Eagle

By Karen L. Willoughby

MERIDIAN, Idaho – Nobody told Ryan Scheibel invitations to follow Jesus are no longer routinely being given at most churches.

Ever since Scheibel planted Water Brooks Church Easter Sunday in 2021, he has offered an invitation at the close of each service. At least 169 people as of Sept. 1 have made public commitments to Jesus, and 90 so far have followed through with baptism, including 34 this summer in Boise River.

“I baptize my coworkers families, people I’ve gotten to know,” Scheibel told UI Connections. “I baptized seven of our neighbors this last baptism. We had church in the park, and eight accepted Christ that day.

“When I’m sharing the gospel, especially when we’re at the park, I say in the early church, when people first gave their life to Christ one of the first things they would do to show the world they are believers, they would get baptized immediately,” Scheibel continued. “Then I hand them a towel.”

Scheibel’s Christian history might explain his focus on giving gospel invitations.

“I believed in God but wasn’t walking with Him,” Scheibel said. “I was invited to a Greg Laurie crusade and heard how God loves me, how He would transform me into a new creation; that He had forgiven me and wants to use me to reach this lost world for Him, that God gives us purpose.”

After that crusade, Scheibel said, he visited Greg Laurie’s church and got prayer from Jonathan Laurie, Greg Laurie’s son.

“When I started following the Lord the youth pastor [at Calvary Chapel San Juan Capistrano] discipled me and gave me opportunities to share my testimony,” the Water Brooks pastor continued. “I went to Calvary Chapel Bible College, took an apologetics class, and I realized how much there was to know. I fell in love with God’s Word. That’s where I felt the call of God to be in ministry my whole life. I want to live my life so other people can find Jesus.”

Scheibel in time was named part-time youth pastor at another church in Aliso Viejo while working in construction at LAX airport. When the youth ministry grew from 30 to 100 and he was injured on the job, he asked the church about going full time into youth ministry, but the church didn’t have the money for that.

“The Lord shut the doors there,” Scheibel said. “We prayed and God started opening doors in Idaho. My wife’s dream was to live in Idaho; It’s one of the fastest growing states in the nation and a great spot to raise a family. God pulled both of our heart strings.”

They moved to Eagle, Idaho, in the summer of 2020. 

Today Scheibel works bivocationally at Micron Technology Inc., which manufactures computer memory and storage products. He runs the Boise-based company’s carpenter strut shop. His wife Shawna Scheibel parents and homeschools the three oldest of their four youngsters: boys ages 8 months, 5 and 7, and a girl, 3.

The couple started a non-denominational Water Brooks Church with a Bible study in their garage in August 2020, but this summer – after Scheibel had completed the North American Mission Board’s assessment protocol – the church requested affiliation with Treasure Valley Baptist Association, the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention, and the national Southern Baptist Convention.

The SBC connection grew out of conversations with Jonathan Laurie. His father Greg Laurie led Harvest Ministries to affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2017. The elder Laurie had said his decision to join in Southern Baptist efforts “merely extends the reach of our fellowship within the Christian world at a time when I feel the American church desperately needs unity and a renewed passion for evangelism,” according to an article on the Christian Post website.

The younger Laurie touted the benefits of being in partnership with the nation’s largest group of evangelical churches. Scheibel also met Southern Baptist leaders in Idaho, including Clint Henry, pastor of Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian, who is now mentoring Scheibel and four other Idaho church planters. 

Henry introduced Scheibel to Michael Cooper, UISBC’s lead church planting catalyst, who introduced Scheibel to the NAMB assessment process for church planters.   

“I was really encouraged when I went through the NAMB assessment,” Scheibel said. “It was the greatest church planting training I have ever seen. I learned so much!

“I am excited to point other church planters to go through NAMB church planting training,” Scheibel continued. “I love their heart for evangelism, reaching the lost with the gospel. I love how they are all about churches planting churches.” 

Water Brooks Church gathers for Sunday worship in another church’s offices, which aren’t available the rest of the week. This limits the church’s growth and ability to do ministry, Scheibel said. Men, women, and youth all gather in homes and other rented places throughout the week, but still ….

“It’s our prayer and vision to acquire our own church facility by 2028 so we can keep fulfilling the Great Commission,” Scheibel said. “That way we can use the building every day of the week for all our ministries and have a permanent home.”

Scheibel isn’t limiting his time to praying for a building.

“Every time I teach the Bible, I give an invitation for people to give or rededicate their life to Jesus as Lord and Savior,” the church planting pastor said. “Because of all that God has done for me, and the complete miracle He did in transforming my heart and life, I want to live life for Him so that other people can find freedom in Him also.”

Scheibel wrote 30 Days at the Water Brook: Revive and refresh your soul, which was published in 2019 by Brook of Life Publishing. In addition to 30 scripture-based ways of coping with life’s challenges, the book includes a dozen situation-specific scripture memory verses, and a “One year through the Bible reading plan.” The book is available in paperback for $10 at Amazon.com.