Leadership Team
Ben Hardman
Lead Pastor
Ben has over 15 years ministry experience and is a graduate of Anderson University in Indiana. He started as the youth minister at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana where he served for 7 years before moving to Louisville, Kentucky & Southeast Christian Church. Ben spent 4 years leading Southeast’s student ministry department before taking over their college & young adult ministry, the Post, 3 years ago. While at Southeast, Ben also headed up the Southeast Leadership Conference for two years. Ben is married to Sarah and have two boys, Cole, 7 and Caden, 5 and recently adopted baby Claire from Ethiopia. Ben has been a speaker for the Nashville Speakers bureau, for CIY conferences and many more student events around the country. He was named one of the top twenty youth ministers in the country by the church report and is writing his first book with group publishing, “Thrive: doing more than surviving on a secular college campus!”
You can reach Ben at ben@avechurch.com
Jeromie Jones
Director of Ministries
Jeromie comes to The Avenue through our partnership with the NewThing Network. Jeromie was originally a teacher and then spent several years as a middle school minister. He came on board to learn how to plant a church and is now staying on board for a few more years as our director of ministry. He excels in areas of leadership, strategic thinking, and building teams and systems to accomplish ministry. Jeromie is married to his best friend Kim, and together they have one daughter, Elescia. Jeromie loves to read (anything by Jim Collins or Patrick Lencioni) and watch basketball (IU!) and football (Colts). Jeromie loves to help people discover their gifting and passion and then find their God given spot in changing this world. He also loves a good steak.
You can reach Jeromie at jeromie@avechurch.com
Karl Halverson
Pastor of Spiritual Formation
The Halverson family is made up of Karl, Jill, Andrew (11), Joshua (9), Anna (7) and Lydia (20, months). Karl and Jill have been married for 17 years. Karl graduated from Ozark Christian College in ’92 with a BTh and also from Lincoln Christian Seminary with an MA in New Testament Studies. Right now he’s working on another Master’s with an emphasis on Leadership Development. Jill is a graduate of University of Illinois and Lincoln Christian College, having received a degree in Psychology and Education.
Over the past 2 decades, God’s journey of service to Him has taken them around the world and back. Karl was a youth minister in NE Ohio during the mid to late nineties, while Jill was a school teacher during that time. In ’99 the Lord stirred their hearts to fulfill a long-time vision He had put in their hearts, to go to another country with the Gospel. He made the way possible and in March of 2001, they put their feet on the ground in Prishtina, Kosova, where they would spend nearly eight years loving their Albanian friends and planting the seed of the Gospel in their hearts. During that whole time, God blessed them with three children and used them in ways they never imagined were possible. The Halverson’s arrived in Louisville in 2008 and now God has lead them to the Avenue where Karl will lead our residency program as well as overseeing the Spiritual Formation area of our ministry.
You can reach Karl at karl@avechurch.com
Kyle Hastings
Worship & College Life Life Pastor
Kyle was raised right here in Louisville, KY. He attended the University of Louisville, and is a huge fan of Cardinal sports. Most recently, Kyle served on the Worship staff at Southeast Christian Church. He is passionate about pastoring people, and will play a vital role in the Avenue’s presence on the UofL campus. Kyle will also head up worship at the Avenue. He writes music, and several of his songs are on Southeast’s most recent worship album, “Beautiful Sound.” Kyle married Hannah, in November of 2010 after dating for 8 months, and Gibson, their golden retriever, joined the family the following January.