The five-member Commission for Theological Integrity is an official agency of the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Formed in 1959 to resist the effects of Protestant liberalism, the commission is tasked with safeguarding the theological direction of the denomination through awareness of and education on theological issues.
Learn more:
A Short History of the Commission
Commission Members
Kevin Hester | Chairman (TN)
Kevin Hester is the Dean of the School of Theology at Welch College, where he has served since 2003. He also serves as Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Senior Professor of Divinity. He has taught in the areas of church history, theology, philosophy, and New Testament. The Alabama native attended Welch College (B.A.), Covenant Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Saint Louis University (Ph.D.). He is the author of Eschatology and Pain in St. Gregory the Great (Paternoster, 2007) and Free Will Baptists and the Priesthood of All Believers (Free Will Baptist Historical Commission, 2010).
He has served as an Assistant Pastor, Worship Minister, and Interim Pastor for a number of Free Will Baptist churches in Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri. Dr. Hester is presently a member of Cross Timbers Free Will Baptist Church (Nashville, TN) where he teaches Sunday School, serves on the Christian Education Committee, and occasionally leads worship. I currently reside in Gallatin, Tennessee with my wife Leslie Hampton Hester. I have four sons: Spencer, Seth, Justin, and Jackson, who live in the area. When I am not teaching, reading, or researching, I enjoy walking with my wife, playing disc golf, and watching major league baseball.
Rodney Holloman | Secretary (TN)
Rodney Holloman is the pastor of Hardin Valley FWB Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. A native of North Carolina, Holloman trained for ministry at Southeastern FWB College (B.A.), and later at Pensacola Christian College (M.A.). He has also done further education through Bob Jones University. Holloman’s ministry includes time as a youth pastor, associate pastor, pastor, and college professor at Southeastern where he taught in multiple areas. He has been very involved in international ministry in the countries of Cuba and Brazil. He also contributed a chapter to the Free Will Baptist Guide for New Believers. Rodney is the husband of Andrea, and have a son and a daughter.
J. Matthew Pinson, (TN)
Matt Pinson is the president of Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee, an office he has served in since 2002. Originally from Florida, Pinson attended Welch College in the 1980s and went on to graduate from the University of West Florida (B.A., M.A.). He later earned degrees from Yale University (M.A.R.), Vanderbilt University (Ed.D.), and has also done doctoral studies at Florida State University. Pinson has pastored churches in Florida, Connecticut, and Georgia. He is also a prolific author, having authored, co-authored, or edited many articles and books, including A Free Will Baptist Handbook (Randall House, 1998), Four Views on Eternal Security (Zondervan, 2002), , Perspectives on Christian Worship (B&H, 2009), Arminian and Baptist (Randall House, 2015), Gender, Sexuality, and the Church (Welch College Press, 2016), and pamphlets in the Free Will Baptist Heritage Series. His blog is Matthewpinson.com. Pinson is married to Melinda, with whom he has a son and a daughter.
Cory Thompson | Program Chairman (OK)
Cory is the pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church of Poteau, Oklahoma, where he has served since 2014. Cory previously pastored Beacon Free Will Baptist outside Kansas City, Missouri, and the First Free Will Baptist in Weatherford, Texas. The Thompsons have a rich legacy of service to the Lord and His church. Cory’s father and grandfather were pastors, and his father is currently President of Randall University. Cory was converted while his father pastored the same church he now pastors. Cory is married to his wife Brandy, and they have four children: Caroline, Campbell, Carsyn, and Claire. Cory is a graduate of Randall University, and a two-time graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.). His academic interests include hermeneutics, Pauline studies, specifically the use of Jesus traditions in Paul, and ecclesiology. He also enjoys playing golf and traveling with his family.
Jeremy Craft (FL)
Jeremy Craft is the pastor of Piney Grove Free Will Baptist Church in Chipley, Florida.
Originally from Columbus, Georgia, Craft graduated from Welch College (B.S,) and Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.). Since 2013, he has ministered in churches in Florida and has served in various associational roles on the local and state level, currently serving as clerk of the Florida State Association. Craft was a former contributor to the Helwys Society Forum, writing on matters of Christian theology, culture, spirituality, and ministry. He resides in Chipley, Florida with his wife, Lindsay, with whom he has a daughter and son.