Jessica Myers

07/11/2015

Take Up Your Cross

In my previous research post, I explored the idea of utopian conventions found in Christianity. I wondered how those conventions might look in practice and in my conversations with others stumbled upon the Church of Wells. I first noticed this group when I read a Facebook post highlighting an article in the news and the comment, “I can’t believe I went to high school with the leader of this group.” Upon further investigation, I discovered that I had also gone to high school with one of the founding elders, Sean Morris. He was on the football team and always called me “Troy’s girlfriend.” I could not believe that this same person had become a street preacher and had started his own church plant. As I researched The Church of Wells, I found this community to emulate utopian conventions, although in an extreme interpretation of the Bible.

The Church of Wells is strongly founded in closely and pharisaically following the law of the Bible and the example set forth by Jesus. In his testimony, Sean Morris wrote, “To die is to live, and any true Christian confession declares to the world—‘I am crucified with Christ’ (Gal 2:20). Praise God! No dear reader, religion will not do it.” As street preachers, this group targets churches where they believe false Christians are worshipping. At these services, they call the congregation to repent and declare that if they do not, they will be condemned to hell. Reporter, Leah Caldwell states, “These young church elders appear to thrive on conflict; their self-described first-century lifestyles wouldn’t be complete without ‘Pharisees’ persecuting them. They’ve branded [other city of] Wells pastors … ‘false prophets.’ Competing churches are dismissed as ‘seeker friendly’ and easy on sinners, when sinners should be chastised.” Another reporter describes these street preachers as “revel[ing] in the rejection, which they felt made them more Christlike” (Smith). Just a week ago, there were men arrested at Lakewood and “charged for criminal trespassing” (Chapin). Members from The Church of Wells interrupted the 11 a.m. service by standing up and “screaming ‘Shame on you Joel, shame on you Joel’” (Chapin). These acts look similar to God’s Gardeners in Oryx and Crake, staging protests and calling society to realize where their actions are leading them. Through these protests and street preaching, this church is seeking followers by calling people to repent and emulate their example. Some people hear their message, and instead of being repulsed and offended, they do question the security of their salvation. “Many seekers see the Church of Wells as an opportunity to escape sinful worldliness,” just as those seeking utopia are hoping to escape the evils of the world (Caldwell).

Not only does The Church of Wells call for followers through street preaching but effectively uses technology to cast its net and draw people to the church. People who are seeking reassurance of their salvation or who are inspired by the zealous call against the corruption of the church are attracted to the Church of Wells like a moth to a flame. Typically, members of the church are young college graduates from affluent Christian families who are either single or just starting families. Caldwell reports, “The Church of Wells is mostly—though not exclusively—young and white. . . . The church’s three ‘elders’—Sean Morris, Jake Gardner and Ryan Ringnald—all white men in their 20s, are dressed in button-down shirts, grinning widely at the camera.” On their website, they include videos of church members involved in street preaching. Some “[v]ideos of the charismatic trio’s preaching are full of confrontations: with drunken revelers on Halloween, Catholics after Mass, and Staten Island Ferry passengers at 2 a.m.” (Caldwell). Other seekers have contacted the group through e-mail, Facebook, or even Skype. For example, “[Preethi David] left behind her distraught parents and research on neuropeptides and boarded a plane to Houston after several months of corresponding with the elders” (Smith). Another instance was when “[Catherine Groves] had begun communicating over email and on Skype with members of the church . . . . During the next two years she had gradually been persuaded to come and join the church herself” (Smith). When seekers visit the church website, they have access to sermons, blogs, and testimonies of members. This use of technology enables the church to create a utopian draw. The web designer becomes the guide, or narrator, who explains their beliefs and social structure. Through this tool and effective online communication, they urge the seeker to become part of their society. It is impressive how this group has utilized technology to their advantage, even though they are extremely traditional and conservative in their beliefs.   

Similar to other intentional communities, the members of The Church of Wells live very simply.  According to one article, before leaving her home and joining the church, “Catherine gave all her belongings to Goodwill and disappeared without a word” (Smith). Members are encouraged to give up their belongings in this world and start fresh, living simply once they arrive in Wells. One resident of Wells explains, “It’s hard to miss the women of the church, wearing long skirts and pushing their strollers down the streets, and the men, riding bikes along central Rusk Street” (Caldwell). This is similar to Ecotopia where people travel by bicycle or public transportation. They do not own individual vehicles. Another distinguishing feature of this group is that “The men talked in an affected, old-fashioned-sounding English peppered with words and phrases from the King James Bible” (Smith). Although it is not a new language, members are distinguishing themselves by speaking differently than the average American. By living simply, and speaking and dressing differently, this group is clearly not concerned with how others perceive them or accumulating possessions in this world.

