BASS Chaplain Videos

Im often asked about putting up videos of my speaking. Here are a few. If you would like to have Chris Wells aka (The Bass Chaplain) at your next Ministry event. Go to: www.chriswells.org

How is the State of your Union? (And will you address it?)

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"praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every

spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. … "

The State of the Union is the address presented by the President of the United States to a Joint session of Congress and, typically delivered annually. As I listened to our President give this address   last night it occurred to me that all Christians could learn a lesson from this tradition by taking the time to truly evaluate the State of our Union with Christ. Unfortunately just as many Presidents do, we often tend to overestimate how well we are doing, and we don't paint an accurate portrait of what is really going on. Here are a few questions  to help us accurately  gauge how we are doing.

1) Is there evidence of Conversion in my life?- The Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. There are many who name Christ as savior, but never have evidence that He has actually saved them. If you are truly in Christ it will be evident in the fruit that your life produces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self control. When  you examine your life, are these apparent?

2) Do you have an actively consistent time with God? - In the book of Mark it says that very early in the morning, Jesus went to a solitary place where he prayed. There should be nothing that is more important or precious to the believer than spending time with God. As a matter of fact if we are too busy to spend time with God, then we are busier than God created us to be! Do you spend time with God?

3) Do  you have a Biblical spiritually defined purpose?- When God saves us, He also gives us spiritual gifts. The gifts are given to enable us to accomplish God's desired purpose for our lives. However most people have no clue what the spiritual gifts are, much less what their specific gift is. Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Are you using them for His glory?

4) Do you actively look for opportunities to share your faith?- I honestly believe this is vital in our evaluation of our Union with Christ. The apostles devoted their lives to sharing about Christ. The very last words of Jesus in Acts were "You will be my witnesses".  Statistics tell us that most "Christians" will never share their faith with even one person. We will scream for our Football  team, declare our political allegiance, and rail against injustices, yet we can't share about the one who saved us from death and Hell? Do you share your faith?

This is not an exhaustive list, but its is a great start. So while you are mulling over the Presidents State of the Union Address, why not Address what state your "Union" is in.

Forever Fishing,
Chris Wells

My Take on Perry Noble and NewSpring Church (2.0)

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I want to thank the now nearly 15,000 of you that read my last blog posts on My take on Perry Noble and  NewSpring Church. The response has been overwhelming with comments of your various opinions and ideas on my thoughts. I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I want to invite you to be a regular reader of this Blog.

I also want to let you know that not every one of my posts will be a commentary on NewSpring Church, however I did feel led to write this follow up.  The vast majority of comments to my first post were positive, but there were some negative as well.  I respect the right of everyone to have their own opinion. Whenever I formulate an opinion, I always like to get my information from the direct source. If you choose to read the things I have written you will find that I am like that with my writing and my Bible reading. Often times it has been my experience that people hear and read what they want to, and many times critical context is ignored. I want to also reiterate that I have no dog in the NewSpring "fight, I am by all accounts as I said an outside observer.

Now with that said, if you will recall in my last post I concluded by saying that "I have no problem disagreeing or  even opposing someone on hard fact theological errors".  It is very spiritually ironic to me that shortly before I posted my blog that Perry Noble preached a message on Christmas eve that at least part of which I do disagree with. Before I share those with you, I know that some people are getting their critical information from an article written in which claims that Perry Rescinded the 10 commandments. I intentionally have delayed my response to this so I could watch the Dec 24th message and his Jan 4 message in order to hear the context (I suggest you do the same).

In Perry's December 24th message there were in my opinion 3 points of contention, that I will address.

The first of which were Perry's comment on there being no Hebrew word for "Command". He stated that the 10 commandments could better be called the 10 promises. My response to this is No and yes. There is actually a word for commandment in Hebrew, but at the same time the 10 commandments are often referred to in Hebrew at the 10 Sayings, the 10 words, as well as the 10 matters. He used them as the 10 promises. In my opinion he could have worded this better. I also believe the 10 commandments are commands  because the law drives us to the savior. A wise man once said " the Commandments are like a mirror that shows us the stubble on our face. We don't take the mirror down and shave with it, rather it drives us to pick the razor"  The commandments show my need for a savior.

Secondly during the course of the message he (according to his own words) used the N word inadvertently. I had to listen to it 3 times to hear it.  I honestly don't believe he meant to say that, and he apologized for it in his address on Jan. 4. I know that in the course of my speaking, I have gotten jumbled and said words that I didn't mean to say.

