• Distinctive Theology: Wellspring teaches exclusive Jesus-Name baptism using a unique verbal formula prescribed by its founder and required for being born again.

• Only “True” Church: Wellspring understands itself as possessing the fully restored doctrine necessary to enter the Kingdom of God and the only correct pattern of corporate worship.

• Authority and Lifelong Loyalty: Wellspring requires submission to church leadership and treats church membership as a lifelong commitment.

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Orthodox Beliefs and Distinctive Claims
 

Wellspring adheres to many orthodox Christian beliefs including: The Fallen State of Man, The Eternality of God, The Incarnation, The Virgin Birth, The Full Deity and Full Humanity of Jesus Christ, The Passion, Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ.

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Although Wellspring presents itself as simply a local Christian church, it holds distinctive beliefs that set it apart from historic Christianity.​

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Within this system, maintaining fidelity to these beliefs can be treated as requiring separation from members who reject the church’s doctrine or authority, even when that separation divides families.

The purpose of this website is to expose Wellspring’s distinctive doctrines and high-control practices so that believers and seekers can understand the demands being placed upon them before becoming involved.

 

 

Distinctive Theological Beliefs
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Wellspring holds a number of distinctive beliefs. It identifies the foundational principles of its teaching with Hebrews 6:1–2, a framework that reflects the Latter Rain tradition from which Wellspring’s theology developed.​​

Within that framework, Wellspring’s doctrine of being born again rests on three distinctive beliefs:

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1. Wellspring teaches that baptism administered according to Christ’s command in Matthew 28:19, ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’, is invalid and insufficient, and that believers must instead be baptized in Jesus’ name to be born again.
    

2. Wellspring teaches that Jesus-Name baptism requires a specific verbal formula prescribed by founder Norman H. James to effect the circumcision of the heart necessary for being born again.
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3. Wellspring teaches that speaking in tongues is the necessary evidence that a person has received the indwelling Holy Spirit necessary to be born again.​

 

Taken together, these teachings redefine what it means to be born again and enter the Kingdom of God in a way that departs fundamentally from historic Trinitarian Christianity.​

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From Doctrine to Church Identity and Practice

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Once these claims are understood, Wellspring’s doctrines of restored truth, authentic worship, church authority, and lifelong membership can be seen in their broader context. Together, they help explain Wellspring’s understanding of itself as the “true church” and the believer’s place within it.

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Restored Doctrine

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Wellspring believes their doctrines are the pure, revealed doctrines of the early church. They claim these truths were lost soon after the original apostles died. They believe that God has "fully restored” these truths to them. These foundational doctrines were taught to them by the founder of Wellspring Church and self-proclaimed "apostle" Norman H. James.

 

Since no other church holds the entirety of their distinctive blend of "restored" doctrines, they do not recognize other churches as having "fully restored truth" or fully correct Christian doctrine.   

 

Restored Worship

 

Wellspring believes that its worship is the only true and "fully restored" pattern of Christian worship. They teach that it reflects both the worship of the New Testament church and the worship of heaven. Specifically, they understand true worship "in spirit and truth" to be expressed through weekly congregational speaking in tongues (everyone in the congregation speaking in tongues concurrently), followed by opportunities for prophecy.

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Although this pattern closely resembles forms of worship that have long been practiced in Pentecostal revival traditions, what distinguishes Wellspring is not simply the practice itself, but the claim that it is the restored apostolic standard for the true church. Churches that do not follow this pattern are therefore not regarded as "worshiping in the Spirit" or practicing true worship.

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Church Authority

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Formerly to the "apostle", now subject to the board of elders, obedience and submission to church authority is paramount in this group. Scripture passages concerning authority and submission are given particular emphasis and are frequently used to define members’ obligations to church leadership. Those who challenge church leadership often report being publicly corrected, humiliated, or pressured to submit through practices described elsewhere on this website. Those who repeatedly challenge or disobey the leadership are compared to those who practice witchcraft and are ostracized by the group.

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Church Membership

 

Wellspring requires a church membership commitment which they teach as a lifelong commitment to both God and the leadership of the church. They teach that one must permanently remain in the church they were “born in”, either physically or spiritually. This expectation puts members under extreme psychological pressure to remain in the community, similar to other cults and high control groups. Members fear leaving Wellspring Church because they fear breaking their church commitment, which the leadership likens to a marriage commitment. 

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Familiar Christian Language, Different Meanings

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None of Wellspring Church's leaders have attended seminary or earned a theological degree. More significantly, the church has generally viewed formal theological education with skepticism, often portraying seminaries and Bible schools as sources of doctrinal error. As a result, its leaders have been shaped almost exclusively by the teachings of Wellspring's founder and the church's internal theological tradition rather than by the broader history of Christian theology.

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It is important to understand that Wellspring Church employs language and terms familiar to Christians, but their internal definition of that terminology differs profoundly from Christian churches.

 

As explored in this website, Wellspring's internal definition of church membership, worship, salvation, being born again, God's sovereignty, the Trinity, sonship, the kingdom of God and other doctrines are radically different from Christian churches that use the same terms.