by jowens | Aug 24, 2021
Mrs. Debbie Mouser recently resigned from her post as Director of Recruitment and Senior Admissions Counselor at Welch College, according to David Williford, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
“Debbie will certainly be missed. She has been a mainstay in the areas of admissions and recruitment for the past eleven years,” Williford said. “We could always rely on her professionalism, institutional knowledge, and enrollment wisdom.”
Mouser, a 1985 Welch graduate, has carved out a distinguished career in various customer service-related positions. Most recently, while on staff at Welch, she had an impact on hundreds of students and parents as Enrollment Office Manager (2010–2012), Director of Enrollment (2012–2016), and Director of Recruitment and Senior Admissions Counselor (2016–2021). Mouser also became a Certified Enrollment Professional with the Association for Biblical Higher Education.
“When I first joined the Enrollment Team in 2017, I was delighted to learn alongside Mrs. Debbie,” said Daniel Webster, Director of Enrollment Services. “She has always been a patient teacher and an encouraging coworker. Her knowledge of our recruitment and admissions management applications has been second to none. I will miss her knowledge of the field and her customer-first mentality.”
Mouser has expressed her desire to have more flexibility in her career so that she can spend more time visiting children and grandchildren.
“Debbie has never ceased to be a highly productive and exemplary employee,” Williford said. “We’re certainly going to miss her. The entire Welch community is indebted to her, and we wish her and Marvin God’s blessings and peace as they pursue this next chapter.”
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 | Jun 30, 2021
Dr. Charles Lea recently retired from his position as Special Assistant to the President and Professor of Educational Leadership at Welch College, according to President Matt Pinson.
Before coming to Welch, Lea served as executive director of the Hendersonville campus of Union University. Prior to his work with Union, Lea served 16 years as Academic Vice President at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee.
“I first met Dr. Lea when we started looking at our current property in Gallatin about thirteen years ago,” Pinson said. “Dr. Lea has been a wonderful friend to Welch, commending our mission and vision to the people of Sumner County and helping move us forward in a significant way. It’s been such a blessing to have his seasoned counsel and exemplary Christian leadership.”
Lea, who received his Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Vanderbilt University, has spent forty-five years in higher education and community leadership, most of that in Sumner County.
In a recent communiqué, Lea said, “It has been a joy to serve Welch College and to work with the many talented administrators and faculty at the college over the past four and one half years. I never thought when I began my work at Welch that I would stay this long, but due to the friendships, initiatives and Christ-like atmosphere, I delayed my departure.”
“When I came to Volunteer State Community College some 30 years ago, I never dreamt I would be able to complete my public service to the Tennessee Board of Regents in Sumner County and assist in bringing Union University to Hendersonville and assist Welch in its relocation to Gallatin,” Lea continued. “I am particularly pleased with the work which I have completed at Welch. We have formed unique partnerships with other higher education institutions, public schools and business leaders. We have also created a signature event for the college, Strong and Courageous.”
Pinson said, “I’m delighted that Dr. Lea will continue to volunteer as an advisor to me and our leadership team here at Welch. What a great friend he has been and will continue to be to our institution!”
The Welch community thanks Dr. Lea and wishes him and his wife Rita God’s blessings during their retirement.
by jowens | Jun 22, 2021
Welch College recently hired Dr. Jesse F. Owens to serve as a full-time faculty member in the newly formed Welch Divinity School, according to Provost Matthew McAffee.
A Welch 2010 graduate in pastoral ministry, Owens received the M.Div. (2013) and Ph.D. (2021) degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Since 2016 Owens has worked in the college’s facilities department managing lawncare operations. In addition to this maintenance management role, Owens has served as an adjunct instructor in the areas of theology and history.
Also in 2016, he led the efforts to start Immanuel Free Will Baptist Church, a new church plant in the Gallatin area, which he will continue to pastor on a part-time basis. Prior to his arrival at Welch, Owens served as senior pastor at First Free Will Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, from 2014 to 2016.
“Dr. Owens comes to this role from a long line of Free Will Baptist ministers,” McAffee said. “His father, Rev. Frank Owens, currently pastors the Sylvan Park Free Will Baptist Church in Nashville, TN, and his grandfather, Rev. Guy Owens, has pastored numerous churches throughout the decades of his ministry service among Free Will Baptists.”
“Dr. Owens has demonstrated success in the classroom as an adjunct instructor for the last five years,” McAffee continued. “He has already established an excellent reputation among faculty peers and students. His academic credentials are just what we need as we launch our new M.Div. program. I believe he has promise as a young Free Will Baptist scholar who will serve our denomination well and contribute to the Reformed Arminian cause.”
Owens will begin his faculty responsibilities as Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology. His primary area of focus will be teaching theology courses for the newly formed M.Div. degree, as well as undergraduate courses as needed. As part of his faculty responsibility, he will serve as acting director of the Christian Service program, a role that appropriately overlaps with his ministry experience.
President Matt Pinson said, “It’s unusual to find a faculty member who combines pastoral and church planting experience, high marks from students in classroom teaching, hands-on experience and a hard work ethic proven in a staff role, and such promise as a publishing scholar—all in one person. Jesse fits this profile to a tee, and we’re so delighted to have him move onto the full-time faculty of the new venture of Welch Divinity School.”
Owens is married to his wife Tiffany, a 2009 Welch graduate and native of Turbeville, South Carolina. They have two young children, Gavin and Carter.
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).