Thirdly, people have said that he rescinded or rewrote the commandments. I don't think that is what he did at all. What I saw in the video was Perry quoting the commandment and then saying it in his own words. There were some of his points I thought he did a great job on an others I think he did not do so great on. I think he could have re framed that message better, and I attribute that to his (by his own admittance) lack of preparation.

With all of that said, what concerns me most is the exuberance of some in the christian community who seem over zealous to see this man and this church fall. Do I agree with everything that Perry Noble says? Absolutely not, and I'll let you in on a big secret. There are very (few if any) pastors and theologians that I agree with 100% of the time. Let me give you some examples. 

-TD Jakes and I would disagree  on the Trinity and how one receives the Holy Spirit. Does that mean that I think he is not a man of God? Absolutely not!
- The Duck Dynasty crew and I disagree on baptism. They believe baptism is essential for salvation. I believe baptism is a step of obedience. Do I think they are lost for saying that. I do not.
- John Piper doesn't believe that Jesus came to die for everyone. I believe that He came to die for every single person on the planet. Does that mean he is not a man of God. I don't think so.
-Perry Noble messes up in a single message by saying a word he shouldn't and frames his message in a manner that was hurried and hurt the meaning. Does that make him a heretic? I think not.

It stuns me  how the positives of that message have been totally ignored. I can say this with all integrity of heart. There are very precious few people that I have seen, that care more about people coming to Jesus than Perry Noble. It is evident in his demeanor that he passionately and sincerely desires people to trust Christ. I watched that invitation he gave that night. I did not see manipulation, but rather passionate concern for the lost to be saved. It is my understanding that over 200 indicated they trusted Christ that night.

I pray in my own life that God would fan such a desire in me to care about where people spend eternity. There seems to be such an arrogance and meanness in our dealings with one another. Jesus said "they will know we are Christians by our love for one another". Sometimes I wonder if they do? There seems to be an ominous recruitment to get people into one theological camp or the other. As for me, I have decided to take the advice of one of my Mentors. He said: "Chris in church life, people will ask you what camp you are in. Always remember, Jesus called you to go Fishing, not camping".

Forever Fishing,

Chris Wells

"I love YOUR Church" My take on Perry Noble and NewSpring Church

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I recently read a blog by NewSpring pastor Perry Noble on 10 convictions he has about the Church. Two of the points of his blog caused such a stir in the Christian community that he was led to do a couple of follow up posts on those positions. For years now I have watched the interesting impact that NewSpring has had on churches, ministers , and the culture around my area and beyond. I wanted to blog and comment on some of the things I have seen.

Now with that said, I want to say upfront that I do not have a dog in this fight! I do not attend NewSpring Church , and I am by all accounts an outsider looking in. I have found however that sometimes the perspective of an outsider can be quite helpful and enlightening. I certainly hope that this is the case here.

I remember sitting in a meeting with a group of people about 11 years ago when one of them talked about a new church his daughter was attending. He said "its called Newspring Church, and is primarily attended by college students from the Anderson SC area". One of the others in the room answered with a chuckle and said "well that won't last. Good luck in getting those college students to tithe" Fast forward 11 years and that small Church has an average attendance of over 32,000 weekly and was voted as one of the 10 most influential churches in the world. The impact that NewsSpring Church has had is astounding in my opinion, and is unlike anything I have observed in my lifetime. In 2013 the South Carolina Baptist convention reported NewSpring baptized 6,551 people. If this number doesn't impress you let me put in in perspective. Of the 19,477 people baptized that year, 1 Church accounted for 33% of the total. The next closest Church had 206 baptisms to NewSprings 6,551!

After seeing this information, if you were using the principles of the now old Experiencing God Bible study by Henry Blackaby, certainly you would think that "look what God is doing and join Him" would be the order of the day here. Surprisingly, at least from an outsider looking in, that is not the case. It is quite the opposite as a matter of fact. I hear more criticism concerning NewSpring Church than any other 10 churches combined. If you type in the name Perry Noble on YouTube there are series videos of pastors across the nation from as far as Arizona that bash the ideals, teaching, and principles of Perry Noble. I myself am a speaker and evangelist, and about every where I go I hear people that take the opportunity to complain about NewSpring Church. In the list below I will share some of the things I have seen and heard, and what my experience has been.

