Alvin Reid, an evangelism professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for nearly a quarter century, has stepped down for mysterious reasons.
Reid, a leading expert on evangelism and youth ministry, posted a personal statement on his website May 21 saying he has resigned from teaching and public ministry “to address personal and spiritual issues in my life.”
“Pease pray for me and my family,” he said. “For now and the foreseeable future, to respect my family, I do not intend to say anything else publicly about this.”
A seminary spokesperson confirmed that Reid has resigned from the faculty but said institutional policy dictates that personnel matters remain confidential.
Reid, 59, senior professor of evangelism and student ministry, has taught at Southeastern Seminary since 1995. He is the first professor to occupy the Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism, established the previous year and the school’s first fully funded endowed chair.
Before that, Reid taught at Houston Baptist University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Oklahoma Baptist University and Boyce College. Early in his career, he was state director of evangelism and stewardship for the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana.
Reid is author of more than 20 books, most recently Sharing Jesus Without Freaking Out, published in 2017. A popular speaker, he reportedly has spoken in more than 2,000 churches, colleges, conferences and events on four continents.