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 54 students in its Commencement ceremony on May 8, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. Commencement exercises were held in the Student Activities Center, in which the gymnasium space was converted into a 700-plus seating auditorium for the Baccalaureate service on Thursday evening, May 7, and the Commencement ceremony on Friday morning, May 8. The college awarded associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, Master of Arts in Teaching degrees, Master of Arts degrees, and the Master of Divinity degree.
Dr. Edward E. Moody, Executive Director of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, delivered the Commencement address. Rev. Chris Truett, pastor of Bethel Free Will Baptist Church in Kinston, North Carolina, delivered the Baccalaureate sermon.
President Matt Pinson recognized Coordinator for Admissions Records Pam Buck, Registrar Anna McAffee, and Librarian Christa Thornsbury for their ten years of service.
Additionally, several faculty and staff members who retired during the 2025−2026 school year were recognized. Tina Tolbert, Freshman Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Speech, and Mike Anderson, Facilities Technician, for twenty-seven and thirty-three years of service, respectively. Pinson also honored the service of Martha Fletcher, who worked as the Executive Assistant to the President for seventeen years.
Pinson also recognized Dr. Jon Forlines, who recently retired from the position of Vice President for Student Services. State Representative and Dean of Adult Studies William Slater awarded Dr. Forlines a commendation for his retirement and twenty-four years of service, passed by both houses of the Tennessee Legislature.
The Teacher of Year recognition was awarded to Dr. José Rodríguez, Program Coordinator for Pastoral Ministry and Dean of the Spanish Ministry Institute. Dr. Christopher Talbot, Assistant Professor of Ministry and Apologetics and Program Coordinator for Youth and Family Ministry, was recognized as Academic Advisor of the Year.
The college congratulates the 2026 graduating class and commends them to the service of Christ and the transformational work of His kingdom.
Associate of Science Degrees
Terry Lloyd Brewer Happy, Kentucky Ministry
Jacob Michael Edgmon Dickson, Tennessee Ministry
Katie Nicole Newton Mount Juliet, Tennessee Business
Julianna Kaye Richards Antioch, Tennessee Biology
Emma Caroline Whited Papua, Indonesia Early Childhood Education
Christopher Jameson Elijah Williams*** Hamilton, Alabama Pastoral Ministry
Master of Arts in Teaching Degrees
Makayla Ann Binkley Ashland City, Tennessee Special Education Authentic Learning Experience Compendium: The Effects of Behavior Management Strategies on Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Opal Rena Brackin-Loza Brackentown, Tennessee Special Education Authentic Learning Experience Compendium: Achieving Organizational Success for ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder Students
Susan Rose Brotherton Ashland City, Tennessee Teaching Thesis: The Effectiveness of Teaching Methods in World Language and the Satisfaction Found Therein: Grammar Translation versus Total Physical Response Storytelling
Master of Arts Degrees
Edward Keith Byrd Jr. Charlotte, North Carolina Organizational Leadership
Kristi Marie Johnson Gallatin, Tennessee Organizational Leadership Research Project: Servant Leadership Explored Through an Incarnational Lens
Sarah Katherine Lovett Gallatin, Tennessee Theology and Ministry Thesis: Covenantal Continuity: Thomas Grantham and the Unity Between the General and Particular Baptists
Anna Elizabeth Pinson Gallatin, Tennessee Humanities Thesis: Dramaturgy: A Christian Approach
Osamu Sakamoto Tokyo, Japan Theology and Ministry
James Wilson Walton Colquitt, Georgia Humanities Thesis: Generals in the Heartland: Confederate Leadership in the West
Derek Corbin Whited Hendersonville, Tennessee Humanities Thesis: The Gyres and a Tower: Evaluating Conservatism in the Poetry and Prose of W. B. Yeats
Master of Divinity Degree
Michael David Hollis Pleasant View, Tennessee
*** Summa Cum Laude – 3.75 ** Magna Cum Laude – 3.50 * Cum Laude – 3.25 Honors awarded only to recipients of Bachelor’s degrees
GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Evangel Players will begin their summer tour Friday, June 12, according to AnnaGee Harris, Director of Theater. The nine-member theater team, directed by Senior Admissions Counselor and Assistant Theater Director Abby Settle, will perform fifteen shows between June 12 and July 5, traveling throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. The group will perform a radio drama adaptation of the great Christian novel The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan.
“John Bunyan’s classic allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress follows the protagonist Christian as he travels the straight and narrow path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City,” Harris said. “Delivered in the format of a 1940s-style live radio drama, the audience will be transported into Christian’s story, putting themselves in his shoes and walking the straight and narrow to the Celestial City.”
The members of the 2026 Evangel Players are Kelli Bowman, Lily Evans, Jackson Green, Cheyenne Lewis, Morgan Livingston, Abigail McAffee, Kaden Parker, Grace Pope, and Chloe Stevanus.
June 12 Alabama Children’s Home – Birmingham, AL
June 14 Harmony Free Will Baptist Church – Lake Butler, FL
June 14 First Free Will Baptist Church of Panama City – Panama City, FL
June 17 White Oaks Free Will Baptist Church – Macon, GA
June 19 Ordo Amoris Classical Academy – Fairhope, AL
June 21 First Free Will Baptist Church of Chipley – Chipley, FL
June 21 Damascus Free Will Baptist Church – Marianna, FL
June 23 Bay City Free Will Baptist Church – Semmes, AL
June 24 Beulah Church – Pensacola, FL
June 28 Ebenezer Free Will Baptist Church – Miami, FL
June 28 Ryanwood Fellowship Free Will Baptist – Vero Beach, FL
June 30 Connect Free Will Baptist Church – Summerfield, FL
July 1 First Free Will Baptist Church of Tampa – Seffner, FL
July 5 Bethel Free Will Baptist Church – Ashland City, TN
July 5 Friendship Free Will Baptist Church – Ashland City, TN
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College’s Rejoice! Ministry Team announces that their 2026 summer tour will begin Sunday, May 31, according to Dr. Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. During their four-week tour, the thirteen-member vocal ensemble will hold services in eight churches in eight different states. The group will also attend Free Will Baptist state meetings in Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio.
