by jowens | Aug 18, 2021
Welch College Enrollment Services is conducting a search to add a full-time Admissions Counselor to the Enrollment Services Team. If you are a self-starter with people skills who is interested in engaging high school-aged students in the Christian college selection process, then the role of Admissions Counselor may be the perfect fit for you.
The Admissions Counselor works to recruit, admit, and enroll high school students in the undergraduate, on-campus program at Welch College. The Admissions Counselor travels to off-campus recruiting events (camps, conferences, high schools, churches, college fairs), gives on-campus tours, assists with on-campus recruiting events, counsels and equips students and parents to make a college decision, and helps to transition the student to life on campus.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and references to Daniel Webster, Director of Enrollment Services, at daniel.webster@welch.edu
by jowens | Aug 16, 2021
Welch College has appointed Dr. Martin Sheldon to serve as the Director of Administration for the newly formed Welch Divinity School, according to Provost Matthew McAffee, who also serves as dean of the Divinity School.
A 1987 Welch pastoral ministry graduate, Sheldon received his M.Div. and Th.M. from Liberty University and his Ph.D. (2012) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His dissertation was entitled, “The Apostle Paul’s Theology of Good Works; With Special Emphasis on 1 Tim 6:17–19.”
He comes to his role at Welch with a proven record of teaching and academic administrative experience. He entered the faculty of Liberty University as Assistant Professor of Religion and was promoted to Associate Professor of Religion. During his tenure at Liberty, he also held the administrative position of Department Chair for both the online undergraduate and graduate programs.
Throughout his career, Sheldon has invested himself in local church ministry, including serving as a Free Will Baptist pastor. Even as his ministry focus shifted toward the classroom, he continued in pastoral and Bible teaching roles in local churches.
Sheldon began his position as Director of Administration remotely in February of this year and relocated to Gallatin in July. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, he will also serve as an adjunct instructor teaching select New Testament undergraduate and graduate courses.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Sheldon to the Welch College family,” McAffee said. “I have already been impressed by his efforts in helping us start the M.Div. program. We believe his extensive academic administrative experience is just what we need to get this program started on the right track. His background in New Testament studies will make him a great asset in the classroom as well.”
Sheldon is married to Pam, a Welch alumnus, and they have two children, Sarah and Jared (Rachael), and one grandson, Dillon.
For more information about the residential M.Div. degree or the online M.A. degree in Theology and Ministry, please contact Dr. Martin Sheldon (divinity@welch.edu).
by jowens | Aug 3, 2021
Welch College is seeking to fill a part-time librarian position. Candidates must have a Master of Library Science (MLS) degree or equivalent and be able to sign the Welch College statement of faith. The position will begin on August 23. Qualified candidates may direct all inquiries to the Provost’s Office by email (provost@welch.edu) or phone (615-675-5260).
by jowens | Jul 13, 2021
Todd Parrish has been tapped to serve in a new role as Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Welch College, according to David Williford, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. In this role he will continue his work in major gifts acquisition and church relations but will begin working alongside David Williford, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, in the overall administration of fundraising and external relations at Welch.
Before assuming his current role in January of 2018, Parrish served as Senior Pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church, Washington, North Carolina. A North Carolina native who ministered in churches in North and South Carolina for 26 years, Parrish has served in a number of denominational roles, including Assistant Moderator of the North Carolina State Association of Free Will Baptists and Vice President of the Welch College Alumni Association.
“This is a great move for the college,” Williford said. “Todd is an invaluable member of the Institutional Advancement team. His efforts have resulted in remarkable success in fundraising and public relations. He loves Welch College and her mission, and he gives himself untiringly to advance the cause of Christian higher education among Free Will Baptists.”
Parrish was ordained under the ministry of Dr. Malcolm C. Fry. A 1989 Welch graduate, he obtained his M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Webster University in 2010 and his M.A. in Theology and Ministry from Welch in 2018. He is nearing the completion of his doctorate in educational ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is writing his doctoral thesis on the advancement and fundraising function of Welch College.
Welch President Matt Pinson said, “I’m so excited to get Todd Parrish into this new role to assume more leadership for “friend-raising” and fundraising at Welch. When he came to the college, I knew he’d succeed in these two roles, and he has shown himself to be stellar at both. His love for Welch runs deep, and he’s known for his strong work ethic and can-do spirit. It’s a joy to see him taking a more expansive leadership role in Advancement.”
Parrish and his wife, Merinda, Welch’s Clinical Coordinator for Teacher Education, have two married daughters, Emily Vickery (Zach) and Ellen Stox (Kevin), both Welch graduates, and two grandchildren, Lucy and Jack.
by jowens | Jul 7, 2021
It seems like only yesterday that I first heard about Welch College. Quite honestly, it was never my intention to attend the school. I had only been attending a Free Will Baptist Church for a year and there were Christian colleges much closer to my home in Arkansas, but it seems the Lord had a different plan. With only a few short weeks until classes began, I enrolled at Welch and arrived at Goen Hall with my acceptance letter waiting on my bed.
As I moved into the dorm that day nearly six years ago, I had no idea what Welch would become to me. I had moved frequently as a child and the longest I had ever lived in one place was six years. Having not participated in ETEAM, Truth & Peace, or any of the other major denominational events apart from NYC, I knew no one on campus when I arrived. However, having spent six years here now, I have made friends and found mentors that will last a lifetime. It is this community and these friends that truly make Welch College special to both myself and I believe all those who enter its halls.
The community at Welch is unlike almost any other. During my time at Welch, my last two remaining grandparents passed away. Yet, in each case, the community supported me and helped me through it. Even when medical diagnoses rocked the life of my family, I found friends and professors who prayed with me, talked with me, and supported myself, my sister, and my parents. I am still in regular contact with these friends and mentors, some of whom no longer live in the same state but who still continue to support and encourage me.
I am truly thankful to the Welch community, one that not only fosters a community of faith and learning, but of personal discipleship and care. Students are not just a number, not just a name, but a person made in the image of God. Education is not just giving facts and knowledge, but it is living theology. It is all pointed to God’s glory and how believers can use it in their livesto further the kingdom of God. It was because of this that I chose to pursue my master’s at Welch following my bachelor’s there. In truth, it was because of the passion instilled in me by my professors that I chose to pursue a graduate degree at all. It was because of the professors who taught me that theology is not just to impress people at church, but to learn more about the God who loves us.
If I were to try and thank the individuals who truly impacted me during my time at Welch, this testimonial would be far too long. Each faculty and staff member I had impacted my life in some way, and I am truly thankful to all of them. From this point, I hope to continue my education by pursuing a graduate degree in Archaeology. Yet, I will not forget my alma mater that introduced me to this passion for learning nor will I forget the community that has supported, and continues to support, me all along the way. Thank you so much.
