news at welch college   Welch College in Gallatin, Tennessee, has been the official college of the Free Will Baptist Denomination since 1942. To find out more information about the school, visit www.Welch.edu.

Welch College to Complete Spring Semester Online

Gallatin, TN—In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Welch College leadership has determined students will finish the spring semester remotely, according to President Matt Pinson.

The online format will inclcude examinations, and the semester will end at the time. "Our faculty is already skilled at teaching remotely/online," noted President Pinson. "Unlike most faculties, they have the advantage of having done this two years ago, when the opening of our newly constructed campus was delayed by several weeks."

Commencement ceremonies will not be held on the regularly scheduled date in May, although the college is considering options for a ceremony later in the year.

The college has appointed a committee to keep faculty and staff in touch with students, one-on-one, to offer spiritual and emotional support throughout the restricted period. Parents and students are encouraged to email questions to covid-19@welch.edu. The Lord bless you and keep you.

Read more information on the COVID-19 response from Welch College at www.Welch.edu.

Welch College Announces $10,000 Scholarships for Preachers

Beginning in 2020, Welch College will begin offering significant scholarship packages of $10,000 per year for new students called to preaching ministries, according to Dr. Barry Raper, coordinator of ministry programs at Welch.

“At Welch, we are looking for new ways to engage young men sensing a divine call to preaching ministry in a local church context,” Raper said. “Often significant financial impediments prevent these students from immersing themselves in educational preparation for ministry. These scholarships are intended to identify high school students who have noted potential for leadership and service to the church and give them the resources they need to fulfill God’s calling.”

The scholarships—$10,000 per year or $40,000 toward a four year bachelor’s degree program—will be limited to new and transfer students, beginning in 2020, who are members in good standing of a Free Will Baptist church, and who intend to live on campus, major in Pastoral Ministry or Youth and Family Ministry, and move toward eventual ordination. Scholarship applications will require an essay on the student’s vocational ministry goals and a recommendation from an ordained Free Will Baptist minister.

“With demographic changes in our secularizing society, fewer young men are answering the call to gospel ministry,” said Welch president Matt Pinson. “Often those who answer the call to ministry attend lower-cost community colleges and eventually fail to fulfill their goal of ministry education, or they are dissuaded completely from a ministerial vocation.”

“Welch features a tremendous program of ministry preparation that receives high marks from students and recent graduates,” Pinson continued. “Our aim is to find creative ways to open up conversations with young men about ministry formation and how they can affordably realize their dream of training for the ministry of the Word.”

“We’re renewing our efforts to reach out to pastors, youth pastors and leaders, and laypeople who can tell us about young men in their congregations who are gifted and qualified for ministry or sensing a divine call to preach,” Raper said. “We would love to hear from prospective students interested in more information about Welch and these new scholarships, or people interested in recommending a potential student."

For more information, or to refer a prospective student, please contact enrollment services director Daniel Webster at dwebster@welch.edu.

Welch College Announces Nursing Scholarships

Welch College has announced new, $1,000 incentive scholarships for eligible students desiring a career in nursing, according to Dr. Ian Hawkins, nursing program coordinator at Welch.

“Through the Welch Education Nursing Collaborative, the college offers a seamless four-year path to a bachelor’s degree in nursing,” Hawkins said. “New students who apply at Welch by May 15 and meet minimum criteria will receive an additional incentive scholarship of $1,000. Local, private-sector employers are providing funds to make the additional financial assistance possible.”

Welch College offers scholarships to both traditional and adult students. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Commission on Accreditation of the Association for Biblical Higher Education accredit Welch College both regionally and nationally. The college remains one of the most affordable private colleges in the mid-state and is ranked 16th by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges of regional colleges in the South.

Learn more by contacting program coordinator, Dr. Ian Hawkins at ihawkins@welch.edu.