Who we are

Our story, beliefs, and heart behind The Well.

Our Story

After moving from South Africa to Armenia in October 2017, Johan and Chloë van Heerden with their two children settled in Yerevan and sought ministry opportunities and God’s will for more than four years. After much confirmation and guidance from God, on the 30th of October, 2022, they planted The Well Church in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia.

With hearts full of faith…

and despite many challenges, the church grew to a small but active community, knit together with love for each other and above all, love and devotion to God! Before long, the Lord was adding members and visitors from many different countries and walks of life, turning The Well into a colorful and joyful medley of diversity. Before planting, God had spoken to Johan & Chloë’s hearts that The Well was to be an Antioch type of church as seen in the book of Acts chapter 13. A church that becomes a base of operations and a sending church.

Since Armenia is often a “stepping-stone nation”, a location that sees many transient people who are only passing through, the vision God had spoken regarding an Antioch model made much sense. We believe that many will come to The Well, encounter God, be transformed and as they GO, they will impact Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Our Lead Elders

Johan & Chloe Van Heerden

Through this community, we believe God will make a kingdom impact in Yerevan, Armenia, and the nations!

Vision & Values

Encounter

We place a high value on:

Times of worship & prayer
The presence of God
The Person and gifts of Holy Spirit
The power of Jesus

Transformation

We are serious about:

Intentional discipleship of individuals towards growth in fruit, character and maturity
Salvation, healing, deliverance and equipping of every individual unto maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).
Identifying and developing the unique giftings (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12) and callings (Eph. 4) of individuals to bless the local church and beyond.

Impact

We believe that:

Every transformed believer should become a living, moving well, to impact his/her immediate surroundings and community
Every individual should become a disciple-maker
Multiplication and growth will happen as the model of discipleship is reproduced
The Well will be an Antioch model church that sends faithful men and women from our midst to the nations of the world (2 Tim. 2:2). We believe that many will find their calling, both local and to other nations in our midst.

Apostolic Doctrine – Acts 2:42

Apostolic, prophetic foundations – Eph. 2:20

All five of the fivefold ministry offices – Eph. 4:11

Fellowship – Acts 2:42

The Breaking of Bread – Acts 2:42

Prayer – Acts 2:42

Distribution to the Needy – Acts 6:1

Caring for orphans and widows – Js. 1:27

Meeting in homes and the “temple” (central location) – Acts 2:46; Acts 5:42

Families and all age groups – Acts 16:33-34; Joel 2:28

Multicultural context – Mark 11:17; Rev 7:9

Statement of Faith

The Bereans were commended in the book of Acts as a group of people who were nobler than others since while they received the word (preaching and teaching) with eagerness, they examined the scriptures daily to see if the teachings which they heard were true (Acts 17:11). Accordingly, as a congregation we endeavor to base our doctrinal foundations categorically and exclusively on the Bible. The following is an outline of doctrinal beliefs that we hold to be fundamental. Apart from these there are many other doctrinal beliefs that we hold but do not necessarily consider fundamental.

Some convictions are written in pencil and can be erased and rewritten without any significant repercussions. Other convictions are written in pen and more thought needs to be given before they are erased and rewritten. Then there are those convictions that are written in blood. They are the fundamental doctrines of our faith that are and have for centuries been agreed upon universally as the primary tenets of our faith. These fundamental doctrinal beliefs cannot be erased and therefore they form the foundations of the congregation.

There is one God, the Creator/Originator of all things visible and invisible, Who is eternally self-existent. One God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God in trinity (tri-unity) (2 Corinthians 13:14). We do not blend the three Persons nor divide Their essence. The Person of the Father is a distinct Person. The Person of the Son is another and the Person of the Holy Spirit is still another. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal and co-eternal in glory, power, authority, and majesty. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God – uncreated, immeasurable, eternal, and almighty. The Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God, yet there are not three gods; there is but one God.

In terms of ontology (essence or being), eternal existence and divinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal. In terms of economy (role and function), the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have uniquely distinguished roles that do not diminish or increase the divinity or ontology of any One Person of the Trinity in comparison to another. There is no eternal hierarchy or subordination in the Trinity.

