news at welch college   Welch College (formerly Free Will Baptist Bible College) in Nashville, TN, 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.

 

College Obtains Approval to Offer Federal Loans to Graduate Students

The United States Department of Education (USDOE) has approved Welch College to offer federal student loans to graduate students, according to Dr. Kevin Hester, dean of the School of Theology. The USDOE makes the loans available to eligible borrowers through colleges and universities participating in the program.

These loans have several benefits. They offer a fixed interest rate and flexible payment terms. Financial need is not a requirement to qualify. No payments are required while enrolled in school. To receive these loans, a student must be enrolled at least half-time in a program that leads to a degree or certificate awarded by the school.

“Welch College understands that graduate school can be expensive,” said Hester. “For this reason, the college offers generous institutional scholarships to its graduate students. Students who are licensed or ordained Free Will Baptist ministers, and who received good grades in their undergraduate studies, can receive a reduction of up to $145.00 per credit hour on their tuition.”

Last year, Welch College became the first Free Will Baptist college to offer a regionally accredited credential on the graduate level. In December 2015, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges and the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) approved its application to offer the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Theology and Ministry.
The 33-hour program consists of hybrid courses, in which a portion of the coursework is completed online and the other portion in one-week, on-campus intensive sessions.

For more information about the M.A. degree in Theology and Ministry, contact the program coordinator, Dr. Jeff Cockrell at jcockrell@welch.edu or visit www.welch.edu/masters. For information about the DOE student loans and any other financial information, contact Angie Edgmon at finaid@welch.edu.

North American Ministries and Welch College Enter Partnership

Nashville, TN—North American Ministries (NAM) and Welch College have entered a church-planting partnership, according to NAM General Director David Crowe and Welch College President Matt Pinson.

The organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that identifies parameters of a partnership for training college students in church planting. “A unique opportunity has arisen for these two departments to partner together for training college students in church planting and ministry,” Crowe said. “This opportunity comes through the planting of a new church in the Gallatin, Tennessee, area.”

The new church will be planted by Jesse Owens, who will be designated as an associate church planter by NAM. “North American Ministries will provide an account to collect money raised by the church for start-up expenses, promotion expenses, and any other non-salary related expenses,” Crowe explained.

The church plant, which will remain autonomous from both NAM and Welch, will provide a bi-vocational salary for Owens, who will also be landscaping manager and adjunct instructor at Welch.

“We’re excited about this opportunity for Welch to partner with North American Ministries to provide church-planting training for our ministerial students,” said Pinson. “And we’re thankful to Jesse Owens for the opportunity to allow Welch and NAM to utilize this new church plant as a way to provide training and internship opportunities in church planting for Welch students.”

“Jesse began talking with me and [Welch campus pastor] Matthew McAffee a long time ago about being part of a core group to plant a self-sustaining church in Gallatin, since the college will be moving there next year,” Pinson explained.

NAM Director of Church Planting Brad Ransom said, “This is a win-win situation for both NAM and Welch. It allows us to help plant a church in Gallatin, where Welch is moving, and at the same time provide a laboratory for training Welch students for real-world church planting across North America.”

Owens said, “I’m honored for our church plant to be an integral part of this strategic partnership between NAM and Welch College. My wife Tiffany and I are excited about the opportunity to mentor young people who want to be involved in church planting.”