Whatever your future occupation may be, we want you to know that life is about God. That’s why we dedicate ourselves to the spiritual formation of our students.
At Welch College, you will be part of a community where students and professors know who you are.
Our students love it here, and you will too! You will have a great time making friendships that last a lifetime while learning in a safe, wholesome environment.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College conferred degrees on 44 students in its May 9 Commencement ceremony, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Commencement exercises were held in the Student Activities Center. The gymnasium space was converted into a 700-plus seating auditorium for the Baccalaureate service on Thursday evening, May 8, and the Commencement ceremony on Friday morning, May 9. The college awarded degrees in multiple programs, including associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, the Master of Arts in Teaching degree, and the Master of Divinity degree.
Dr. Philip Dearborn, President of the Association for Biblical Higher Education, delivered the Commencement address. Dr. Jeff Crabtree, Head of Biblical Instruction for the Ohio Free Will Baptist Bible Institute and chairman of the Welch Board of Trustees, delivered the Baccalaureate sermon.
Dr. Darrell Holley, Instructor of English, was named Teacher of the Year. The college also awarded the Academic Advisor of the Year to Dr. Rebecca Deel, Professor of Business and Program Coordinator for Business.
The college congratulates the 2025 graduating class and commends them to the service of Christ and the transformational work of His kingdom.
GALLATIN, TN—The annual Strong and Courageous banquet benefiting student scholarships at Welch College recently took place in Celorio Hall on the Welch campus, according to Dr. Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
“The Strong and Courageous banquet celebrates Christian faith in the Sumner County community. The inspiration for this event comes from Joshua 1:9 where Joshua was challenged to be strong and courageous as a leader of the children of Israel,” Parrish said. “Each year, we celebrate those who, like Joshua, have been bold in their faith as they serve our community. This year, our generous sponsors provided almost $75,000 in Sumner County student scholarships at Welch, one of our most successful events ever.”
Event patrons were treated to a meal in Celorio Hall as Rejoice! Ministry Team provided inspirational music. During the banquet, the Welch Theater Department performed excerpts from Fiddler on the Roof. Student Body President Derek Whited and Daisy Baker, both local students, offered refreshing testimonies about the impact that Welch College has made in their lives.
The Strong and Courageous award is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to their profession while advancing kingdom principles. The 2025 Strong and Courageous recipient was Joi Wasill, Founder and President of Decision, Choices, and Options, Inc., a faith-based ministry that provides public and private school-based sexual risk avoidance/abstinence education programs.
A number of sponsors provided generous gifts to help students attend Welch. This year’s Naming Sponsor was the Free Will Baptist Foundation. Highpoint Health Sumner with Ascension St. Thomas and Congressman Diane and Dr. David Black were Platinum Sponsors. FirstBank, Goodlettsville was a Gold sponsor. Silver Sponsors included the Goodall Family Foundation, First Baptist Hendersonville, NHC Place Sumner, Rogers Group, Main Street Media, Free Will Baptist North American Ministries, and Drs. Greg and Etta Patterson. A number of Bronze Sponsors, Circle of Friends, and other donors also contributed to the scholarship goal.
“The relationship between Welch College and Sumner County is a strong one. Without the enthusiastic support of our community, we could not fulfill our mission of educating leaders to serve Christ, His Church, and His world through biblical thought and life.” Parrish noted. “As Sumner County gives its best to us, we desire to give our best to Sumner County. What a wonderful place to live!”
The annual Strong and Courageous event has raised almost $400,000 for local student scholarships since its inception in 2018.
For more information on Welch, visit welch.edu. To support the mission of Welch College, visit welch.edu/give.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently learned that its accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS), has approved its proposed Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Psychology, according to Dr. Kevin Hester, Welch Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness.
Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, SACSCOC Commission on Colleges President, explained in a letter that “it was the decision of the Board to approve the program and include it in the scope of accreditation.”
“This means we have the go-ahead to roll out the new Welch M.A. in Psychology in the fall as planned,” Hester said. “It’s always wonderful to receive approval from accreditors for programs like this. Welch College is held to high standards of quality, and SACSCOC’s role is to ensure that we meet those standards.”