God the Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone.
He is holy and perfect. He is all-powerful, always good, always faithful, and ever reaching out to ALL humanity with the good news of His grace through His Son Jesus Christ, through whom He offers us redemption and eternal relationship. He is the perfect Father who is never changing in His love, compassion, and grace for us, always longing for humanity to be restored to Him through faith in Jesus Christ, His Son (James 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

The Son was neither made nor created; He was begotten/born from the Father alone before all ages (John 3:16). God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made (John 1:3). For humanity and for our salvation, He came down from heaven as the incarnate God, Who tabernacled with humanity (John 1:14), and by the Holy Spirit was conceived, born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35), and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried. He descended into Hell and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. Jesus accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and our salvation is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both God and human, equally. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and He is human from the essence of his mother; born in time; completely God, completely human. Equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although He is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to Himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of His Person.

He is the only one who can reconcile us to God the Father. He lived a perfect, sinless life that we could not live and was crucified on the cross, where He paid the price for our sin and our shame—the very things that separated us from God. He died for us and as us, was buried, and was resurrected that we may have eternal life. He is the Head of His Body, the Church, and in all things He has preeminence. Jesus is the One Who baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; He proceeds from the Father and with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified. The Holy Spirit is fully God. He guides us into all truth and reveals to us God’s righteousness, convicts us of our sin and of the coming judgment. He assures us of our salvation, comforts us, guides us, and sanctifies us.

The church, from the beginning, was birthed through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and of His power. His Presence and power are manifested in numerous ways, including signs, miracles, and wonders, all of which are available and needed just as much now as they were was at the birth of the church.

We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and in speaking in new tongues. We believe that the Spirit gives gifts to men for the extension of His Kingdom and to build up His church on earth. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is formed in believers as they obey Him, and live lives yielded to Him. He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration (John 16:1- 8).

The Bible is the word of God recorded by human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (the doctrine of Biblical inspiration). All scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their original writing are fully inspired by God, inerrant and infallible. They are the full and final authority in the life of the believer (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

God created humans in His image to enjoy eternal life and relationship with Him and with one another (Genesis 1:26-27). God’s plan was for us to rule and reign with Him and to fulfill His Kingdom here on earth. However, Adam and Eve sinned, and that sin separated them from God and brought the curse of sin and death into the world that is inherited by all of humanity. Because of this original sin all human beings inherit a sinful nature that results in actual transgression and personal, individual guilt. Mankind is now separated from God—spiritually dead, lost, facing eternity without God, desperately in need of salvation.

There is only one way of salvation, only one way to restore our relationship with God and to deal with our sinful nature and the sin that separates us from Him. That singular way is through Jesus Christ and His blood shed on the cross for our forgiveness (John 14:6). All who repent of (turn away from) their sin and trust Jesus Christ by faith are born again of the Holy Spirit and become children of God. This salvation is by faith alone and grace alone, undeserved and wholly apart from our works or accomplishments. It is a free gift from God, but each person must accept the gift and place their faith in Jesus Christ by believing in Him in order to receive it and experience eternal life. The gift of salvation, made possible through Jesus, is what we refer to as the Gospel (Romans 3:24; 1 John 2:1-2).

We believe that Christ will return as He promised (the second coming), prompting the resurrection of the dead – both believers and unbelievers. The redeemed (believers in Jesus) will be resurrected to eternal life while the unredeemed (unbelievers) will be resurrected to eternal damnation (Revelation 20:11-15) as a result of rejecting His offer of salvation through Jesus. God created us to live forever and His desire is that we experience eternal life and communion with Him. Based on our response to Jesus Christ in this life we will either spend eternity with Him in heaven or separated from Him in hell.

All those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ have been redeemed by Him and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and they together form the Church. Jesus is the head of the Church and all who follow Christ are called to be a part of a local church where they, together with other believers, advance the Kingdom of God and carry on the ministry of Jesus (Ephesians 1:22-23).

We believe that eldership is the highest form of governance in the church on earth. Accordingly, we believe that the best model of church governance is that of a local church led by a group of elders.

In such a group or team of elders, there is what could be referred to as ‘lead elders’. Currently, Johan and Chloë van Heerden serve as lead elders of The Well.

Biblically, elders are responsible for church government (i.e. setting direction, establishing doctrine, and if necessary executing discipline), oversight, leadership, and pastoral care (Acts 14:23). Elders, in turn, appoint various deacons to shepherd those entrusted to their care and assist in various aspects of church life and growth. In terms of broader spiritual connections and accountability, The Well partners with the NCMI (New Covenant Ministries International) apostolic team of international churches