Basic Church Information:
Church Website: https://www.thewellslc.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thewellslc
The Questionnaire
The Well was institutionally opposed to answering the questionnaire. Luckily, due to their public entries and some third-party software they use, some of the answers could be deduced and have consequently been filled in where appropriate.
1. What is your church's official position on tithing?
No statement was received on this! However, from the Wells website and their mobile phone application, there are options to give funding to the church. Selection options include ‘Tithe Sandy’ and ‘Tithe Downtown”. The fact that the word Tithe has been used, and explicitly separated from the ‘Offerings’ speaks volumes.
2. Does your church have a particular set of rules or requirements that members must follow or abide by in order to retain their membership status with the church?
The church makes a point about promoting partnerships with the church, prayer, financial, and others. What is not readily available is the full range of options, the requirements, and any perceived benefits of being in partnership with the Well. In fact, in this area, the church is somewhat behind the field, and their lack of open disclosure on these operations is concerning.
3. What is your church's official position on the doctrine of salvation? Through grace, works, both?
Their website states, “Man's only hope of salvation rests in the grace that is freely given in, through and by Jesus Christ. It is through faith that we are saved by grace (which is undeserved and unearned) through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts.
Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 9:22”.
4. Are you transparent with your church's financial information? How much does your church bring in through donations and tithing, and how is that money distributed? What do your profit on average?
Noticeably NOT transparent and totally evasive: The church states it started in 2013. It then moved into another larger building in 2015, and in 2018 was offering three services each Sunday. Today in 2019 it has two sites, offering two services each Sunday from each. The business acumen, site expansions, and buildings good maintenance all allude to the organization being very profitable.
5. Which denomination does your church align with the most, if any?
Their Facebook page states, “We are a non-denominational Christian church with two locations.”
6. Is your church's pastor available for other questions or comments regarding the church, its doctrines, etc.?
The Well declined to answer the question, and no credible proof of compliance was freely available over the internet.
7. How is your church's doctrinal flexibility and tolerance? If a member has a disagreement with the pastor or leadership on a certain doctrine, how is it handled? Does the church change its position on doctrines fairly often, if at all?
No information upon doctrinal flexibility or tolerance was received. Nor was any information on how the Well handles doctrinal changes, theological disputes with the pastors or the leadership.
8. Does your church require that its members be baptized? What is your church's official position on baptism?
From within their statements of faith from their website, baptism is only mentioned once, and this is to the ongoing baptism (or infilling) of the Spirit from a Pentecostal viewpoint.
9. Please describe what a typical service and/or meeting looks like in your church.
Again no information was made available from the Well to this question. However, from their website and in particular their mobile app, it was possible to listen to several services. But, it must be said that the Well is somewhat behind the field as regards broadcasting its services via video links.
As you would expect from a Megachurch, there is quite a bit of emphasis on the worship music. The sermons tend to be quite topical, and are normally in relation to modern-day parallels. The strange fact was the interaction with the congregation as a part of the sermon. Some may find this disrespectful at times, but seemingly the sermons worked for their audience.
10. How many people do you have on staff at your church, both paid and volunteer?
The Well refused to answer this.
11. What is the pastor's educational history?
Not too much is known about many of the leaders, there is almost a none disclosure policy. The senior pastor Jason Parrish just discloses that he went to Hillsong College, Australia on his Facebook page. Nothing as to the qualification achieved or positions held after leaving college to pastoring at ‘The Well’ nine years later. His wife who is also the Executive pastor at ‘The Well’ lists a B.S. in Theology from Liberty University, while his brother Justin Dimitri Parrish who has been ministering with Jason for 15 years according to his tweets - just says that he works at ‘The Well’. His official designation is Worship/Youth Pastor according to the Well’s website. Note the Well was formed in 2013, which means there are nine years roughly unaccounted for if his tweet is accurate.
Information on the rest of the pastors is often just as sketchy, with several family relationships coming into play, i.e. the Sandy and Downtown campus pastors are currently husband and wife teams. Dave Nelsen does declare going to UVU university but does not state the subject or grade achieved. None of the Well’s main campus pastors on Facebook state any formal qualifications for ministry. Even stranger, they don’t advertise the fact they are even pastors at the Well.
12. How does the church discipline its members with their sin?
No information from The Well was presented on this at all.
13. How is the pastor compensated (income, benefits, bonuses, etc.)?
The church refused to discuss or elaborate on this information.
14. What is the size of your church and any other space the church owns for meetings and church services?
This information was not provided; however, the church does operate under two separate venues Sandy and Downtown. Their website states that both sites perform two Sunday services each currently.
Do you attend the Well church in Salt Lake City, Utah? Have any information that you could share to answer some of our questions? Feel free to contact us or upload it on our Support Us Page.