While we exist as members of one another solely because of what Jesus has done for us, we believe it is a critical step in our following of Jesus to partner with a local group of people who are also seeking to to follow Jesus. We’d love to begin that journey with you.
If you have never been to Starting Well, then Starting Well is for you. You'll get an introduction to the Vision and Values at The Well and some personal and practical next steps on how you can participate in the story that God is writing here.We host Starting Well several times per year so stay tuned for our next one.
We believe that getting to know you and the ways that God has uniquely equipped and called you to serve and make disciples of Jesus is a really big deal. The partnership questionnaire helps us know how we can be an effective partner in the gospel with you.
One of the primary ways we pursue being a healthy church is having multiple pastors that help shepherd those that God brings to us. One of our pastors would be honored to sit with you and learn more about your story and answer any questions you have about The Well.
We long for The Well to truly be a family of God on mission. As you begin this journey of partnership, our team will take time to pray specifically for you, We will also add you to our partnership communications where we share missional and financial updates and celebrate new partners quarterly.
By intentionally committing to partnership with The Well, you are joining together with the other members of the body of Christ to accomplish something bigger than any of us can do on our own. As we mutually share the resources God has given us (time, talents, and treasures), we not only grow in a community where we are loved and known, but we can truly be the blessing to the campus, the city, and the world, that God has called us to be. We cannot accomplish that goal individually, but only as we intentionally partner together as the church.
We celebrate that you have a church family in the city you call home and rejoice that you have been a member at that church. We believe it is important to partner with believers in Jesus that you most closely share your life with. For many college students, they will spend far more time (and weekends) in San Marcos than they will at home. Therefore, we do believe it is an important step for you to choose to intentionally partner with a local church here in San Marcos as you seek to follow Jesus well.
The New Testament is filled with letters to churches that are made up of groups of people in specific cities (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians). Both in these letters as well as other New Testament letters, we see the reality of clear organizational structures that existed within the church where members of the body of Christ were in relationship with one another that included intentional partnership as they followed Jesus together (Philippians 1:1-5, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Hebrews 13:17).
We welcome anyone and everyone to be a part of the community that God has brought about here in San Marcos and our hope is that many people will experience the goodness of God and the love of Jesus through His church. However, we are convinced that church was never meant to simply be a place you go, but instead is meant to be a people we belong to. In the same way that you belong to a family, and that family has certain traditions, culture, and practices, we believe it is important to intentionally commit to being a part of God’s family in the local church. If you want to experience the best of what God has designed His church to be, we are convinced that that will come through meaningful and purposeful partnership with other believers.
While the New Testament regularly uses “member” to describe the relationship of believers to one another within the local church (1 Corinthains 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4), we know that our cultural context often equates the word “membership” with fitness clubs and social organizations. In Philippians 1:5, Paul uses the word “partner” to describe his relationship with that church as they seek to accomplish the mission of God together. We believe that the word “partner” embodies the heart of what God desires for the members of His church. Partner includes the idea of an intentional commitment of two parties to one another for the sake of accomplishing a shared mission.
Theologically, the Bible affirms that any person who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is a member of the body of Christ. However, you probably know many people who are Chrsitians but do not have a meaningful relationship with a church. Through partnership, we hope to cultivate a community marked by meaningful relationships with one another instead of just “going to church” together.
There are numerous expectations simply of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and belong to a local church (see this helpful list of what God calls us to in regards to loving one another https://www.mmlearn.org/hubfs/docs/OneAnotherPassages.pdf). While these are certainly expectations we have of one another, here are some specific examples of expectations in our own language:
The good news of Jesus is that He did everything necessary for us to be members of His body. Through believing in Him, His death, burial, and resurrection, we are as accepted as we’ll ever be before God.
You do not have to give money to be a partner at The Well. With that said, here are a few reasons why we think giving to the local church should be a priority for every Christian, and specifically those who choose to partner with The Well: