The apostle Paul wrote to the young pastor, Timothy, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.” In God’s surprising kindness and providence he has placed Third Avenue Baptist Church in the shadow of one of the nation’s largest and most influential seminaries – The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Young men from all over the world, who believe themselves called to the “noble task” of pastoring, have come to Louisville, KY for their seminary education. It is, therefore, both a privilege and responsibility to steward well these young men entrusted to our care and assist them in their training and discernment of their calling. It is to that end that Third Avenue Baptist offers The PIT (Pastors In Training).

The PIT is intensive training, experience, and evaluation for aspiring pastors. It is a semester-long training and evaluation program for men at Third Avenue who are aspiring to be pastors; an “under-the-hood” look at pastoral ministry at Third. Participants in The PIT will be invited to and commit to:

• A one-on-one goal-setting meeting with all the elders at the beginning of the program.
• Preach at least 2 (and perhaps even 3) Sunday evening devotionals in a row, and receive feedback from elders and other PIT participants.
• Attend all Elders’ Meetings, and be invited to stay for some of the Elders’ Private Session.
• Attend Service Reviews with the pastor and elders.
• Attend a Discipling/Debriefing meeting with an elder after each Elders’ Meeting.
• Attend a monthly(ish) dinner with your wife at the Heaths’ house, other PIT participants, their wives, and anyone else the Heaths invite.
• Go with the pastor on occasional pastoral visits.
• Lead the morning service at least once, and receive feedback.
• If needed, receive credit for Applied Ministry Project at SBTS.
• A one-on-one evaluation meeting with all the elders at the end of the PIT program.

Enrollment at seminary is not required but membership at 3ABC is. A short e-application is also required. The elders will choose about four participants for each semester based mainly on timing and calling. The PIT will run three times a year (May-August; September-December; and January-April).

To apply, send an email with subject line “The PIT” to elders@thirdavenue.org with the following information:

• Name
• School Currently Enrolled, if any
• Expected Graduation Date
• Plans After Graduation
• Do you need Applied Ministry credit for the PIT?
• Is there anything in the PIT program you won’t be able to do this semester?
• A ~100-word paragraph explaining what the Lord has called you to
• A ~100-word paragraph explaining what you hope to gain from the PIT

(A printable version of this information is available here.)