This simple living brings up questions about how the church members provide for their immediate families. There are different theories about how the members support themselves. They seem to be hard workers and originally offered to help other locals living in town. Incidentally, this opened up opportunities to remind non-church members of their danger of going to hell. The locals did not appreciate this very much and stopped welcoming members into their homes or on their property to help. Instead, now one means of income is through the local grocery store since “A Church of Wells member owns the town’s only grocery store, the R&R Mercantile, whose wide aisles are sparsely stocked with Pringles and Chef Boyardee. The R&R no longer sells cigarettes or lottery tickets” (Caldwell). Does that individual member keep all of the income earned from that business or does he share it? According to an article by Matt Slick, “‘Everyone in the church has their own possessions, their own homes, has their own bank accounts, the ones that do," said Morris. "So no, we don't have all the money and we don't give allowances that is not how this church operates. That's absolutely unbiblical and absurd.’” However, YMBBA Ministries speculates, “The six founders incorporated a for-profit corporation in June 2012. Four newly-created subsidiary small businesses are owned/operated/managed by the group, presumably with revenue supporting the collective - two lawn/landscape businesses, custom lumber sawmill, a construction company, a 10,000 square-foot grocery store, individual cottage industry services and websites…Land and homes have been purchased, business venture capital procured by some means. The ‘elders’ are provided for by ‘love offerings.’” Based on this information, this group is sharing profits earned to support the whole, and the financials may not be as straight-forward as Morris makes them out to be. Unlike Twin Oaks, this system may be more similar to Ecotopia, where people still make some type of income, but since they are living communally, share the money to meet specific needs.

Although this simplicity and sharing might sound noble, the church has a few differing beliefs that fundamentally set them apart from other Christian churches. One of their more controversial beliefs is the church’s “Doctrine of Judgment.” This doctrine “holds that separation from the world – even from family and loved ones – is a prerequisite” (Caldwell).  In The Church of Wells’ manifesto, it states, “If God says not to have Christian fellowship with a man who is living in sin, then this church says amen.” Morris goes on to explain in his “Doctrine of Judgment,” “we cannot have fellowship with anyone who is not ‘in the light’ . . . . We do make it a priority to maintain an atmosphere of ‘light’ with all professing Christians, but if (God forbid) there ever be an occasion where regenerate Christians refuse to acknowledge the necessity for light and they are walking in some kind of darkness, and yet they still desire to have fellowship, this is an impossibility for us and for all those who seek to obey these principles.” By refusing to interact with anyone they believe is living in “continuous sin,” they are shunning family and friends, and thus isolating themselves from the outside world. To help them isolate themselves, the Church is located in Wells, Texas which has a population of less than 800 people. Although this is not the garden of Texas, they are in a sparsely populated rural area where others are less likely to interfere, and they have room to grow and expand.

Since The Church of Wells is very closed off to the outside world, it is challenging to get a full picture of how this group governs itself. One reason for this is the negative media coverage they have received. When asked to meet for an interview, via e-mail Sean Morris responded, “We are engaged in much labor for the gospel of Christ, and we loath to get any more entangled in the media (which often grievously misrepresents things) however, if you have any questions or desires for personal reasons (like your own soul’s standing before God, and how to be saved from God’s wrath on judgment day,) we would be glad to answer them ‘off the record’” (Caldwell). This lack of openness makes it very difficult to look at their rules. Obviously, they follow the rules and laws covered in the Bible, but it is difficult to tell how they interpret those rules, since at times they misconstrue the intent behind certain passages. Their social structure is a mystery, as well. I am assuming that it is a strict patriarchal structure, based on a remark made by one reporter that “the women rarely spoke at all” (Smith). Overall, The Church of Wells seems to lack mature guidance and wisdom, seeing as the founding elders are in their late 20s and early 30s. They seek to exude some of this wisdom by pulling their theology from preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin but do not practice the principles that these men preached. It will be interesting to see how long this group survives between limited funds, persecution, and people choosing to leave.

Works Cited

Administrator. “Church of Wells Deconstructed” Church of Wells/YMBBA Ministries, 9 July 2013. Web. 9 July 2015.

Caldwell, Leah. “Searching for Souls in Wells, Texas” The Texas Observer, 26 Nov 2013. Web. 5 July 2015.

Chapin, Josh. “Six Arrested during Lakwood Church service.” KHOU 11 News, 28 June 2015. Web. 8 July 2015.

Gardner, Jake. “Our Manifesto” The Church of Wells, n.d. Web. 5 July 2015.

Morris, Sean. “Doctrine of Judgment” The Church of Wells, n.d. Web. 9 July 2015.

---. “Elder” The Church of Wells, n.d. Web 5 July 2015.

Slick, Matt. “The Church of Wells.” Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, 14 Apr 2014. Web. 6 July 2015.

Smith, Sonia. “Sinners in the Hands: When is a Church a Cult?” Texas Monthly, Feb 2014. Web. 5 July 2015.