I will soon have my M.Div from the Southern Baptists Theological Seminary, but I will be planning to move towards becoming ordained in a presbyterian denomination (not sure which one yet). What would you suggest I do next? I'm not sure what trying to become a Presbyterian pastor with only Baptist education looks like. Should get another degree from RTS, Westminster, Covenant, etc?
You're getting important and valuable advice.
Something we may be assuming from your comment is that you have become convinced not only of infant baptism but also Presbyterian church government. I find that in Baptist and broad evangelical circles, there is a common perception that all conservative Calvinists who affirm infant baptism are Presbyterian. That is not correct.
Be aware that there are significant variations within the paedobaptist world on church government. The two biggest "families" are the Dutch Reformed and the Presbyterians, but there are all sorts of internal differences even in those families, and there are other alternatives outside both families of denominations.
Just two of many questions to consider: Are you two-office or three-office? If you are strongly committed to one or the other, it's going to affect your ability to pass an OPC or PCA ordination exam, and will be an issue in the smaller Presbyterian bodies as well. Some presbyteries, even in the same denomination, will be stricter than others on tolerating a person who differs from the standard view on that question. Also, if you are not sure that ministers ought to be members of the presbytery and come under its discipline rather than that of the local church, you may not be a Presbyterian and may want to look at other options of which the Dutch Reformed are the largest. It is not a minor question whether you believe you are accountable to local elders or to your presbytery for your doctrine and life.
You also need to consider the question of what confessional subscription means to you. From my experience, most Baptists who become Reformed have a high view of confessional subscription and that's good. Be aware that in the Dutch Reformed world, an "every article and point of doctrine" approach is not only normal but REQUIRED by the Form of Subscription. Many Presbyterian bodies, including the conservative ones, allow for some process of taking "exception" to specific items on their denominational standards. This isn't today so much a Dutch-vs-Presbyterian difference (though it used to be one) as a question of how strictly a denomination enforces its confessional integrity and what level of variation you can accept for different ministers and churches in the same denomination. Southern Baptists are used to a wide range of practices and principles from one church to another, and from my experience, ex-SBC people who become Reformed either want to continue some of that in a paedobaptist context, which means the PCA may be a good place for them due to its "big tent" approach, or they are adamantly confessional, in which case they need to look at a stricter denomination.
Perhaps the most important thing you need to be doing now is to visit various Reformed and Presbyterian churches near you in Louisville, or your hometown if you plan to move out of the area soon after graduating from seminary. Your current location is going to limit your options but it's a start. Just recognize that the PCA, while dominant in the area where you now live, is not the only option and may not be the best for you depending on your beliefs.
I don't know enough about the local churches in your area of the denominations in NAPARC (North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council) but there is an online map of NAPARC churches you should check out not only for your area but for any area to which you are considering moving.
One of the biggest differences Southern Baptists (and members of other large American evangelical denominations) see when they become Reformed is that there are huge parts of the United States in which there is no confessionally Reformed church at all, and sometimes the only Reformed church in the area is one that tries to downplay its Reformed character. You need to think hard about where you want to live if you are considering leaving the SBC and seeking ordination in a Reformed denomination because where you live may significantly limit your path toward seeking a Presbyterian or Reformed pastorate, or make it impossible.
Not every man is a good fit in every Reformed or Presbyterian church. The different Reformed and Presbyterian denominations exist for a reason.
