Cultivate

Welcome and Looking Ahead: 24 Years of The Well

Welcome to The Well Community Church. I am so glad you are hanging out with us here this week. If we haven’t had the privilege of meeting yet, my name is Brad.

I want to share with you a little bit about what is happening in the life of our church. It has been a very interesting season here at The Well, and we are taking some next steps that we want to make sure everyone is aware of as we move forward. I met a couple here today who were visiting for the very first time. I told them, “You know, it is a really interesting time to visit.” Some would argue it’s a terrible time because we are launching a capital campaign. But honestly, I want to reframe that. I think it is a perfect time to come, because you get to see what we value, what we are committed to, where God is leading us, and what you might be a part of as we move forward.

Next month, we celebrate twenty-four years as a church, which is pretty exciting for us. When you consider the beginnings of our church—starting with a core group of college students who simply wanted to be part of a movement that exposited the Scriptures, lived in community, and pursued the things we have been about now for over two decades—it is remarkable to see what God has done.

We started this church with a simple vision: to help people connect to God and to each other in every neighborhood. By connecting to God, we mean that we want to be responsible for proclaiming the gospel. We want people to hear about Jesus Christ, to be reconciled to God through Christ by His Spirit. We want to teach the Bible, train, equip, and disciple as best as we can. But we also wanted to help people connect to each other. We said, “Let’s invite people into the mess of life together.” Walking with God in community is a bit like being in a rock tumbler. There are collisions, and there are hard conversations. In many ways, the best part of the church is the people—and in some ways, the hardest part of the church is the people! Yet when we enter into authentic relationships, that is where spiritual formation and transformation happen.

And we said, “Let’s do that in every neighborhood.” That means we don’t just want to gather crowds and entertain Christians. We want to train and equip one another to go be the church out in every neighborhood. Let’s engage the pillars of need in our city. Let’s put the gospel on display in our community, letting our light shine before others so that they see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 (NASB)

’Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Organic Growth and Limiting Factors

For nearly twenty-four years, we have tried to focus on health and allow for growth. In the business world, people frequently talk about growth engines, new markets, and positioning themselves for specific demographics. That has never been what we are about, because the church is not a business. The church is an organic body. If it is healthy, it grows. Healthy things organically tend to grow, and our job has simply been to build the trellis as the vine grows, asking, “Lord, what do you want to do?”

We know that Jesus is the lead pastor. He is the Chief Shepherd, and we are simply responding to Him. Paul reminds us that one plants and another waters, but God causes the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:6 (NASB)

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalms 127:1-2 (NASB)

A Song of Ascents, of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved [even in his] sleep.

Because the church belongs to Him, He does whatever He wants with it. If it grows, we steward it. If it shrinks, we steward it.

These last several years have brought us to a unique inflection point. I have seen a lot through the years—from our earliest videos shot in tight jeans out in a field to where we are today—and we have grown up together. But in the last eighteen months, our church has doubled, and I cannot fully explain why. Our kids’ ministry has grown by 170%, and our student ministry has grown by 150%. Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they give an indication of what is happening. Over the last six months, across our campuses and thirteen different weekly gathering options, we have averaged over 8,000 adults and children every single week.

Bigger is not inherently better. All it means is that we have more people to steward. In church leadership, there are five primary limiting factors that dictate when you must make room to accommodate growth: parking, sanctuary space, kids’ space, student space, and adult classroom space. Much like when a toddler outgrows their shoes and you simply have to buy new shoes, we have hit capacity in several of these areas and need to make room.

When God Changes the Plan: The Macedonian Call

Like good leaders, we began to plan. We looked at our beautiful Fig Garden campus and recognized the need to continue renovations there. We looked at our Clovis campus and thought, “Let’s build a new sanctuary here to make room, repurpose our existing auditorium for children’s ministry, and address our limiting factors.” It made complete sense on paper.

We invited our church to pray with us over several months. We said, “Lord, we don’t want to get out in front of You.” The Scriptures remind us that many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21 (NASB)

Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand.