“This year’s Rejoice! program includes hymns, gospel songs, and modern worship arrangements intended to minister to the hearts of the people we will visit,” Parrish said.
The members of the 2026 Rejoice! Ministry Team are Foster Beck, Opal Beck, Malena Campis, Marc Edgmon, Sarah Krummel, Camden Lewis, Abby Long, Joseph Lovett, Asher Matchett, Rachel Palmero, Jacob Robertson, Lindsey Slitti, and Rachael Wilkerson.
“Psalm 40:3 declares, ‘He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord,’” said Parrish. “The Rejoice! Ministry Team is excited to share the new song of the gospel to everyone they encounter on this tour. Please pray many will come to trust the Lord as a result of their ministry this summer.”
May 31 Hendersonville Free Will Baptist Church – Hendersonville, TN
June 4−5 Texas State Meeting – Cedar Park, TX
June 7 First Free Will Baptist Church – Pocahontas, AR
June 8−9 North Carolina State Meeting – Greensboro, NC
June 10 Peace Free Will Baptist Church – Florence, SC
June 14 First Free Will Baptist Church of Tampa – Seffner, FL
June 17 Free Will Baptist Church of Roanoke – Roanoke, VA
June 18−19 Virginia State Meeting – Roanoke, VA
June 21 McCorkle Free Will Baptist Church – Sod, WV
June 24 Heritage Free Will Baptist Church – Columbus, OH
June 25−27 Ohio State Meeting – Columbus, OH
June 28 Woodhaven Free Will Baptist Church – Woodhaven, MI
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College President Matt Pinson announced that this year’s Strong and Courageous Award will be presented to Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly at the college’s annual banquet celebrating Christian faith in the Sumner County community.
Mrs. Oglesby-Sutherly, a seventeen-year resident of Middle Tennessee, originally from Hope, Arkansas, is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Veranda Ministries, a faith-based respite program that ministers to adults living with dementia-related illnesses and their families.
Driven by a passion for relationship-based holistic care, Mary Anne earned triple certification as a trainer, consultant, and coach in Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care (PAC) and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner with specialized training from both the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
As the host of the acclaimed podcast “Aging, Angst, and Alleluias,” Mary Anne offers education, support, strategies, and interviews with field experts to help care partners who are navigating dementia’s complexities.
Mary Anne has strongly advocated for families living with dementia in the public arena and successfully lobbied for legislation that expands care and support to those living with dementia-related illnesses in the Tennessee General Assembly.
Welch College’s annual Strong and Courageous banquet is a scholarship event to raise funds for Sumner County students. Strong and Courageous has raised over $325,000 for student scholarships at Welch. Past Strong and Courageous award winners are Rev. David Landrith (posthumous), Congressman Diane & Dr. David Black, Bob & Karen Goodall, Dr. Charles Lea, Rev. Doug & Linda Varnado, Rev. Jerry Moll, and Mrs. Joi Wasill.
Strong and Courageous will be held in Celorio Hall on the campus of Welch College, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. To support this event, contact the Office for Institutional Advancement at Welch College (615-675-5255) or visit welch.edu/strongandcourageous.
GALLATIN, TN—The fall 2025 semester at Welch College ended with 77 students receiving academic recognition, according to Provost Matthew McAffee. This honor list includes both Online and Enriched Adult Studies students whose fall courses ended in December. McAffee stated, “We congratulate these high performing students for their academic achievement. They have worked hard for this accomplishment.”
Twenty-two made all A’s and were placed on the President’s List—9 seniors, 5 juniors, 7 sophomores, and 1 freshman. Fifty-five earned a 3.25 GPA and all A’s and B’s and were placed on the Provost’s List—21 seniors, 11 juniors, 16 sophomores, and 7 freshmen.
GALLATIN, TN—Dr. Edward E. Moody, Jr., Executive Director of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, and Chris Truett, Pastor of Bethel Free Will Baptist Church in Kinston, North Carolina, will be addressing the Welch College graduating class of 2026 on May 7–8, according to Welch President Matt Pinson. Truett will bring the Baccalaureate sermon Thursday evening, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. Moody will address the graduates during the Commencement ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 8.
Moody has served as Executive Director of the National Association of Free Will Baptists since 2019. He earned his B.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Welch College, his M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University, and his Ph.D. in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University. Dr. Moody and his wife Lynne have two adult children, Mackenzie and Mitchell, both graduates of Welch.
Chris Truett has served as Lead Pastor of Bethel Church since 2013, previously serving as Worship Pastor and Executive Pastor since 1997. He holds a B.S. in Church Music from Welch College and an M.A. in Worship Studies from Liberty University. Truett is an active member of the Free Will Baptist denomination and is a Welch College trustee. He and his wife Kim have three sons, Hunter, Jonathan, a graduate of Welch, and Easton, who is a member of the Welch Class of 2026.
“Commencement activities are moments of profound importance in the Welch campus community, especially for our graduates and their families,” Pinson said. “It highlights our mission to educate leaders to serve Christ, His Church, and His world through biblical thought and life. We invite friends, family, and alumni to join us in this special time of celebration.”
To learn more about Welch College, visit welch.edu.