Welch is currently enrolling the inaugural class for the M.A. in Psychology. “We encourage students who are interested in bringing a strong Christian worldview to bear on the study of psychology to join us this fall,” Dr. Sarah Bracey, coordinator of the program, said. “This will be a program of excellence that will prepare students who envision future graduate study in psychology and related fields with a thoroughgoing Christian vision for soul care and mental health.”
The 34-hour program will be available online and on-campus. Including a 16-hour Psychology core with planned clinical and research tracks, the program builds on existing strengths in the B.S. degree in Psychology and will make use of a limited number of existing courses in other master’s programs.
“The M.A. in Psychology offers us an exciting opportunity to shape future practitioners in the social sciences with a distinctly Christian worldview approach to soul care,” Provost Matthew McAffee said. “Under the able leadership of Dr. Sarah Bracey, we believe this program will garner success in drawing a unique set of students to graduate studies at Welch.”
The program is designed to provide a shorter, more general psychology master’s for students who are unsure of which specialty within psychology they wish to pursue.
Graduates of the M.A. in Psychology will be well positioned to transfer coursework into more specialized programs at other institutions. Welch plans to pursue transfer agreements with other graduate programs in areas like clinical psychology, counseling, and social work.
The degree is also designed to meet the needs of pastors and ministry workers who may have an interest in pursuing coursework that will help them better serve their churches and communities.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College President Matt Pinson announced that this year’s Strong and Courageous award will be presented to Mrs. Joi Wasill at the college’s annual banquet celebrating Christian faith in the Sumner County community.
Mrs. Wasill is the Founder and President of Decision, Choices, and Options, Inc., a faith-based ministry that provides public and private school-based sexual risk avoidance/abstinence education programs. DCO serves over 295,000 students, youth, parents, and communities in Tennessee, Alabama, and several other states with programs that lead, equip, and provide the knowledge to adolescents that enables them to pursue a life of success and optimal health—physically, spiritually, and mentally.
Mrs. Wasill, a graduate of the University of Mississippi, has 34 years of experience as an educator, serving in both public and private schools. In addition, she is a nationally certified Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Specialist and a member of the Protect Child Health Coalition.
Mrs. Wasill has been married to her husband, Bill, for forty years and they have one son, Jacob, a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Joi and Bill are active members of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville.
Welch College’s annual Strong and Courageous banquet is a scholarship event to raise funds for Sumner County students. Strong and Courageous has raised almost $250,000 for student scholarships at Welch. Past Strong and Courageous award winners are: Rev. David Landrith (posthumous), Dr. David and Congressman Diane Black, Mr. Bob Goodall, Dr. Charles Lea, Rev. Doug and Linda Varnado, and Mr. Jerry Moll.
To support this event, contact the Office for Institutional Advancement at Welch College (615-675-5302) or email dblack@welch.edu
GALLATIN, TN—Dr. Philip E. Dearborn, President of Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), and Dr. Jeffrey A. Crabtree, Head of Biblical Instruction for the Ohio Free Will Baptist Bible Institute, will address the Welch College graduating class of 2025 on May 8–9. Crabtree will bring the baccalaureate sermon Thursday evening, May 8, at 7:00 p.m. Dearborn will address the graduates during the commencement ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 9.
Phillip Dearborn has over twenty-six years of higher education leadership experience including teaching at the Ph.D. level. His research interests include organizational theory, leadership development, and board governance. Dearborn holds M.Ed. and Ed.D. degrees from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to leading ABHE, he served as Provost of Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary and Graduate School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Amy, have three adult children, Michaela, Ryan, and Jack.
Jeff Crabtree, a 1979 Welch graduate, has served on the college’s Board of Trustees for the past fifteen years, nine as chairman. A native of Ohio, he has ministered in Tennessee and Virginia and served as a church planter and pastor for twenty-seven years in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. He holds the M.Div. and Th.M. from Liberty University and the D.Min. from Acadia University. He currently serves the Ohio Free Will Baptist Bible Institute as Head of Biblical Instruction. He and his wife, Donna, have two adult sons, Ben and Eric, both Welch alumni. His granddaughter Elly will be graduating from Welch in May.
To learn more about Welch College, visit welch.edu.
