Welch College Announces Retirement of Mrs. Brenda Spruill

by Anna Pinson | Aug 31, 2023

For Immediate Release

GALLATIN, TN—Mrs. Brenda Spruill, longstanding administrative assistant in the Business Office at Welch College, retired in June, according to Mr. Craig Mahler, vice president for Financial Affairs. Mrs. Spruill has served Welch College for twenty-one years.

Mrs. Spruill began working at Welch as secretary for then-academic dean Dr. Charles Thigpen in the mid-1970s for approximately two years. She and her husband Wayne had both graduated from Welch in 1972. Their life’s work took them to work and live in Hawaii and Virginia, then return to Welch in the fall of 2004, when Mrs. Spruill began working first for academic dean Dr. Milton Fields, then began her nineteen-year career working for the Business Office as administrative assistant under Vice President for Financial Affairs Mr. Tom Sass, then Vice President for Financial Affairs Mr. Craig Mahler.

Mr. Mahler said, “Brenda has faithfully served her alma mater for 21 years. Her love for Welch’s mission to educate Christian leaders is evident in her diligent and sacrificial service in the Business Office and her genuine love and support of students, faculty, and staff.”

Mrs. Spruill is well-known and loved by students, employees, and friends as a loving and caring wife to her late husband, four children, and grandchildren. “The college wishes to extend its warmest gratitude to Mrs. Spruill for her longevity and dedication to the mission of Welch College,” Mahler said.

Welch College Press Publishes New Book, Christians in Culture

by Anna Pinson | Aug 1, 2023

For Immediate Release

Welch College Press Publishes New Book, Christians in Culture

“I heartily commend this volume as one that will enable readers to think and live in an informed way, grounded in the redemptive work of Christ and the grandeur of our majestic and gracious God.” That’s what David Dockery, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary said in his foreword to Welch College Press’s most recent publication, which can be purchased at www.welch.edu/welchpress.

Christians in Culture was written by ten Welch College faculty to equip readers to engage the spheres of culture in a manner that is equal parts biblical and winsome. This book was edited by Matthew Steven Bracey and Christopher Talbot, each of whom teach courses in theology and culture. Both Bracey and Talbot wrote chapters for the book.

“We’re incredibly thankful to see this book published. My prayer is that it would help readers better and more fully understand how to live faithfully under Christ’s Lordship in every sphere of life,” Talbot said. “We’re also thankful for how this book demonstrates our educational philosophy at Welch. Each discipline works in harmony with every other one, which our various contributors exemplify, as we each confess Christ as Lord.”

“Whether you are interested in the arts and entertainment, sports and recreation, technology and science, politics and economics, labor and vocation, or history and tradition, this book is relevant for you,” the book’s slipcover reads. R. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, describes Christians in Culture as “an incredibly helpful guide and resource. I highly commend it to Christians today. Read every chapter and put it into many hands.”

“In many ways, this book also serves as an introductory text to worldview thinking for Christians trying to make sense of the cultures in which they live,” Bracey said. “It is careful yet accessible, appropriate for high school and college students alike, as well as laypeople and church groups interested in the intersection of their Christian faith and the spheres of culture. I hope and pray that people will find it helpful in their Christian walks.”

Welch President Matt Pinson, who also contributed several book chapters, said, “Christians in Culture represents the sensibilities of Welch College by teaching us that we do not need to withdraw from the culture but also we do not need to be compromised by the culture. As Mr. Forlines once wrote, ‘We don’t need the culture to transform us, but we need to transform the culture.’”

People interested in the book may purchase it at www.welch.edu/welchpress.

Welch Rejoice! Ministry Team Announces 2023 Summer Tour

by Daniel Webster | Jun 2, 2023

GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Rejoice! Ministry Team will begin their summer tour on Sunday, June 4, according to Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. The group will hold services in fourteen churches in six states during their four-week tour. The team will also attend Free Will Baptist state meetings in Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and Kentucky.

The summer tour’s program will feature hymns, gospel songs, and modern worship arrangements designed to evangelize and encourage. The members of the 2023 Rejoice! Ministry Team are Malena Campis, Joy Green, Camden Lewis, Cheyenne Lewis, Sarah Lovett, Austin Owen, Brook Proctor, Daniel Rodriguez, Jacob Snow, Landon Wolfe, and Stephen Yerby. Rejoice! musical directors are Daniel Webster and Jacob Lute. Karen Owen will chaperone the group.

“God has given us the gift of songs, hymns, and spiritual songs to share His gospel with the world,” Parrish said. “It is our prayer that this team will lead our Free Will Baptist people to worship the Lord and that God will bless and use them as they minister around our denomination.”