As we prayed, our elders felt a clear, unified sense that the Lord was leading us in a different direction. Building a sanctuary may be an eventual step down the road, but God showed us there are other critical steps we need to take first.

That kind of pivot is not biblically unprecedented. In Acts 13, the Apostle Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey through Asia Minor. They planted churches in Galatia, Colossae, Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Ephesus. It was incredibly fruitful. In Acts 15, they set out on a second missionary journey, intending to revisit and strengthen those same regions. But something unexpected happened.

Acts 16:6-10 (NASB)

They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Paul and his companions were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them. Then Paul received a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading, “Come over here and help us.” Immediately, Paul shifted gears and crossed over into Macedonia. That obedience led to the planting of churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth, transforming the entire region.

When God said no to Paul’s good plans, Paul pivoted immediately. In the same way, our leadership sensed God saying, “Not the sanctuary right now; pivot here.” While our plans shifted, our mission remains unchanged. We are still deeply committed to reaching the next generation and making disciples.

Psalms 71:17-18 (NASB)

O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when [I am] old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to [this] generation, Your power to all who are to come.

Cultivate: First Fruits Generosity

To step into what God is calling us to do next, we are launching another chapter of our capital campaign called Cultivate.

When we first launched Cultivate back in 2018, we wanted to do things differently. Instead of putting a giant thermometer on the wall and guilt-tripping people into giving, we reframed the entire effort. We said, “Let’s invite people to participate as they feel led, and let’s take the first $500,000 that comes in and give it away.” People asked why we would give away money during a capital campaign. We answered that if we truly value generosity, our actions should reflect that value. In 2018, we gave that first half-million dollars away to eleven gospel-centered local ministries combating human trafficking, providing orphan care, and helping at-risk youth.

In 2021, we did another round of Cultivate. We took that first $500,000 and invested it entirely into planting City Church at the Fresno Mission’s City Center campus on Dakota. We sent out Pastor Mark Snee to lead it. Just recently, I saw photos from ministry events at City Church, and I recognized so many faces—Life Group leaders, children’s ministry workers, and student leaders from our church family who worship here and serve the most vulnerable there. That is the body of Christ being the church in every neighborhood.

This time around, we don’t want to give away just $500,000. For this new phase of Cultivate, we are committing to give away the first $1,000,000 to strategically invest in three vital local initiatives.

Reaching the Vulnerable: Three Local Initiatives

The first initiative is CarePortal. CarePortal is a web-based platform that connects people in need with churches and people of means in the community. For example, if a family in Southwest Fresno takes in an at-risk or foster child but lacks a bed, a social worker might be forced to remove that child unless a bed is provided. If our church is alerted to that $200 need, a Life Group or family can immediately step up to purchase that bed, keeping that child in a safe, loving home.

James tells us that pure and undefiled religion before God is to care for orphans and widows in their distress.

James 1:27 (NASB)

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of [our] God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, [and] to keep oneself unstained by the world.

In the early church, the believers shared what they had so that there was no needy person among them.

Acts 4:34 (NASB)

For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales

CarePortal makes those needs visible so the body of Christ can meet them. Furthermore, if a need arises across the street from a partner like Image Church in Southwest Fresno, pastored by Jay Spence, we can provide the resources while Image Church delivers the bed. We become the supply line so they can be the front line, building God’s kingdom rather than our own castle.

To share about the other two initiatives—Our Valley Cares and the Speas House—I invited Matt Dildine, CEO of the Fresno Mission and a long-time member of our church, to explain the heart behind these projects:

Matt Dildine:

“I have been part of The Well for fifteen years, and I love that our church focuses so heavily on reaching the next generation. In my work every day, we see profound brokenness. Adult victims of human trafficking and individuals experiencing chronic homelessness overwhelmingly trace their trauma back to childhood. Over ninety percent of adult trafficking victims came through the child welfare system, and youth aging out of foster care are more likely to become homeless than adults exiting prison. The fastest-growing homeless population in our region is kids.

With Our Valley Cares, we asked, ‘What if we created the best system of care in the entire country right here in our community, rooted in the gospel, to ensure that no child in crisis is left without help?’ Our Valley Cares serves as a funding platform to unite and resource multiple local ministries working together with an abundance mindset.

