong. In a sort of intermediate state between the DOP vote and the upcoming by-law change, I spoke too soon. Grief has a way of clouding our judgment. The subsequent vote to adopt the NAE Statement of Faith as a binding standard for pastors, regions, conferences, and churches proved me partly wrong – I’m grateful. The SOF is a net good, and although it isn’t as tight theologically, it is a step in the right direction.
However, I believe God is leading me into a new season and a new chapter. At this point in my life, the kids are in high school. One is a junior, another a freshman. They need my love, attention, support, and guidance. My attention has been elsewhere for far too long, and like Bilbo, I’ve felt “like butter spread too thin.”
I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to serve the Advent Christian Denomination. I wish MTI and the Advent Christian people nothing but the best. Thank you.
