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
J. Matthew Pinson, chairman (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.
Kevin Hester, secretary (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). Hester has also served as an assistant pastor, worship minister, and interim pastor for a number of churches in Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri. He is presently a member of Cross Timbers FWB Church where he teaches Sunday School, serves on the Christian Education Committee, and occasionally leads worship. He is married to Leslie, with whom he has four sons.
Rodney Holloman (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.
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.
W. Jackson Watts (MO)
Jackson Watts is the pastor of Grace Church in Arnold, Missouri, where he has served since 2011. He is a graduate of Welch College (B.A.), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Duke Divinity School (Th.M), and Concordia Seminary (Ph.D.). His prior ministry includes service as a Christian Education Pastor in North Carolina. Currently, he is the Moderator of the St. Louis District Association, Moderator of the Missouri State Association, and Assistant Moderator of the National Association. Watts has been involved in academic pursuits, serving as an adjunct faculty member or visiting professor at colleges/seminaries in both the United States and Cuba. He has authored, edited, or contributed to four books, including Biblical Beliefs: Doctrines Believes Should Know (ETA, 2013), The Promise of Arminian Theology: Essays in Honor of F. Leroy Forlines (Randall House Academic, 2016), and Arminian Baptists: A Biographical History of Free Will Baptists (Randall House, 2022). His prior writings can be found at the Helwys Society Forum, or presently at Churchatopia. Watts lives south of St. Louis in Pevely with his wife Mckensie and their two children, Amos and Isla.