About The Well

The Well is a virtual gathering place for graduate and professional women to receive wisdom, care, challenge, and inspiration as they seek to follow Christ in the academic or work world. This site is published by Women in the Academy & Professions, a ministry of InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty Ministries. Although The Well is designed for women, many of the issues addressed here are faced by men as well. We hope men will participate in the site both as Good Brothers and as those who receive encouragement and counsel. If you'd like to learn more about those of us who work on The Well, you can read our bios here.

The well is an image from Scripture that speaks of women coming together around their daily work, gathering at their local water source to retrieve what was necessary to survive and thrive. As they drew water, they had the opportunity to talk, laugh, share concerns, and glean wisdom from one another.

We seek to provide similar opportunities at The Well. As we have listened, loneliness and the need for peers and mentors are frequent concerns of women in graduate school training and in the academic and professional world. We hear of busy lives spent studying, working, and care-giving, often leading to isolation from interactions which could renew purpose and refresh souls. It is our prayer that the time spent at The Well will provide women with opportunities to connect with others in similar circumstances and introduce stories and insights of women creatively living for God's Kingdom purposes.

Regular features at The Well include:

In Focus: Thoughtful, in-depth articles

Reflections: Personal refections on following Christ

Living Water: Resources from God's Word

Dear Mentor: Questions addressed by our mentors

Good Brothers: Stories and words of encouragement from men

Voices: Interviews with women gathered at The Well

We pray that this website will help encourage women to see their time in graduate school, their work on faculty, and their professional roles as subject to the bigger purpose God has for them. We are thrilled to see so many gifted women believers getting the training they need and serving in vital and challenging work arenas. However, don't let that be the end point, the thing that consumes you, beats you down, wears you out. Let Jesus free you to become one who thirsts no more, full of the living water and able to offer it to all who are thirsty.

Welcome to The Well! It's here for you.

If you are interested in writing for The Well, read our Writer's Guidelines.