Erik grew up in Florida and moved to Chattanooga, TN in high school. He attended Covenant College where he met his wife, Maggie. After serving as a Youth Pastor in Chattanooga, he moved to Anniston, AL, working as a Youth Pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church and soccer coach at Faith Christian School. He received his Master's degree from Birmingham Theological Seminary and a Master's degree from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. He returned to Anniston to serve as Assistant Pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church, teaching Bible at Faith Christian School in addition to his coaching duties. In all, he served in Anniston for 19 years.

Erik and his wife, Maggie, have seven children: Josiah, Abbie, Olivia, Kiley, Jedidiah, Judah and Haley. And they are blessed with 4 grandchildren. The family moved to Jasper, TN in June 2016 when Erik took over as Pastor at Grace Presbyterian. He subsequently received his DMin in 2024 in Pastoral Leadership, specializing in rural church revitalization.