My Advent Christian Story: Coming Back and Moving Forward
Pictured - Tom seated center with his family in the fellowship hall of the North Scituate Advent Christian Church (now Rockland Community Church)
Undoubtedly, Luke Copeland’s article Denominational Tectonics was a shocking read to some of you. Perhaps you disagree with him in some way, but suspect ACV wouldn’t publish your dissent. I want to emphasize the message that I shared in a short video on Facebook last week: “This blog is your blog.” Advent Christian Voices is a platform for dialogue; we don’t censure varying and opposing voices from coming to the table, we encourage them to come! If you have something to say, send it along and we will publish your piece as long it is within bounds.
Not all of you know me well. Some may wonder about my own history in the denomination and my desires for the Advent Christian church. Since Luke has shared his perspective, I thought now would be a good time to share my own story so that you might appreciate the diversity of backgrounds and thought among the “younger” generation. I encourage my peers to do the same.
The Exilic Advent Christian
My mother was a Baptist and my father was an Advent Christian. His father was an Advent Christian pastor (Jim Loghry). Miriam, my father’s mother, was a Merrill and had AC roots going back at least two generations (Advent Christian enough that her father was given the middle name “Hastings” after H.L. Hastings). Her brother Eugene grew up to be a professor at Berkshire Christian College before teaching at Dallas Theological Seminary.
My grandparents drank deeply of Advent Christian theology and reformed thought at the New England School of Theology, graduating after it became Berkshire Christian College. The influence was strong enough that it was passed down to me through my father. He was no pastor, but he remains a faithful church member and deacon of a Southern Baptist church (and he is the best truck driver I know).
His and their influence would prove critical for my future among Advent Christians. I grew up in the North Scituate Advent Christian Church (RI) until the age of the twelve. My Advent Christian world was basically limited to Rhode Island: our church, Riverpoint ACC in West Warwick, and the former Liberian church in Providence. Besides this, we had our Advent Christian campground, Camp Greene in Greene, RI.
Most have never heard of Camp Greene - it doesn’t exist today. It closed around 2004 when I was twelve. That closure broke my heart and I was unable to fall in love with summer camp again. It broke my parents’ hearts too - they devoted a great deal of themselves to it. The closure was a contributing factor in our departure from North Scituate ACC at that time.
We sojourned for a while at an independent baptist church. By my late adolescence, we were attending an Assemblies of God church. Meanwhile, I was attending a Christian high school based out of a charismatic megachurch. Throughout that time I felt like a theological exile.
Eschatologically, I was a historicist surrounded by futurists (seriously, I was debating such things as early as 8th grade). Besides this, I was a conditionalist and a Calvinist sojourning in circles that largely rejected both. Though alone and disconnected from the church of my youth, my sixteen year-old self had no doubt I would enter Advent Christian ministry when God called me to the pastorate.
In the Fall of 2009, this led me to attend a luncheon for the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, hosted at Oak Hill Bible Church in Oxford, MA. I would go to BICS, but something more important happened that day in Sunday School - I met the young woman who would become my wife. This relationship led me to attend OHBC off and on during my college years whenever I was home.
The Return from Exile
While at BICS, I was introduced to the wider Advent Christian world. It is hard to describe what it is like to meet your people for the first time. For me, being Advent Christian had always been theological - now it was becoming relational. From BICS, I went with a posse of students down to Toccoa Falls College to continue my studies. My connection with the denomination was sustained by visits from Brent Ross, Joe Pritchett, and Greg Twitchell. The Maine State conference kindly covered my costs to attend an Advent Christian leadership conference at The Cove.
Not all my peers embraced this outreach. They were done with the denomination. In conversation it was pointed out that we continue to abide non-Trinitarians in our fellowship; other denominations were more fruitful, so why not bail. As much as I tried, I couldn’t persuade otherwise. I agreed that there were problems (including the non-Trinitarian problem) but I was determined to stay and fix things; I refused to give up on the Advent Christian church.
God works in mysterious ways. Nine years after leaving North Scituate ACC, I returned under the tutelage of Rev. Scott Aiken (my childhood pastor) for a Summer pastoral internship. After graduating from TFC in the Fall of 2013, North Scituate brought me on staff as assistant pastor. I eventually became associate pastor and now, nearly ten years later, I am senior pastor of Rockland Community Church (North Scituate’s new name). Between their support and the scholarship fund of Berkshire Christian, I was able to pursue studies at Gordon-Conwell and continue to do so today; presently I’m finishing up my studies for the MA in Ethics & Society.
In 2017, I was asked to serve as Recording Secretary for ACGC. Denominationally, this was a momentous season. We launched ACV that year and the Restoration Network had begun bringing pastors together for fellowship and conversation about revitalizing the denomination. One of our charges was to serve when asked; agreeing to serve as Recording Secretary went right along with that. I continue to serve as clerk to this day.
Building a Future
I have changed over the years. I am now somewhere between partial-preterism and historicism. I am no longer a Calvinist, though I retain my reformed sensibilities in various respects and alternately identify as a Reformed Arminian or a Molinist. I am honestly comfortable with some agnosticism in these matters and often reference Calvin in my preaching. Despite influences to the contrary, I remain complementarian; I just can’t see any way around it.
Denominationally, I do think we must make Adventism our focus and allow the conditionalist doctrines to assume their place as secondary doctrines where disagreement is welcome. I believe how we function at the level of the local church is how we should function denominationally. We don’t bar those who disagree with conditionalism from church membership; we should bar from membership anyone who thinks Christ’s return is anything less than essential to the Gospel.
I am here because I want to be here; there is nowhere else I want to be. I love the Advent Christian denomination and want to see us flourish. I remain sorry that I was too young to help sustain Camp Greene. It remains a visceral reminder to me that it is possible to lose something you love. It is possible for the Advent Christian denomination to collapse. I sound the alarm because I don’t want to lose what we have. More than this, I want to see us rebuilt with strength and vitality, reaching new heights.
My paternal grandfather was a preacher; my maternal grandfather was a builder. I’m not much good with a hammer, but I do like to build things up. I do know that we have some differences to work out. Some things we can’t compromise (the Trinity). But I tend to think with everything else we will find a way. My passion is to build bridges and bring people together for the common cause of the Gospel.
There are differences between old and young, but I don’t think we need to harp upon them. My experience has differed from some others (I don’t dispute their experience) - I have found welcome and encouragement among all my older brothers and sisters. I was 25 when I joined the Executive Council and never felt slighted for my youth. No doubt, there is some hesitation and resignation out there, but I believe there is also good will. I believe we ultimately want the same things but that we sometimes struggle to understand each other. This requires both patience and perseverance. We don’t stop moving forward; we diligently demonstrate love all along the way.
I agree with Luke that we do need to be willing to have difficult conversations. In so doing, the goal is not pitched battle. We must be constructive, not destructive; we must build bridges.
My intention here has been to show you my heart. To whatever degree I seek to exercise influence, it is not for its own sake. I only want to do whatever is needed to give us a future, so that we will be found ready and waiting at Christ’s return. I want to hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”
