Our Story

Over 30 years ago, men and women came to Bowling Green, OH and planted a church that was solely focused on college students at Bowling Green State University. The church started to grow and God raised up leaders. This young vibrant church became a flourishing collegiate-focused church with pastors and staff committed to carrying the mission forward. Over the years, many students, staff and leaders were sent out to serve in ministries and church plants. God gave us much success in sharing the gospel with college students, raising them up as leaders, and sending them out to love and serve for Jesus.

Decades later, we decided to streamline the focus from not only being a sending church in general, but to a specific vision of starting H2O churches on major campuses in the Midwest. In 2008 we started the H2O Network.


About 15 years ago, God gave us this vision to focus on universities in Ohio and beyond. There were lots of doubts, lots of obstacles in our way. And just being out on a limb and doing what God asked us to do, brought incredible times of intimacy with God. Depending on Him and leaning on Him to come through is a great place to be in our active faith. God has provided in such an amazing way.


We had this vision to grow from one church to many, and now we have seen God’s provision. We have grown from one church in 2008 to over ten churches totaling over 2000 in attendance. Our hope and goal is to plant at least two H2O Churches every year as we move forward.


We look forward to where God is leading us. Our hope and prayer is that students everywhere would experience Jesus as their Living Water during this important season of life in college.

          - John 4:13-14 -

“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND OUR NAME?

This is a question we get a lot. No, we are not a church of chemistry students. Our name is actually rooted in a story from the Gospel of John, a scene from the life of Jesus. And it captures perfectly what we are all about at H2O Church.


A woman went to a well to get water. She was doing something ordinary, something she had probably done a thousand times before. But while she was there, she met Jesus. She didn’t know at first that He was God. But during their conversation it became clear that Jesus was not just an ordinary man.


Jesus told her the things she pursued to find life were empty and would leave her more broken. Then, while she filled a jug with water, he offered her something that would quench her deeper thirst. He called it living water, and he was talking about himself. 


He told her that what she needed most was to be transformed by the God who knew her every struggle. And that’s exactly what happened as she embraced Jesus by that well. Her life was radically changed, and she couldn’t wait to tell her family and friends.

You are doing something ordinary - Going to college. Writing papers. Making friends. Changing your major. What if, just like that woman at the well two thousand years ago, Jesus wants to change your life? We are all looking for life, purpose, and belonging. And we look in lots of places to find these things. But in the end it’s only Jesus, the One who made us, who can give us exactly what we are looking for.

  • Collegiate Church network

    COLLEGIATE.CHURCH

    Collegiate Church Network plants and grows collegiate churches devoted to the Great Commission. Through bold proclamation of the gospel, intensive leadership development, and focused church planting, we’re building a network of churches that will greatly influence this country and the world for Jesus Christ.


    There are over 20 churches meeting on 15 college campuses - including the H2O Churches. 

  • SEND NETWORK (North American Mission Board)

    WWW.NAMB.NET

    We are partnered with NAMB Send Network, a non-profit organization with a passion to reach college students with the gospel and helping to start churches all over America.

  • Reliant Mission

    RELIANT.ORG

    Reliant is an evangelical Christian mission agency who is a trusted partner for hundreds of missional churches, Gospel-centered nonprofits, and missionaries (including most missionaries with H2O Church), and the generous financial partners who support their work. 


    Reliant has been a member of ECFA since 1992, the standard in Christian nonprofit accountability.