The Well has started to take the initiative to build a network of small churches in Brussels who commit to meeting and praying together quarterly to reach our neighborhoods with the love of Jesus.

Since the very beginning of The Well, we have had the vision of a network of neighborhood-based, relationally-sized expressions of church in each of the 88 neighborhoods of Brussels. Since 2005, we have experimented with multiple small expressions of The Well meeting in various areas of the city, all studying the same Biblical materials and coming together for worship and a meal once a month (“All Well”). Normally, we have had 3-5 expressions in the city at any one time.

However, as an international church with many comings and goings, the numbers in these groups have fluctuated dramatically. In fall of 2017, the leadership of The Well felt that the current groups were too small to thrive well, and they recombined in order to reproduce more sustainably. We thought this would happen in 2018, but as of the end of the year we were still consolidated in one group meeting together. (We are, however, hoping to reproduce into two neighborhood expressions in 2019.)

Well leadership retreat

In the meantime, though, Carlton had become involved in “Movement Day,” an organization started just a few years ago in New York by Tim Keller and Mac Pier to encourage cooperation between churches in cities. Carlton was invited to speak on “Serving the Poor in an Urban Setting” at Movement Day in Nairobi last August, and encountered the leaders of the movement while staying in the same hotel. They invited him to join their group, fostering gospel movements in cities around the world. A perfect connection with our primary concerns!

After attending the 100 Cities Summit in Washington D.C. (see “Eighteen Reasons” article), Carlton was newly excited about the opportunities for unity movements among churches in Brussels. There are many opportunities to do more with a number of these that are already current in Brussels: the A-net association of international churches (of which The Well is a part); the Brussels English-Speaking Pastors Association (BESPA); a weekly pastor’s prayer group at the Brussels House of Prayer, among others. Carlton has contacted leaders in the French and Flemish churches in Brussels to see if perhaps we might do an Easter sunrise service together this year!

But also, Carlton recognized that perhaps his vision for a network of missional expressions of church in every neighborhood of Brussels might not be limited to The Well. Perhaps it might be possible, while working for unity with all kinds of churches, to work for a closer relationship with like-minded small churches all over the city! And not just international, English-speaking churches either…

So in December 2018, Carlton had conversations with a number of other churches to broach the subject:

  • With Christel, one of the leaders at the French-speaking Église Évangelique de la Cambre, a Redeemer church plant with which we have numerous connections through Serve the City
  • With Joel, a Rwandan pastor starting a new church plant in the next neighborhood over
  • With Marinus & Eveline, a Dutch couple leading an English-speaking church plant called Mosaic in the St. Catherine area of the city

Some of the proposals Carlton discussed with them include combined services (like All Well, but with shared leadership), and shared strategies for reaching out to the neighborhood. We are considering calling this network “Love Neighborhood.” Please pray for this initiative as it develops throughout the year!