The Well – A Women’s Bible Study and Training Ministry

By Karen McBride
Published by Dunndeal Publications
August, 2015

Since its inception in 2005, The Well has helped women grow in their personal walk with God and to develop spiritual leadership. Susie Walther, President and Founder of The Well began the ministry to share her love of Jesus and His Word with other women. The training ministry is for women of all ages (17-80+) and denominations (Catholic, Baptist, Charismatic, Methodist, etc.). It is both ethnically and socio-economically diverse.

The philosophy is that if each woman would allow God to be the center of her life, she will see a difference in her marriage, her children, her church, and her world. The ministry encourages women by empowering them to serve in their churches and communities more effectively.

The Well Bible Study Ministry offers bible studies throughout the year. There are 2-3 sessions per year. The fall session begins August 25 and is 16 weeks long, with 3 weeks of breaks throughout for the holidays.

The meetings are held in the mornings and evenings to accommodate the variety of women’s schedules. There are four “Well days” – Tuesday evenings, Wednesday mornings, Thursday mornings and Thursday evenings. Each “Well day” includes three main parts – large group, prayer groups and bible studies. Women can select from several studies to attend.

Here are some of the bible studies women can choose for the fall session:

* The Hole in Our Holiness-Filling the Gap Between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, by Kevin DeYoung. The class is taught by Susie Walther on Tuesday evenings and Liz Hile on Wednesday mornings.

*Spiritual Warfare, by Jack Kuhatschek. Satan’s greatest power is the power of his lies, which sound like truth to us. The class is taught by Carla Horning on Thursday mornings and Sylvia Rosado-Delay on Thursday evenings.

*Keep It Shut-What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All, by Karen Ehman. The class is taught by a variety of instructors on several different days.

There is no charge for attending the bible studies (other than the cost of purchasing the books pertaining to the particular study). The Well is a donation supported ministry, and the expectation is that women who are benefitting from the ministry would contribute financially, if possible. Childcare is available during the bible studies for a donation.

When asked how the staff come up with the ideas for the bible studies, Ms. Walther said “Recommendations from women attending, trends/needs we see in the women attending, and based on discipleship concepts and principles we want to advance that push against paradigms that have proven to be unhelpful and ineffective in our pursuit of Christ and the Great Commission.”

The Well has touched so many lives in the ten years since it began. The spring session, which ran from January – April 2015, had 525 women in attendance. More than half were returning participants and the rest were first-time attendees to the ministry. In July, The Well hosted their first discipleship conference. Over 200 women were in attendance from churches throughout Tampa Bay and around the country. The next events will be held in 2016, which will include Evangelism Training (a 1-day local training with the Well and Pastor Delio Del Rio, PhD) and Extreme Wife Makeover 4 (a 3-day retreat/conference in Daytona Beach).

The Well is hosted at the First Baptist Church of Lutz, located at 18116 N US Highway 41 Lutz, FL 33549. For more information on The Well, please go to http://www.thewellbiblestudy.org