We care by encouraging deep belonging within the church, fostering fervent prayer, providing shepherding counsel, and celebrating the transformative work of Jesus.
Pastoral Biblical Counseling
The Well believes that its pastors and elders are called to shepherd and care for those whom the Lord has brought to the church. The primary goal of this pastoral care is to consistently proclaim the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is accomplished in two ways: through preaching and counseling. Preaching is the public declaration of the gospel, allowing a pastor to expound on Scripture and express the church’s understanding of a specific passage in light of the person and redemptive work of Christ. Pastoral biblical counseling is the personal application of the gospel, engaging in a conversation between a pastor and an individual or married couple. |
While preaching is a one-way communication from the pastor to the congregation, pastoral care is a relational dialogue that addresses specific struggles and guides individuals or couples toward Christ. The Well values both preaching and pastoral care equally, dedicating as much effort to the preparation of sermons as to the care of souls. These counseling meetings typically involve a pastor and a counselee and are not intended to become regularly scheduled sessions unless otherwise determined by the pastor. |
Individual Biblical Counseling
Individual biblical counseling is an intentional one-on-one conversation between a Biblical counselor from The Well’s Care Team and a partner or frequent attender of the church. These conversations are usually initiated by the congregant and focus on specific areas of need, which may include depression, trauma, addiction, anger, marriage issues, or general life guidance. The Biblical counselor’s goal is to understand the root of the presenting problem and consistently point the counselee back to the hope and truth of the gospel.
Individual biblical counseling sessions are intended to be ongoing and scheduled, continuing until the Biblical counselor and/or counselee agrees that the counseling has achieved its purpose. Biblical counselors at The Well reserve the right to end the counseling relationship at any time, or may refer the counselee to another counselor if they deem that appropriate.
Biblical Marriage Counseling
Marriage is the most important relationship human beings can have with one another. It is a God-given gift to humanity, that a man and woman would love and serve each other as a way to glorify God. Tim Keller says, “According to the Bible, God devised marriage to reflect his saving love for us in Christ, to refine our character, to create stable community for the birth and nurture of children, and to accomplish all this by bringing the complementary sexes into an enduring whole-life union.” This is how the church holds the definition of marriage, but the work of marriage is difficult even with a biblical foundation. When two people join together in a permanent relationship, sin is bound to detract from its intended design. The goal for Biblical marriage counseling at The Well is to consistently speak the gospel into relationships while pointing back to the original purpose of marriage through confession and repentance.
Biblical marriage counseling sessions are intended to be ongoing and scheduled, continuing until both the counselor and the couple believe that the counseling has fulfilled its purpose.
Premarital Counseling
As stated above, marriage is the most important relationship that a person can have with another. Being engaged or in a serious dating relationship is an exciting time, filled with hopes and plans for the future. However, the reality is that marriages rarely go exactly as planned. Every marriage will encounter unexpected questions and challenges. How does one forgive their spouse? How should a couple discuss and navigate intimacy? Is it normal to struggle with in-law relationships? These surprises, though challenging, can be approached with wisdom and grace through a biblical lens and a gospel-centered foundation.
The goal of The Well’s premarital counseling is to help lay this foundation through multiple sessions facilitated by a member of the Care Team, pastor, or minister. This counseling seeks to prepare couples not just for a wedding day, but for a lifetime of growing in their love for the gospel through their marriage, understanding it as a reflection of Christ's redeeming work.
If you are a partner and would like to pursue pastoral counseling through The Well, submit a request below.
Request Counseling
Prayer and Celebration
Prayer
The Well takes serious the purpose and power of prayer. Paul Miller writes, “Powerful things happen when believers pray together: the Spirit equips the saints for ministry, the helpless are met with help, and believers experience the joy of being led by the Spirit of Jesus.” We believe that it is vital for the church to foster a culture of genuine, consistent prayer. We believe that the work of caring for the body of believers cannot rest on our own doing, rather we submit everything to Jesus.
Every Tuesday, our Elders pray for the church as a whole, individuals with specific prayer requests, ministries at The Well, and that the gospel would continue to spread to the unreached. The Well also has a Prayer Team comprised of believers that are passionate about prayer and is not limited to staff, deacons, or elders. One area where the prayer team serves the church is by welcoming and praying for those in need at the end of each church service. If you would like the Elders or Prayer Team to pray for you, please consider submitting a prayer request through the form below.
Celebration
The Well desires to celebrate the good things the Lord has done in the lives of the church. We intend to seek Jesus in times of trial, and we hope to seek him in times of joy. As believers, we are called to be a reflective people, and these reflections should stir up nothing less than worship and celebration. By reorienting our lives around the story of Jesus and his Church, we will discover that we have many reasons to celebrate. We do this by celebrating milestones.
Church-wide milestones include:
Baptisms / Graduation / New Partners / Births / Marriages / Recovery / Child Dedication / Missions / Volunteers / Current Partners / New GCs / We Love Abilene
If you would like the Elders or Prayer Team to pray for you or celebrate what the Lord has done, please consider submitting the form below.
Submit a prayer request
Physical Need and Bereavement
We believe in actively demonstrating Christ's love through practical and tangible expressions. In this spirit, we recognize the significance of meal trains and bereavement care as essential components of fulfilling this calling. Our Care Team actively engages in facilitating meal trains for those in need and offers bereavement care during challenging times. This includes providing meals to individuals or families facing difficulties, as well as offering comfort and assistance to those dealing with loss. The Well can also help with other physical needs on a case-by-case basis.
To further enhance our support system, we encourage our partners and Gospel Communities to connect with the Care Team for assistance with meal trains or bereavement care. If you or someone you know is in a situation where a helping hand and a warm meal would make a difference, please consider reaching out to our Care Team through the form provided below.