As part of that system, we are building the Speas House. The single best remedy for years of trauma, neglect, and abuse is years of belonging to a gospel-centered faith community that loves you. The Speas House will be a twenty-four-hour ministry and crisis center for at-risk youth. It will provide housing, meals, laundry facilities, job placement, and a safe refuge where vulnerable kids can experience authentic Christian community.“

The Speas House is named in honor of H Spees, who was a pioneer for asset-based community development in Fresno. We are honored to partner with Our Valley Cares and the Speas House to offer a haven for vulnerable youth.

The Building Projects: Fig Garden and Clovis

In addition to giving away $1,000,000 to these local initiatives, Cultivate will fund essential campus projects at both our Fig Garden and Clovis locations.

At our Fig Garden campus, having previously renovated the kids’ buildings and the sanctuary, we are now turning our attention to the fourth and final building: the Fellowship Hall. We are going to convert that space into a dedicated Student Center with updated audio, video, and lighting, expand the footprint to match the storefront glass design, remodel the kitchen, add a new play structure, and build a protective wall along the canal.

At our Clovis campus, we are going to remove the current pantry, offices, pole barn, and cold storage on the north side of the property to construct a new Ministry Center. This facility will house our central staff offices, provide adult classroom and discipleship training spaces, and include temporary space for our fourth- and fifth-grade ministries to relieve pressure on our kids’ building. Once those offices are relocated, we can also convert the existing portable buildings on our property into additional adult breakout classrooms.

The Financial Reality and the Invitation

Let me talk transparently about the financing for these projects. Back in 2018, we took on $17 million in debt to build our current Clovis campus facilities. We have serviced that debt responsibly, and today that balance is down to $16.3 million. When we later built the Clovis Student Center and renovated the Fig Garden sanctuary, we incurred an additional $3 million in debt. I am thrilled to share that as of today, that $3 million debt has been completely paid off.

Our goal for this new round of Cultivate is to execute these builds primarily with cash, avoiding additional long-term debt. The total goal for this campaign is $20 million over three years.

Before presenting this to the entire church, we met with a group of approximately 350 church leaders and invited them to lead the way. Those leaders stepped up and generously committed $5 million. That means we are already a quarter of the way toward our goal, leaving an additional $15 million needed from our wider church family.

Everyone has received a Cultivate commitment card, and I want to invite you to consider three ways to respond:

1. Commit to Pray: If you cannot give financially, checking the box to pray for Cultivate is not the least you can do—it is the greatest thing you can do.
2. Begin General Giving: If you are new to The Well, stepping into regular giving helps sustain our day-to-day ministries across every neighborhood.
3. Make a Three-Year Cultivate Commitment: Pray about what God might lead you to give over the next three years toward these projects and first fruits initiatives.

As I shared recently, give only what you can give with genuine joy. There is no guilt, pressure, or manipulation here. Filling out a commitment card simply allows us to plan responsibly and demonstrate commitments to lenders so we can secure necessary construction financing without unnecessary delays.

What We Do in the Meantime

While these projects are underway, we still face real space constraints every weekend. Here is how you can help in the meantime:

• Migrate Gathering Times: If you don’t have kids in our children’s ministry, consider attending our Thursday Midweek gathering—it is one of the best-kept secrets at The Well. If you are a college student or young adult, join our Sunday evening PM gathering. If you live in Central Fresno, consider attending our Fig Garden campus.
• Arrive a Little Earlier: Arriving ten to fifteen minutes early relieves parking congestion, makes finding seats easier, and allows you to build relationships with the people sitting around you.
• Get Connected: True spiritual formation happens in community. Join a Life Group or serve on a ministry team so that as our church grows larger, it continues to feel small and personal.
• Participate as the Lord Leads: Pray and ask God how He wants you to engage in this season.

Paul closes his prayer in Ephesians with words that capture our heart for this next season:

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB)

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him [be] the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Let’s trust God to do far beyond anything we could ask or imagine for His glory in our church and throughout our community.