"It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." - Eph 4:11-12 (NIV)

Minister

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." - 2 Tim 4:1-5 (NIV)

Erik has served as minister for the Church of Christ at Olney for the last two years. After earning his Master of Divinity degree from Abilene Christian University in 1994, he served as a missionary in St. Petersburg, Russia (1994-1999), where he assisted efforts to establish two congregations in the city as well as in three suburbs. Upon returning to the United States, he worked as an administrative assistant at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. His interests include Toastmasters, visiting bookstores and doing whatever he can to walk at least 10,000 steps per day as measured by his FitBit. He will gladly share with you his recipe for a breakfast smoothie for a healthy start to your day. He is also a big fan of the YouVersion Bible app and will enthusiastically tell you how he has learned to successfully increase his intake of scripture as a catalyst to a stronger faith.