1) Perry Noble preaches an easy believe ism and waters down the gospel. I hear this one a lot, so I took the time to listen to some (not all) of his messages. I also went through their statement of beliefs on their website including those on salvation. This is what I heard and read. It starts with Jesus. He loves me and wants to change my life. I have a problem called sin. Sin separates me from God. Jesus came to live a perfect life for me. I need to repent of my sins and turn to Him in faith. Trusting what He did for me on the cross. Then I need to follow Him. Hmmmm I have heard that somewhere before. It was in the Bible. Maybe its because they don't scream it, or they say it with concern, but that sounds pretty good to me.

2) NewSpring Creates Decision makers not converts. In today's Christian culture that seems to be a very dominant issue with today's theologians and ministers. I always wondered who appointed them as value judges on people's conversions? Do I believe that everyone who prays a prayer is converted? Certainly not. However lets look at it this way. Suppose out of the 6,551 people that were baptized at NewSprings that 6,200 were not truly converted. That would mean that only 351 were genuine. That would still be 145 more than the second most baptisms in the state of South Carolina. Wow!

3) NewSpring is just sheep swapping. (They take our church members.) I think this is the criticism that I hear the most about NewSpring. I am not on a church staff presently, but I served on several for over 15 years, and I assure you that church members going to the "Hot" church did not start with NewSpring. Church members have been doing this for many many years, long before NewSpring came around. I looked around their website, and listened to many messages and I have not seen or heard anyone from NewSpring advocate "leave your church and come to ours". Have I been invited to attend NewSpring? Yes I have, and in turn I can say that in my life I have invited many churched and unchurched people to my church. Wouldn't it be cool if we just got excited that at least someone cared enough to invite us TO church?

4) People just come for the show!- This one has always perplexed me. Let me explain. I wonder how many people in the Bible woke up and said "Hey lets go see Jesus and get saved!" I was not there but I bet it was more like. "Hey lets go see this guy who raises people from the dead and ticks the Pharisees off!!" In Jesus' day, He was the show! There was no tv, celebrities, college football, or Duck Dynasty to watch! My point is that even though people may have come to see the show. They ended up following Jesus. Faith comes by hearing, and you can't hear unless you are there.

5) People that go their just get lost in the crowd- (It doesn't lend itself to living out truth.) I am going to answer this one by telling you about some friends of mine who attend NewSpring. Their names are Randy and Carla Morrison. During Perry Nobles overwhelmed series, Randy was challenged by Perry's preaching to put action to his faith (Book of James). He has a care group who helps assimilate new converts into the "following Christ life". One day Randy met "Angel". Angel was a gang banger that had been kicked out of his house by a grand mom who could not handle his drug using lifestyle. While in school one day, another student asked Angel to come to NewSpring with him. He told Angel he would give him a ride not only to youth group, but to school everyday. Angel attend the "Gauntlet" service and gave his life to Christ. Enter Randy and Carla Morrison. When Angel told Randy he wanted to get out of the drug life, Randy began to check into Angel's life. He found out Angel at 17 was living by himself in a motel. He was only supported by the money from his brother (another great story) and the money he could sell from drugs. Randy embarked on finding Angel help. After a month of searching Randy found out there was not help for Angel. God spoke to his heart and said; "you are his help"! Randy and Carla Morrison took Angel into their home to live with them. He is a part of their family now. I don't know about you, but that sure does sound like living out your faith to me!


In conclusion I want to say that I have no problem with disagreeing or even opposing someone on hard fact theological errors and differences. However when the opposition stems from insecurity, jealousy, envy and speculative opinion we can be sure that these things are from the sinful nature. Do I think NewSpring is a perfect Church with a perfect pastor. No I don't. I also don't believe that Church will exist until it is taken up as the Bride of Christ. I'll tell you this. If your Church is about Jesus being the only way to get to God. If your Church brings Him glory. If your Church invites the lost to know Him. If your Church believes the Bible speaks to real life! If your Church brings you into the presence of the living God.

I love Your Church!




**Follow Chris Wells on twitter @Basschaplain

Critical Questions every Pastor search Team should ask

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 A year or so ago my pastor was president of our denomination's state convention. During his tenure one of the things he focused on was how many Churches in our state have had to fire or have their pastor leave due to some conflict. He concluded that our state had one of the highest percentages of Pastors fired in the country. I believe that one of the reasons for this is because often times search teams don't know what to ask a pastoral candidate. Over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to preach literally across the country. Time and again I see Churches that failed to find the right fit for their Church, and the results are devastating. I will share an example of a church that got a bad fit.

