GALLATIN, TN—Welch College enrolled 388 students for the 2022 Fall semester, according to Dr. Matthew McAffee, Provost at Welch College. This number marks the first increase in enrollment since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, up 15 percent from a total enrollment of 336 in the fall of 2021.
“It has been tough navigating the challenges resulting from COVID-19 over the last two years,” McAffee said, “so we are thankful for this increase. We believe these numbers signal the beginning of our rebound from the last two years of lower enrollment.”
Full-time enrollment also improved from the COVID years. Whereas COVID most drastically affected traditional dormitory enrollment, this semester saw continued improvement in this area. Graduate studies, adult and online studies, and dual enrollment also showed gains.
At press time the college reported 151 dormitory students, 61 commuter students, 36 graduate students, 17 adult studies students, 43 online students, and 80 dual enrollment students. Full-time equivalency (FTE) was 274 students, up from 240 last fall. Total enrollment statistics indicate students from 22 states, one U.S. territory, and six foreign countries.
“Many small church-related colleges were hit very hard during the pandemic, with some having to close their doors,” President Matt Pinson said. “We’re thankful that, despite these difficulties, the Lord has sustained Welch College and has set us on a course of recovery.”
“We’re also thankful for our new and returning students,” Pinson continued. “They have a renewed sense of vibrancy and excitement brought to the campus as we turn our focus to the prospects for future growth and opportunity as an institution. We still have our work cut out for us in this post-COVID recovery period, with enrollment and donations to the college still far below pre-COVID norms. But things are definitely looking up. We are thankful to the Lord for his blessings.”
For more information about Welch College, email recruit@welch.edu or visit the college’s website at www.welch.edu.
GALLATIN, TN—The 2022–2023 Rejoice! Ministry Team has been selected, according to Daniel Webster, music director of the group. “After vocal and instrumental auditions and interviews, we have finalized selections for this year’s team,” Webster said. “We had a great number of quality musicians to choose from, and we are excited about these students as our representatives for this year.”
Female members of the group are Malena Campis, Joy Green, Cheyenne Lewis, Sarah Lovett, and Brook Proctor. Male members are Jackson Baer, Camden Lewis, Daniel Rodriguez, Jacob Snow, Landon Wolfe, and Stephen Yerby. Austin Owen will serve as sound technician.
“The 2022–2023 Rejoice! Ministry Team will prove to be one of our best teams yet,” stated Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “Their zeal for Christ and His gospel is already evident. They will be great representatives for Welch College and the kingdom.”
GALLATIN, TN—Welch College recently received notification that it ranks 17th among “Best Regional Colleges—South” in the 2023 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges, according to President Matt Pinson. The Regional Colleges—South category comprises 105 other colleges and universities in the South.
“We’re so glad to have Welch’s academic quality recognized by U.S. News,” President Pinson said. “This is another reminder to students and parents that Welch College is a top-quality institution of higher learning that delivers its educational promise.”
The “Best Regional Colleges—South” category where Welch College is ranked includes institutions that focus on undergraduate education and offer a range of degree programs in the liberal arts and in professional fields such as business, nursing, and education.
Most of these institutions award fewer than fifty graduate degrees annually. This year, thirteen colleges and universities were added to this category, moving from last year’s total of 93 to 106 total schools.
“Colleges go up and down in these rankings each year,” Pinson said. “When we first entered the rankings twelve years ago, we were ranked 52nd. Then four years ago we got up to 26th, after which we’ve consistently been in the top 20. Our ranking at 17th is exciting.”
“To be ranked in the top 16% of all colleges and universities in our category is remarkable,” Provost Matthew McAffee said. “Our faculty and staff strive diligently to give our students an excellent Christian educational experience, and this ranking is a testament to their determination and hard work.”
U.S. News rankings judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence in higher education: what peer institutions think of the institution, how many freshmen return their sophomore year, how many of them go on to graduate, student-faculty ratio, faculty quality, financial resources, alumni giving, and more.
“To put our ranking in perspective,” Pinson said, “the ten institutions ranked directly above and below us have an average enrollment three times higher than Welch’s and an average endowment eight times higher than Welch’s. We are good stewards of the resources God has given us.”
Welch received especially high marks in three strategic areas, ranking as follows:
GALLATIN, TN—Mrs. Davida Black recently joined Welch College as Office Manager for the Institutional Advancement department, according to Todd Parrish, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
Black is a Robertson County native with over thirty-three years of experience as an office manager with communications and financial services corporations and a local Christian school. Her new role will combine her skills as office manager and administrative assistant and enable her to become an integral part of the IA team.
