Virginia Institute of Theological Training

about

Virginia Institute of Theological Training (VITT) is a ministry of JPBC that offers instruction and training for those who desire to grow in their faith and ability to handle God’s Word. We cooperate with other faithful ministries that come alongside churches to help train disciples for ministry.

convictions on why we train

  1. The church has the primary responsibility of discipling members and training pastors.

  2. Churches should cooperate together to help one another in this training.

  3. Churches should seek assistance from other ministries to help support this training.

commitments to how we train

  1. God - Doxology. Grow disciples to love the Lord their God with all their heart

  2. Scripture - Authority. Train disciples to hold firm to the trustworthy Word as taught

  3. Church - Community. Equip disciples to grow together toward Christ under his Word

  4. World - Missional. Encourage disciples to proclaim Christ faithfully

Tracks

We provide two tracks because we understand there are significant differences regarding time availability, interest in intensity of course work, and desire to serve as an elder. While every member should be equipped for ministry, pastors require more because of the added responsibility of regular teaching and oversight. All believers are welcome to participate in any course we offer. Courses can be audited or taken for seminary credit.

The first track, Foundations, is designed to train all believers to grow in sound doctrine in order to be better equipped for ministry. Our goal is to provide both instruction in doctrine and practice to interpret God's Word. We offer lecture based courses for doctrine. We partner with Simeon Trust to provide practical training for how to interpret God's Word. Every course we offer stands alone, but we have created a certificate program for students to work toward.

The Seminary track is for those who desire to pursue the noble task of eldering and/or desire more rigorous training to be better equipped to teach and lead studies. The coursework includes the Foundation instruction, and adds another hour of lecture, student presentations, and discussion. This track requires a research paper and additional reading. The Seminary track courses, marked by asterisk (*), can be transferred to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary free of charge, for up to ⅔ of MDiv and ½ of MAR.

Below is a certificate program that we encourage students to work toward.

Certificate of Theology And Interpretation

  • Systematic Theology I: Revelation, Scripture, God*

  • Systematic Theology II: Man (Sin), Christ, Work of Christ* 

  • Systematic Theology III: Holy Spirit, Salvation, Church, Eschatology*

  • Hermeneutics*

  • Christian Preaching*

SPRING 2024

Hermeneutics

  • Syllabus

  • Instructor: Dr. Keith Goad (PhD), Pastor of Jefferson Park Baptist Church

  • Location: Jefferson Park Baptist Church (2505 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville VA)

  • Dates: January 22 - April 29 

  • Time: Mondays, 6-8pm Foundations Track; 6-9pm Seminary Track

Registration

To Register

  • Fill out this Google Form

  • Pay via PayPal or check (payable to Jefferson Park Baptist Church with course name in memo)

Cost

  • Hermeneutics - Foundations Track: $200

  • Hermeneutics - Seminary Track: $300

  • For family members, we are offering BOGO (buy one get one free)

For more information or questions, contact Josh Gong (josh@jpbc.org).

partnerships