"When we interviewed the pastor he told us that he just wanted to reach people for Jesus. We called him and then it began to change. He started teaching our students in a Bible study. The thing of it was, he told them not to tell us what he was teaching. When pressed for answers the students confessed: The pastor is telling us that Jesus didn't come to die for everyone. Just for the Elect". When confronted the pastor affirmed his teaching and position in Calvinism. When asked why he never mentioned this in the interview, his answer: " I didn't think you would hire me".  The Church split, and is on the verge of closing its doors.

This is not just a Calvinism issue. Failure to ask the proper questions can do major damage to any church regardless of theological practices. The key is to know what your candidate believes, and see if those beliefs are consistent with those of your church. Whether you are Calvinist, Armenian or somewhere in between. Save your church and the Pastoral Candidate by asking the right questions before that person is called to pastor.

Here are 7 Critical questions that every committee should ask. 


1) What is the Gospel? This may seem like a simple question,  however it is amazing the  variety of answers this question produces. Find out if the Gospel is the good news of Christ to a lost world, a musical style, or a social agenda to your Pastoral candidate.

2) Do you believe that Jesus Came to die for everyone? - This is one of the most important questions a committee can ask. This single question asked could save Churches countless heartaches. I have seen churches all over this country from my home town to California that have been devastated by failing to find this out. This one question will tell you where your pastor candidate leans theologically.

3) How Has your Theology changed in the last 5 years?-  We live in a culture that has a pendulum theology. It tends to swing back and forth with the winds of the latest theological jargon and teaching. Make sure you know what your Pastoral candidate believes is consistent with what you believe God wants for your Church.

4) Do you actively share your faith? -   The fact of the matter is that statistics tell us that 90% of all Christians (including Ministers) will never share their faith outside of the Church even one time in their life. The person that leads your congregation spiritually should be active in sharing with people how they can know Christ.

5) Are Evangelism and Discipleship mutually exclusive?- Again the pendulum effect applies. Many Ministers and Churches emphasize one or the other. True discipleship CANNOT happen without true evangelism and true evangelism cannot happen without true discipleship. Its a" both and" not an "either or."

6) Do you invite people to Come to Christ?- Whether its an altar call, a counseling room, a card follow up, or a time he can come see you. People need to know how to respond to God. Ask your candidate if he gives people the opportunity to respond to the Spirit of God in their lives.

7) Tell me what you Believe about the Bible?- The Bible is the primary way God chooses to speak to our hearts. It is unlike any other book that has ever been written. Find out your candidates view on the role of the Bible in the life of a christian.


I am not saying these questions are the end all be all of how to call a pastor, but these 7 should be included in any search. Churches need to be prayerful,  Biblical, intentional, and diligent in their search for a spiritual leader. Don't take for granted that the person you are interviewing shares your Churches values. Find out before you call a pastor!

( More Creative Evangelism Events to reach Men)

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One of the privileges I have in being a Christian speaker is to help Churches strategize in putting together Outreach opportunities that are "effective" in reaching people who don't know Jesus.  Anyone can do an event on a Saturday in the Fall that draws the people that already attend their Church. However, if a Church is going to reach people that don't know Christ some outside the box thinking is mandatory. In this posts I have put together just a few suggestions for some events that may just help your Church get creative in reaching Men.

These events are in no particular order, but always remember that there are good times and bad times to do an event. Fall is approaching quickly, and that brings two huge "Men" times to be aware of.  Hunting Season and Football Season. Planning events on Saturdays in the Fall are tricky at best. Always keep this in mind. So with that said here is my list for this go round of Creative Outreach Events.

1) Dog  Dock Jumping Event- Men and dogs are always a winning combination. My Dad used to say that the Good Lord gives every man one good bird dog. If  you get two you are super blessed. Dog Jumping  and Retrieval contests coupled with Fishing events, Cookouts, and sporting events are very popular. A recent Dog jumping event in Georgia drew nearly 4,000 people. Those are people that will never come to your "Church event".

2) Barbecue Competitions- It has been said that Competitive Barbecue cooking is the "Fastest growing Sport" in the nation! Men of every generation, genre, and economic level can be found at these events. To me this jumps off the page as a must do for Churches in the near future, I mean what Church doesn't rally around an eating event right!  This event can be an effective tool in sharing the Gospel with people who don't know Jesus.

