Close Menu X
Navigate

Blog

Why I Became a Member at The Well

MikeDenison

I’m going to break down my rationale for membership into two parts: why I’m a member of any church body at all, and why I’m a member of The Well specifically.

Why Membership?

Maybe you’re the kind of person who doesn’t see the need for formal churchy commitments. Maybe you think they’re legalistic. Maybe you’re like me and thoughts like this have run through your mind:

OK, so I definitely need to go to church, but membership? That’s not in the Bible! That’s just something tacked on to American church traditions. Who needs it?

I learned the hard way that wasn’t true. I was letting my own pride get in the way of obeying God.

Sure, you won’t find the words “church membership” in the Bible. That doesn’t diminish its importance. We’re told to meet with one another regularly (Hebrews 10:25), to live as “members of one another” (Romans 12:5), to live as “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32) ... the list goes on. The Bible makes it clear that being part of a church is not exactly a casual commitment, but it’s one that every believer should make. Realizing this a few years back dismantled the faulty logic I’d been using to avoid committing to a church. The only question now was, which church?

Why The Well?

There are plenty of churches in the DC area. But I knew from my first Sunday visiting The Well that I wanted to put down roots in this one.

What I saw (and continue to see) at The Well was a group of Jesus followers who loved God, took Scripture seriously and loved one another. I was struck by the genuineness of the people and how they went out of their way to make newcomers, even introverts like me, feel welcome. I heard in the teachings a desire to make God’s Word crystal clear and to obey it. I saw a church devoted to spreading the Gospel and planting churches.

Not too long ago, I was Skyping with an old friend from Florida when I mentioned how The Well had planted Peace City Church. Incredulous, he interrupted, “They planted a church before they got their own full-time building? That’s a good church.”

I can’t help but agree. I’m ecstatic to be part of The Well.