Graduates on Mission

By Kevin Hester

God’s mission is a promise passed from generation to generation. God gave the responsibility of administering His creation to Adam. He gathered a people to serve as an example to the nations
of His love and character. Fathers are commanded to communicate God’s promises to their children effectively. Jesus gathered 12 disciples and poured His life into theirs, commissioning them to take God’s good news of salvation through His Son to the nations. Everywhere they went, they followed a pattern of pouring the truth about God into everything they did and everyone they came to know. As Paul told his young pastor friend Timothy, what you have heard from me, commit to the faithful, who will in turn teach others (2 Timothy 2:2).

God’s mission of building His Kingdom has always been at the heart of the ministry of Welch College. Since its Charter of Incorporation in 1942, the College’s stated purpose has been to equip “Christian workers, teachers, ministers, and missionaries of both sexes for Christian service. The current mission statement resonates with the same spirit of educating “leaders to serve Christ, His church, and His world through biblical thought and life.” Service begins in knowing the truth but ends in living the truth.

Welch College takes this mission seriously but also recognizes graduates are in the best position to judge success in meeting this objective. Welch College regularly surveys its graduates on a number of attitudes and experiences central to its success. During the Fall 2020 semester, Welch College surveyed 225 graduates from the last five years on employment, Christian ministry, continued education, and service. A robust 36% response rate allows the College to feel confident in generalizing the data.

The results from this survey concur with previous findings (2014, 2016, 2018), demonstrating Welch graduates highly value their education and leverage their degrees into meaningful employment, active ministry, and continued education.

Welch alumni are contributing members of society, with graduates reporting an adjusted employment rate of 95%, two percentage points above the national average reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than three-fourths of these graduates are directly employed in the area of their degree, and 90.5% are satisfied in their current employment. They believe their education at Welch College provided excellent preparation for their employment. Graduates argue strongly that classes in Bible and theology (87%) and the liberal arts core (80%), both part of every degree offered by Welch College, “prepared them to be effective in their ministry or as a Christian layperson in general.”

Other graduates leveraged their Welch College degrees for further study. Even though Welch College is an open enrollment institution, largely serving low to middle-income students, 38% of graduates over the last five years have completed or are currently enrolled in graduate school. These schools range from seminaries to private colleges and state universities and programs range from apologetics and business to mental health counseling and social work.

Service for our graduates begins in knowing the truth, but this truth is also lived out in service to the church and to others. They are putting into practice what they have learned (Philippians 4:9). Of the respondents, 96% indicate regular worship attendance. Over 50% indicated engagement in teaching ministry, children’s ministry, discipleship, and music ministry. More than a quarter of Welch graduates are directly engaged in evangelistic ministry, and 43% of all male graduates over the last five years indicate regular involvement in a preaching ministry. Ministry is a way of life and is not confined to the four walls of a church building. It manifests itself both in jobs and volunteer opportunities as well, with over 25% of graduates reporting regular engagement in community service. Altogether, Welch graduates accumulate more than 3,500 community service hours per year.

What we see in Welch graduates from the last five years is exactly what we would hope to see. We see the truth making an impact in lives lived for God’s glory. We see faithful men and women who love the truth and are committed to making that truth known in service to others. We see the heart and attitude of Jesus who spoke the truth and lived the truth. God’s plan is working, and He gives each of us a role to play in learning the truth and teaching others to live it. We are glad to see Welch graduates involved in God’s mission.

About the Writer: Dr. Kevin Hester serves as vice president for institutional effectiveness and is professor of Historical Theology and dean of the Welch School of Theology. Learn more about Welch and its mission: welch.edu.