How "The Well" Is Shaping the Next GenerationHow "The Well" Is Shaping the Next Generation

The Story Behind The WellThe Story Behind The Well

Jess Schmidt began ministry training in 2016, and in 2021 she returned to Bowling Green, Ohio, where her work on campus grew. Today she is full-time staff at H2O Church BG and Conference Director for the Collegiate Church Network.

Much of Jess's work on campus happens through The Well, a six-week discipleship experience. It was developed more than 20 years ago to help students understand what it means to follow Jesus, get involved in the local church and start leading. It is a class, and it is also a first step into a gospel-centered life lived with other people.

Each session includes teachings, group discussion, personal mentorship through a “One12 Partner” (based on Romans 1:12), and opportunities to serve with the church. Students are not passive participants; they are invited to show up, contribute, reflect, and grow.

Jess does The Well along with her students. She takes the assessments with them and still learns something new every semester, and after four years of leading it, it still shapes her own walk with Jesus.

Why The Well works, and how it could work for youWhy The Well works, and how it could work for you

Jess says The Well works because nobody does it alone. Students go through teaching and spiritual disciplines together, ask honest questions with a mentor they trust and start sharing the gospel in everyday life. The structure gives students ownership without pressure, wherever they are in their faith.

Every semester Jess watches hesitant students leave more confident in their faith, more connected to Christian community and more ready to make disciples. One student, Bennett, went from a life centered on parties to leading in the church after going through The Well.

Since 2021, more than 350 students have gone through The Well at H2O BG. It is open to students in every year, and many come back later as table leaders or mentors.

Jess also hopes to adapt The Well for local churches outside the campus setting. The campus version has to fit a semester, but she imagines a longer version for adults in the city that could go deeper and build lasting community.

Other churches in and beyond the Collegiate Church Network have already begun adapting The Well, some tweaking the length, others renaming it entirely, but still drawing from its core components: gospel fluency, communal learning, mentorship, and mission.

Jess believes discipleship shouldn't be rushed or saved for a few. Everyone should have a clear, inviting next step, and The Well gives them one.

Final EncouragementFinal Encouragement

Jess closes with Philippians 1:6: He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Whether you are new to ministry or hoping to disciple others in your church or on your campus, you can trust God to finish the work He starts.

ResourcesResources

Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt. A practical book about bringing the truths of the gospel into everyday life. Jess recommends it often, and her husband, who isn't much of a reader, has read it twice.

https://saturatetheworld.com/gospelfluency/

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop. Lament is a biblical practice many Christians don't understand well, and this book helped Jess learn to cry out to God with honesty and hope. She often recommends it to people going through grief, hardship or long seasons of waiting.