Tim Owen, Director of the Welch Fund, stated, “Already Mrs. Black has been a joy to work with. The knowledge and experience she brings to the office is exceptional and will provide positive traction as the Advancement office continues forward.”
Parrish said, “Exciting things are happening in the Advancement department as we develop new strategies and initiatives. Mrs. Black’s experience and skillset will only add to that excitement and make her an invaluable part of the Advancement team.”
Black and her husband Ron have three grown children and four grandchildren.
GALLATIN, TN—Todd Parrish assumes a new role as Vice President for Institutional Advancement on July 1 after the retirement of David Williford, according to President Matt Pinson.
Parrish came to Welch in January 2018 as Director of Church Relations and Major Gifts Officer before transitioning to the role of Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement in May 2021. In his new role, he will engage in the overall administration of fundraising and external relations at Welch, working with Tim Owen, Director of the Welch Fund. Williford will continue in a part-time fundraising role.
“Todd Parrish is tailor-made for this position,” Pinson said. “No one loves Welch more than Todd. He combines a deep knowledge of our alumni base and denomination with a singular penchant for ‘friend raising’ and has distinguished himself as an excellent fundraiser in his five years at Welch. He’s known for his hard work and can-do attitude. I’m so glad to have him in this new role.”
Before coming to Welch in 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 Director of the South Carolina Free Will Baptist Children’s Home, Assistant Moderator of the North Carolina State Association of Free Will Baptists, and (currently) Vice President of the Welch College Alumni Association.
Parrish was ordained under the ministry of Dr. Malcolm C. Fry. A 1989 Welch graduate in Bible and church music, he engaged in graduate study in music at Middle Tennessee State University and 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.
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.
GALLATIN, TN—The Welch College Rejoice! Ministry Team announces that their summer tour will begin Sunday, June 5, according to David Williford, Welch’s Vice President for Advancement.
The team will hold services in eighteen churches in ten states during their eight-week tour. The team will also attend Free Will Baptist State Meetings in North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio and the Annual Session of the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Birmingham, Alabama.
The summer tour’s program will feature hymns, gospel songs, and modern worship arrangements designed to evangelize and encourage. The members of the 2022 Rejoice! Ministry Team are Benjamin Barcroft, Nicolas Cruz, Emily Edgmon, Erin Goucher, Sarah Lovett, Mason McClure Matthew Pinson, Samuel Rodriguez, and Stephen Yerby.
“What a blessing it is to share the power of the gospel through songs, hymns, and spiritual songs,” Williford said. “It is our prayer that this team will lead our Free Will Baptist people to worship the Lord and that God will give them grace as they minister around our denomination.”
The tour schedule is as follows:
June 5 AM – First Free Will Baptist Church, Bristol, VA
June 6–7 – North Carolina Free Will Baptist State Meeting, Greensboro, NC
June 8 PM – Garner Free Will Baptist Church, Garner, NC
June 10 – 11 – West Virginia Free Will Baptist State Meeting, Inwood, WV
June 12 AM – Parkway Free Will Baptist Church, Woodbridge, VA
June 14 PM – Harrisonburg Free Will Baptist Church, Harrisonburg, VA
June 15 PM – Free Will Baptist Church of Roanoke, Roanoke, VA
June 16–17 – Virginia Free Will Baptist State Meeting, Forest, VA
June 19 AM – Canaan Free Will Baptist Church, Creston, OH
June 22 PM – Sandhill Free Will Baptist Church, Sandusky, OH
June 24–25 – Ohio Free Will Baptist State Meeting, Columbus, OH
June 26 AM – Flagship Free Will Baptist Church, Erie, PA
June 26 PM – Northpoint Free Will Baptist Church, Buffalo, NY
June 30 PM – Beacon Free Will Baptist Church, Exeter, RI
July 1 PM – Iglesia Christiana Bautista Youth Service, Yonkers, NY
July 3 AM/PM – Iglesia Christiana Bautista, Yonkers, NY
July 6 PM – White Oak Hill Free Will Baptist Church, Bailey, NC
July 7 PM – Temple Free Will Baptist Church, Greenville, NC
July 10 AM – Horse Branch Free Will Baptist Church, Turbeville, SC
July 10 PM – Peace Free Will Baptist Church, Florence, SC
July 12 PM – Madison Heights FWB, Lexington, NC
July 13 PM – Peace Free Will Baptist Church, Morristown, TN
July 17 AM – Liberty Free Will Baptist Church, Millington, TN
July 19 PM – New Pleasant Grove Free Will Baptist Church, Savannah, TN
July 21 PM – Heads FWB, Cedar Hill, TN
July 23–27 – Annual Session, NAFWB, Birmingham, AL