June 4 AM – Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church, Park Hills, MO
June 4 PM – First Free Will Baptist Church, DeSoto, MO
June 10 PM – New Beginnings Free Will Baptist Church, Bryan, TX
June 11 AM – Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church, Bryan, TX
June 14 PM – Central Free Will Baptist Church, Wise, VA
June 18 AM – Evergreen Free Will Baptist Church, Erwin, TN
June 18 PM – Shady Grove Free Will Baptist Church, Whitesburg, TN
June 20 PM – First Free Will Baptist Church, Marion, NC
June 21 PM – Hardin Valley Free Will Baptist Church, Knoxville, TN
June 22 PM – Harper Road Free Will Baptist Church, Joelton, TN
June 25 AM – Hendersonville Free Will Baptist Church, Hendersonville, TN
June 27 PM – Good Springs Free Will Baptist Church, Pleasant View, TN
June 28 PM – New Pleasant Grove Free Will Baptist Church, Savannah, TN
June 29 PM – Cookeville Free Will Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN

For information on auditioning for future Rejoice! Ministry Teams, contact Daniel Webster at daniel.webster@welch.edu.

Welch Names Brandon Presley as Men’s Resident Director

by Anna Pinson | May 31, 2023

For Immediate Release

Welch Names Brandon Presley as Men’s Resident Director

GALLATIN, TN—Welch College has named Brandon Presley as Men’s Resident Director, according to Dr. Jon Forlines, Vice President for Student Services. “We are pleased to announce that Brandon Presley will be serving in this important role,” Forlines said. Presley replaces Russell Houske, who served five years in this position. “We thank Russell and Amber Houske for their hard work and dedicated service to Welch over these past five years,” Forlines said.

Presley, a 2018 Welch graduate with a B.A. in history and an M.A.in theology and ministry (2020), received his M.A. in history from Arizona State University in 2021. While at Welch, both he and his wife, Dakota, served as student Resident Assistants. Since that time Presley has served as interim pastor, Sunday School teacher, editing and research assistant, and adjunct professor at Welch College, while working the last three-and-one-half years as a bank service representative and review appraiser at Home Federal Bank in Knoxville, TN. Brandon and Dakota have one daughter, Mary Kathryn.

“Our young men in the dorm have been blessed with an extraordinary history of dorm parents who have effectively discipled and walked them through their college experience. We look forward to the Presleys continuing this wonderful work of pouring the love of Christ into the lives of our young men,” Forlines said. “We warmly welcome Brandon and Dakota back to the Student Services team.”

Presley will begin his duties in July of this year.

Welch College Graduates 75 in Commencement Exercises

by Anna Pinson | May 29, 2023

Associate of Science Degrees

Associate of Arts Degrees

Bachelor of Science Degrees

Bachelor of Arts Degrees

Master of Arts Degrees

Master of Arts in Teaching Degrees

Master of Divinity Degrees

*** Summa Cum Laude – 3.75
** Magna Cum Laude – 3.50
* Cum Laude – 3.25

Welch Divinity School Grants First M.Div. Degrees

by Anna Pinson | May 19, 2023

For Immediate Release

Welch Divinity School Grants First M.Div. Degrees

GALLATIN, TN—Two years after its inception, Welch Divinity School celebrated its first two graduates, Dustin Walters and Joshua Hunter, according to Dr. Martin Sheldon, Director of Administration at Welch Divinity School.

Alabama native Dustin Walters currently resides in Chandler, Indiana, with his wife Laci. He serves as connections and next steps pastor at Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler. Dustin graduated from Welch College in 2016 with his B. A. in pastoral ministry and moved to New Orleans, where he studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He later transferred to the newly established Welch Divinity School to pursue the three-year Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. He has a heart for pastoral ministry and ministering the gospel through the Free Will Baptist Church. 

“Dustin was not only one of our first M.Div. students, he was also the first Administrative Assistant for the Divinity School,” Sheldon said. “He approached his role as a student and employee with eagerness and excellence. He truly has a servant’s heart. While demonstrating academic acuity, his passion for local church ministry is perpetually evident.”

Josh Hunter is a native of Missouri. He came to Welch College for his bachelor’s degree in 2015 and completed it in 2019, moving straight into the Master of Arts program in Theology and ministry. Upon completing the M.A. in 2021, Josh worked as a curriculum instructional designer but returned to pursue the new three-year Master of Divinity program at Welch. He plans to pursue further study at other institutions to engage in scholarship from an evangelical Christian perspective. 

“When I first met Josh, I sensed right away that he had a sharp mind and humble spirit,” Sheldon said. “These are two qualities that are not often found together, but Josh has them both. Throughout his time as a Welch student, Josh has demonstrated the virtues of diligence, humility, and perseverance.”

The entire Welch community offers its congratulations to these first graduates of Welch Divinity School. For more information on Welch Divinity School or theological master’s degree programs at Welch, contact Jacob Johnson at jacob.johnson@welch.edu.