ABOUT US - How The Well got started
A close friend of ours called one day because it seemed to him that his daughter was rejecting her faith. He related how they had many heated conversations over “the problems” with church and how she just could no longer be a part of an institution that was anti-intellectual, consumer driven and success focused. She believed that the things that the church had taught her didn’t line up with the reality that she was learning about in college and therefore she was rejecting it.
This friend felt that he needed a way to understand her perspective and asked if there were any books he could read that would help him understand his daughter’s point of view
There were several that we read together and discussed the different points of view. That was the first time he had heard the terms “post modern” and “emergent”. The books gave him insight into what his daughter believed, but the two of them still had differing opinions in certain areas about what “church” should be like.
Since that time the Davis’ and the Girard’s have come to realize that many people are struggling with similar issues. A new generation dissatisfied with traditional church is rejecting it altogether. Also, many in older generations are sensing that church should be more than it is and find it becoming less relevant to their lives now that their children are grown and gone.
Is there an answer for these people? How can we help the church reach this new generation that thinks very differently than their parents and how can we help the church become relevant to an older generation that find themselves simply going through the motions, not moving towards maturity? Is the answer to be found in the current emergent church movement or will it come out of the traditional church? We think the answer is yes and yes. We believe that the answer lies within both; in a different movement that takes seriously the critique of the traditional church without losing its rich heritage and wisdom.
Our Call: For some time now we have felt called to be part of something that would reach both the next generation for Christ and those that have walked away from the traditional church. We weren’t exactly sure of what form that would take, but we knew it was necessary and we knew that we wanted to be a part of it. Over the past six months, God has clarified His calling on our lives. We have been able to see how He brought us together during key life transitions and how he has been preparing us to team together to start something entirely new: “The Well”.
Our Vision: God used a book called “Deep Church” by Jim Belcher, to help us articulate what we believed to be His call on our lives. The book has helped us develop our own unique vision and plan for a church plant called, “The Well”.
The Well is both a name and a metaphor of the vision that God is giving us.
The Well looks different from many traditional churches. In their book, The Shaping of Things to Come, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch write the following that illustrates some of the differences.
“In some farming communities, the farmers might build fences around their properties to keep their livestock in and livestock of neighboring farms out… But in Australia, ranches are so vast that fences are superfluous. Under these conditions a farmer has to sink a bore and create a well, a precious water supply in the Outback. It is assumed that the livestock, though they will stray, will never roam too far from the well, lest they die…”
At The Well, we see the gospel as so refreshing that lovers of Christ will not stray too far from Him and outsiders will be drawn into the community like thirsty people seeking water. To carry the metaphor further, in parts of Africa where water is in short supply we see examples of many different species, even predators coming together to share the precious gift of water. This is how we see The Well operating, breaking down barriers where people from all generations and walks of life, backgrounds and traditions can come together to receive the precious gift of living water that comes from Christ. The Well will be a place where it is safe to ask questions and be transparent; a place where even though people may not understand everything that is going on, they will be drawn to drink from the well. Because we are so confident in the gospel of Christ, The Well is not a Seeker Sensitive gathering, as this term has come to be known. Instead, we believe that through the ancient and traditional practices of the church we can confidently proclaim the existence of the Well (that is Jesus) in our midst.
The later decades of the Seeker Sensitive movement found churches in a dilemma; they either watered down the gospel for seekers making it easy for anyone to belong without really believing, or they went the other direction entirely by requiring people to believe a certain doctrine before they can belong to the community. In the former, people rarely reach spiritual maturity and churches often become a revolving door of people coming and going. In the latter, new seekers often feel unwelcomed and looked down upon and eventually leave before they can come to a believing faith. We believe in a third way that allows seekers to belong before believing but where they will also be challenged to continually move closer to the Well. People can come as they are, be welcomed and accepted just as Jesus accepted tax collectors and prostitutes. However, we will not water down the gospel and leave out the fact that Jesus ultimately asks people to commit themselves to him, repent, pick up their crosses and follow him. In other words people will be continually challenged to draw closer to the Well, but will also enjoy being part of the community as they journey closer. Thus through relevant teaching of the Word, liturgy, the Lord’s Supper, creeds of the Church, and other forms of worship a community of believers united in Christ can offer a cup of living water to a dying world.