3) Ultimate Frisbee Tournaments- In case you haven't heard, ultimate Frisbee just became an official Olympic Sport! Staging Round Robin Tournaments attract men and women both young and old. Its a great way to do and event that isn't normally associated with the Church crowd.

4) 3D Archery Tournaments- I know that I have mentioned this one before, but this event is a winner from the word go. Archery hunting has exploded in the last several years. If you turn on the outdoor channel in the Fall 90% of their programming will be geared towards hunting with a bow. 3 D Archery courses are easy and fun to set up. Its an opportunity to give guys who may not be gifted in other areas in your Church a way to share their faith.

5) Biker Events- Yes I said Biker events. Some of the strongest Christians that I know are Bikers. They take their faith seriously. This type of event, if planned correctly can be a huge outreach success drawing in people that may never otherwise attend your service.

I want to say here that there is a "Pendulum Effect" in many areas of our Churches that swings back and forth between theological positions of doctrine, evangelism and discipleship. We tend to think that we have to be one or the other, when in actuality we need a balance of both.

These are only a few of the events that I share with Churches. God is using these to reach people all over our country. Now let me say that I know that Outreach events are not the staple of a healthy Men's ministry. However, when paired with proper preparation and follow up discipleship, these event can be quite effective.

 Chris Wells consults with Churches all over the country. If you would like to know more about how to plan and implement Creative Outreach events for your Men's Ministry, Chris would love to speak with you.

He can be reached at:
Chris@chriswells.org
864-414-9453

Making plaster casts of the big footprints of Jesus

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Most people who have met me learn pretty quickly that I have a fascination with the "Search for Bigfoot culture". I actually started doing research on the elusive "Sasquatch" long before there were actually people looking for Bigfoot for a living. One of the early techniques of compiling evidence that Bigfoot exists was to make plaster casts of the giant footprints found in areas where the creature was spotted. The footprints were filled with plaster paris and were often of enormous size. Thus the name "Bigfoot" was born. Despite decades of searching with high tech cameras, traps, infer red specs, and even aircraft, Bigfoot has yet to be found.

Jesus on the other hand has been found! Thousands of people not only see His footprints all over and around their lives. He has introduced Himself to their hearts. The evidence of His work is all around us. The problem is that most of us (even christians) fail to recognize and give proper credit to the handiwork of the Lord Jesus. I hear it all the time as folks attribute miraculous occurrences in nature, sickness, fortune, and life in general to the various phenomenon that they trust in. Mother nature, lucky stars, the man upstairs, and the lists go on and on. Well I am here today to share with you some of the "Jesus stories" that I have had in my life.

A few years ago I was hunting with Bassmaster Elite Series Pro Shaw Grigsby and former BASS Pro Doug Odom. It was a great day in the woods and Shaw's son shot a doe with the bow that day so we took it to the deer processor. The processor as it turns out was a missionary to Russia. He earns all his money to stay on the mission field by processing deer during the US hunting season. I had never met him before. As we gave him the deer I was introduced to him and he turned to me and said: "Are you Chris Wells the evangelist?" I told him I sure was as he handed me a book that had over 900 pages in it. I looked down and the thick book that read "The Evolution Handbook". He then proceeded to say: "God told me to tell you to read this". Well what do you say to that? I thanked him for the book and took it with me back to the deer stand.

That afternoon as I thumbed through the Evolution handbook I learned more about how science blows the false teaching of evolution away than I did even at seminary! I was so impressed I carry the Evolution books with me everywhere I speak. Now the story gets really good!

 I was speaking at a Free Will Baptist Church near Florence South Carolina when a teenager came up to me and introduced himself. He told me that he got the Evolution Handbook from a Wild game Banquet where he saw me speak 2 years ago.

 Here is what he shared: "Chris, I started writing science papers in my school from the Evolution Handbook. My science teacher is a Molecular Biologist that actually went to the Islands where Darwin came up with most of his theories. She began to ask me questions a few months ago, so I gave her the book. Last Friday afternoon I led my science teacher to Jesus in the parking lot." 

My friends  whether the "Finding Bigfoot" crowd finds him or not is really not going to change our lives. However Finding Jesus not only changes our lives now, but for all eternity.

*If you would like to know more about starting a relationship with Jesus Christ. Please email Chris at chris@chriswells.org