Church of Wells
The Church of Wells (formerly the Church of Arlington, or You Must Be Born Again (YMBBA) Ministries) is an American religious group considered by some to be a cult located in Wells, Texas. The group is led by Sean Morris, Jacob Gardner, and Ryan Ringnald, former street preachers who are all in their early thirties. It has approximately ninety members, many being young adults and children.
| Church of Wells | |
|---|---|
Church building in 2020 | |
| Classification | New Christian religious movement |
| Orientation | Fundamentalist Christian |
| Theology | Revivalist |
| Moderator | Sean Morris, Jake Gardner, Ryan Ringnald |
| Region | Wells, Texas |
| Origin | 2011 Wells, Texas |
| Members | 90 |
| Other name(s) | Church of Arlington You Must Be Born Again (YMBBA) Ministries (both formerly) |
| Official website | thechurchofwells |
In 2004, Morris and Ringnald met as roommates at Baylor University. Both students met and made friends with Gardner as regulars of Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. After attending Antioch Waco for several years, they left and founded the Church of Wells in 2011.
The church and its members have been involved in several controversies such as the delayed reporting of a three-day-old infant's death. Many church members have engaged in disorderly and disruptive behavior such as disrupting a Lakewood Church service, which has led to some criminal charges and convictions. They believe this is consistent with biblical persecution. Accounts of individuals abandoning their families and former way of life, such as Catherine Grove, have led to the idea that the church could be an emerging cult. One man claimed he was kidnapped and drugged by the church; his story aired on the talk show Dr. Phil. In addition, one of the church's "side businesses", a sawmill, has faced numerous complaints and citations by OSHA due to unsafe working conditions and use of child labor.