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.
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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—Dr. Jon Forlines will retire after more than 24 years of full-time service as Vice President for Student Services and Dean of Students and will continue as Special Advisor to the President, according to Welch President Matt Pinson.
Forlines has been on leave of absence from Welch since suffering a stroke in mid-July. “Welch is so thankful for the prayers of its alumni and supporters for our dear friend Jon Forlines for the past few months,” Pinson said. “Dr. Forlines has been such a key member of the Welch leadership team for nearly a quarter of a century—and such a loving, Christlike mentor to our students. It’s going to be hard to replace him.”
A 1980 Welch graduate, Forlines grew up on the Welch campus, the son of Dean of Students and theology professor Leroy Forlines and his wife Fay. Following graduation, he served as an associate and youth pastor in North Carolina for many years. After that he began doctoral studies in psychology while living in Polston Hall, the women’s residence hall on the West End campus, where his wife Susan, Welch Dean of Women, served as women’s resident director. Completing his Ph.D. from Tennessee State University in 1998, he served as a psychological examiner in the Tennessee Prison system until beginning his current role in 2001. Jon and Susan have four children: Stephen, who died in childhood, and Joel, Jared, and Anna, all three Welch graduates.
“There is no one more committed to Welch than Dr. Forlines,” Pinson said. “Having served as president of the student body when he was a student and as president of the Alumni Association for the last few years, he has always been one of the college’s greatest supporters. He brought this love and commitment for his alma mater with him to his work as Vice President and Dean of Students.”
“His quiet, kind, and affable manner, together with his Christ-centered love for students and desire to see them grow in their faith and commitment to Holy Scripture, has been nothing short of life-changing for countless Welch students.” Pinson continued. “He will be sorely missed, and we ask the wider Welch family to remain in prayer for him as he continues his recovery.”
“Compassionate, concerned, and committed are three descriptors that come to mind when I think about Dr. Jon Forlines,” Welch Provost Matthew McAffee said. “Over the years that I’ve known and worked with Dr. Forlines at Welch College, he has consistently shown deep compassion and concern for students, faculty, and staff alike. And one major unifying thread running throughout his life’s work and ministry here has been his loyal commitment to our rich institutional heritage and its ongoing investment in the transformation of students for Christ’s kingdom. We will miss him deeply and pray for God’s blessings upon him and his family in this new season of life.”
Dr. Daniel Webster, Director of Enrollment Services, will serve as Interim Director of Student Services, with the assistance of Susan Forlines, Whitney Lute (Women’s Resident Director and part-time Executive Assistant to the President), and additional support staff.
Pinson said, “Welch College extends its heartfelt thanks to Dr. Forlines for his dedicated service to this institution and will be praying for him and supporting him in the days ahead.” Welch is planning a campus event to celebrate Dr. Forlines’s career at Welch.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College enrolled 440 students for its fall 2025 semester, the highest overall enrollment in 42 years, according to Matthew McAffee, Provost of Welch College.
The number represents a 10% jump from last fall’s headcount of 399. The last fall semester the college recorded a higher overall enrollment was in 1983, when total enrollment was 467. This overall growth coincides with a new, on-campus student enrollment, which, at 81, is at its highest number since before COVID. Full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment increased by 14% from last fall.
Traditional (dorm and commuter) enrollment climbed from 175 last fall to 217. This jump represents a 24% increase, the highest year-to-year increase in at least 73 years, since 1952, the earliest year records are available.
“Our fall 2025 numbers signify a major increase in momentum in our efforts to attain sustainable growth as an institution,” McAffee said. “This enrollment increase has made a palpable impact on campus life, generating a sense of enthusiasm and excitement among our faculty, staff, and students. We thank the Lord for this answer to prayer!”
At press time, college officials reported 154 dormitory students (25 of which are graduate students), 63 commuter students, 36 non-residential graduate students, 66 Adult Studies/Online students, and 121 dual enrollment students. Full-time equivalency (FTE) was 286 students. Total enrollment statistics indicate students from 21 states, 2 territories, and 8 other countries.
“We’ve been projecting and praying and hoping since 2020 that the fall of 2025, after the two low COVID freshman classes had cycled out, would be when we began our ascent back up,” Welch President Matt Pinson said. “Yet this unprecedented boost is larger than any of us anticipated. Thanks be to God for it!”
GALLATIN, TN—The music of Dr. James Stevens, Dean of the School of Music at Welch College, was performed in a pipe organ concert by Carson Cooman at the Harvard University Memorial Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 11, according to Welch President Matt Pinson. Dr. Stevens attended the concert at Cooman’s invitation.
Dr. Stevens’s six movement work, Morning Awakenings–Theme and Variations, was featured as the finale of the organ concert. Carson Cooman is an internationally known composer and organist and has been the Composer in Residence at the Harvard Memorial Church since 2006. Stevens is a prolific composer with many publications.
Dr. Stevens is a graduate of Samford University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has a doctorate in Music Composition from the University of Kentucky. He has been the Dean of the School of Music at Welch since 2004.
To learn more about Welch College, visit welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College’s traveling theater group The Evangel Players will begin their summer tour Sunday, July 13, according to AnnaGee Harris, Director of Theater. The six-member team, directed by Abby Settle, will perform 15 shows between July 13 and August 3, traveling throughout Oklahoma, Kentucky, Illinois, Alabama, and Tennessee. The group will perform a dramatization of the great work of Christian literature The Pilgrim’s Progress, written by John Bunyan.
“Written in 1678, The Pilgrim’s Progress is just as applicable to the Christian walk today as it was 500 years ago,” Harris said. “When adapting the book into a play, it was important to maintain the magnitude of the epic journey we each take through a world determined to pull us from the straight and narrow.”
The members of the 2025 Evangel Players are Jaron Austin, Kelli Bowman, Kaylen Hagan, Morgan Livingston, Kaden Parker, and Grace Pope.
Tour Schedule
July 13 Locust Grove Free Will Baptist Church, Locust Grove, OK
July 13 Crossroads Church, Jenks, OK
July 16 Cornerstone Free Will Baptist Church, Sperry, OK
July 17 Heaven Bound Freewill Baptist Church, Stigler, OK
July 18 First Free Will Baptist Church, Checotah, OK
July 20 Bethel Free Will Baptist Church, Allen, OK
July 20 New Home Free Will Baptist Church, Coweta, OK
July 23 Providence Baptist Church, Springfield, TN
July 24 Corner Stone Free Will Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, TN
July 26 Ina Free Will Baptist Church, Ina, IL
July 27 Hendersonville Free Will Baptist Church, Hendersonville, TN
July 27 Red Bay Free Will Baptist Church, Red Bay, AL
July 29 Walnut Grove Freewill Baptist Church, Lowmansville, KY
July 30 First Free Will Baptist Church, Glasgow, KY
August 3 Second Free Will Baptist Church, Ashland, KY
August 3 Lighthouse Free Will Baptist Church, Louisa, KY
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.