This friend felt that he needed a way to understand her perspective and asked if there were any books he could read that would help him understand his daughter’s point of view
There were several that we read together and discussed the different points of view. That was the first time he had heard the terms “post modern” and “emergent”. The books gave him insight into what his daughter believed, but the two of them still had differing opinions in certain areas about what “church” should be like.
Since that time the Davis’ and the Girard’s have come to realize that many people are struggling with similar issues. A new generation dissatisfied with traditional church is rejecting it altogether. Also, many in older generations are sensing that church should be more than it is and find it becoming less relevant to their lives now that their children are grown and gone.
Is there an answer for these people? How can we help the church reach this new generation that thinks very differently than their parents and how can we help the church become relevant to an older generation that find themselves simply going through the motions, not moving towards maturity? Is the answer to be found in the current emergent church movement or will it come out of the traditional church? We think the answer is yes and yes. We believe that the answer lies within both; in a different movement that takes seriously the critique of the traditional church without losing its rich heritage and wisdom.
Our Call: For some time now we have felt called to be part of something that would reach both the next generation for Christ and those that have walked away from the traditional church. We weren’t exactly sure of what form that would take, but we knew it was necessary and we knew that we wanted to be a part of it. Over the past six months, God has clarified His calling on our lives. We have been able to see how He brought us together during key life transitions and how he has been preparing us to team together to start something entirely new: “The Well”.
Our Vision: God used a book called “Deep Church” by Jim Belcher, to help us articulate what we believed to be His call on our lives. The book has helped us develop our own unique vision and plan for a church plant called, “The Well”.
The Well is both a name and a metaphor of the vision that God is giving us.
The Well looks different from many traditional churches. In their book, The Shaping of Things to Come, Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch write the following that illustrates some of the differences.
“In some farming communities, the farmers might build fences around their properties to keep their livestock in and livestock of neighboring farms out… But in Australia, ranches are so vast that fences are superfluous. Under these conditions a farmer has to sink a bore and create a well, a precious water supply in the Outback. It is assumed that the livestock, though they will stray, will never roam too far from the well, lest they die…”
At The Well, we see the gospel as so refreshing that lovers of Christ will not stray too far from Him and outsiders will be drawn into the community like thirsty people seeking water. To carry the metaphor further, in parts of Africa where water is in short supply we see examples of many different species, even predators coming together to share the precious gift of water. This is how we see The Well operating, breaking down barriers where people from all generations and walks of life, backgrounds and traditions can come together to receive the precious gift of living water that comes from Christ. The Well will be a place where it is safe to ask questions and be transparent; a place where even though people may not understand everything that is going on, they will be drawn to drink from the well. Because we are so confident in the gospel of Christ, The Well is not a Seeker Sensitive gathering, as this term has come to be known. Instead, we believe that through the ancient and traditional practices of the church we can confidently proclaim the existence of the Well (that is Jesus) in our midst.
The later decades of the Seeker Sensitive movement found churches in a dilemma; they either watered down the gospel for seekers making it easy for anyone to belong without really believing, or they went the other direction entirely by requiring people to believe a certain doctrine before they can belong to the community. In the former, people rarely reach spiritual maturity and churches often become a revolving door of people coming and going. In the latter, new seekers often feel unwelcomed and looked down upon and eventually leave before they can come to a believing faith. We believe in a third way that allows seekers to belong before believing but where they will also be challenged to continually move closer to the Well. People can come as they are, be welcomed and accepted just as Jesus accepted tax collectors and prostitutes. However, we will not water down the gospel and leave out the fact that Jesus ultimately asks people to commit themselves to him, repent, pick up their crosses and follow him. In other words people will be continually challenged to draw closer to the Well, but will also enjoy being part of the community as they journey closer. Thus through relevant teaching of the Word, liturgy, the Lord’s Supper, creeds of the Church, and other forms of worship a community of believers united in Christ can offer a cup of living water to a dying world.