Armed with a vision to help meet the need for pulpit supply in Mississippi and surrounding states, the Pastor Training School of Mississippi was developed under the leadership of a group of like-minded men to assist others serving in pastoral ministry.
The school provides effective and practical training to men who feel called to serve as pastors, especially those who may not be able to attend seminary because of financial limitations or living in rural areas.
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“Pastor Training Schools exist to equip God-called men to lead in the revitalization of small, rural churches throughout the country,” President Jay Parks said. “We share it that way because we really care and have a heart for the small churches that are scattered all across the nation. The majority of the Southern Baptist churches … have less than 100 members, with most of those being less than 50 in attendance weekly.
Revitalization need
“They simply can’t afford to have a full-time pastor, so a bivocational pastor makes the most sense for them. There is a shortage of pastors nationwide, and especially seminary-trained men that would be candidates for these churches. [W]e are training men to not only fill these pulpits, but pastor the people and lead in revitalization of those churches.”
Parks also is pastor of Old Union Baptist Church, Shannon, Mississippi and vice president of the Church Missions Network.
In partnership with Blue Mountain Christian University, the first class for the training school was launched in Oxford, Mississippi in February 2024.
There are 12 classes, each lasting six weeks, held one evening a week. The program lasts two years, with a break in the summer.
The cost of the training is $125 per course, and classes include spiritual formation, hermeneutics, homiletics, Old Testament I, Old Testament II, New Testament I, New Testament II, intro to theology, pastoral ministry, evangelism, church revitalization and discipleship multiplication.
At just over two-and-a-half years old, there already are 290 students, “but [we] have had a total of 403 men in our system so far,” Parks said. “Not all men who take classes finish, but taking all 12 courses is our desire. These classes are handpicked to equip a pastor with the tools we believe he needs to pastor the church.”
Several pastors in Mississippi have signed on to serve as regional directors, including Lance Suddath, Hurley Baptist Church Moss Point; Shane Freeman, Macedonia Baptist Petal; Tracy Putnam, North Winona Baptist Winona; Aaron Tucker, Raymond Road Baptist Jackson; and Trey Clenney, Gospel Life Church Cockrum.
In addition, Shandy Dill, pastor of First Baptist Church in Center Star, Killen, Alabama, is northern Alabama regional director.
‘Like-minded’
Parks and his team have been greatly encouraged by the response of those attending the training courses.
“We have seen some pretty incredible growth in the ministry in the last eight months,” he noted. “We have grown from four cohorts and 38 men in training last December to 29 cohorts and 290 men. It’s been incredible, as we have seen this grassroots movement spread like wildfire.”
Parks said the heart and vision behind starting the training schools began with like-minded pastors who assist in teaching the courses.
“We simply located a seminary-trained pastor and partnered with them to teach one of our 12 classes,” Parks explained. “From there, they commit to host the class at their church and teach the students from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for the six weeks.
“When that class is finished, we start the next one and it is often taught by a different pastor in a nearby location. It takes a total of two years to finish all 12 classes to receive your certificate of ministry,” he noted.
“We had six students complete our first class and began having interest in surrounding areas. We provide all of the curriculum that will be taught by the pastor. We simply ask the pastor to bring his personality, experience and heart to disciple these men.”
There now are 24 cohorts in Mississippi, with others in Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama.
“We will work with [other states] to line up students, teachers and locations to get one started in their area. For those interested in starting a cohort, we ask them to fill out the request form at www.pastortrainingschools.org.
In December 2025 the school hosted its first graduation ceremony — 14 men earned a certificate of Christian ministry from Blue Mountain Christian University.
“Our board prayed and felt the Lord was leading us to expand with a new vision to take this training all over the state of Mississippi,” Parker noted. “The Lord has given me a vision that one day there wouldn’t be a man in the state of Mississippi who woke up and felt called to pastoral ministry that couldn’t travel to one of our cohorts within 45 minutes.
“We saw incredible growth after the first of the year,” Parks added. “About half of the men in our training are already pastoring but have had no training. The rest are preaching in pulpit supply, working in prison ministries or have surrendered to the ministry in the last 24 months.”
‘Just the beginning’
Parker said he is amazed as he sees the hand of God at work, and how men want to become better equipped to faithfully preach the Word of God.
“We are seeing the great movement of God through this ministry,” Parker declared. “We never set out to do anything like this, but God had other plans. There were many more men out there in churches that felt called than we ever imagined.
“Many men feel the Lord calling but the thought of having to go back to college or starting seminary keeps them from stepping out in obedience. That becomes a mountain that stands in the way. This approach has removed that mountain to allow these men to step into their calling, equipped to do the work.
“We … really believe this is just the beginning,” Parks asserted. “I feel like we are on our way to training over 1,000 men in the next year. We really believe this is the beginning of a revival that will sweep through small, rural churches across our nation.”
