A Church Built on a Simple Command in Plano, Texas
Water of Life Church sits on the corner of 18th Street and Avenue P in East Plano, a stretch of older Plano where the houses are modest and the streets are wide enough to fit the 16,600-square-foot sanctuary and offices the church calls its own. The building, on two and a half acres, was purchased by the congregation in January 1981. The debt was retired in December 1985, and the property has remained free of mortgage ever since. For visitors who have heard about the church for years and never gone inside, the simplest way to describe what happens here is this: on Sunday mornings at ten o'clock, Doyle Davidson opens the doors, broadcasts the message on the internet, and preaches the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ - which he calls the gospel, the power of God.
Water of Life Church of Plano, Inc., was chartered on November 24, 1980, after Davidson says the Lord instructed him to come to Plano and speak to the people of Plano. It is not affiliated with any denomination. Its members describe themselves as a group of Christian believers, members of the body of Christ in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The chartering happened a few months before the first service in the present location on January 4, 1981, and it has not stopped meeting since.
From Sarcoxie to Sarcoxie's Son: The Calling of Doyle Davidson
Doyle Davidson was born in 1932 on a farm near Sarcoxie, Missouri. He served as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy during the Korean War, spending twenty-seven months in Yokosuka, Japan. After returning to the States, he was admitted to the University of Missouri School of Veterinary Medicine in 1958. Just before classes began, while he was rotating the tires on his car, Davidson says the presence of God fell on him and he heard, "I do not want you to be a veterinarian. I want you to be a minister of the gospel." He did not obey that day. He went on to receive his doctorate in veterinary medicine and built a successful equine practice in North Texas.
For the next decade the Spirit pressed the same question on him. In 1968 he began reading the Bible seriously for the first time, going cover to cover twice between 1968 and 1970. On June 2, 1969, while he was negotiating the sale of his share in a corporation, he told God, "If this is You who has been bugging me all these years to preach the gospel, sell my interest in this corporation, and I will do anything You ask." The next morning two of the other shareholders offered to buy him out. Two weeks later, the Lord told him to sell his veterinary hospital in McKinney. He did. On January 2, 1970, the sale of the hospital closed, and Davidson drove away not knowing where he was going. In May 1970 he made Jesus Lord of his life, was baptized in water, and was filled with the Holy Spirit, who gave him utterance in other tongues.
For the next ten years the Spirit of God led and taught him. In June 1974 the Lord sent him to Israel. On June 16, 1974, he was anointed to preach the gospel at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem with Acts 1:8 burning in his heart. In April 1980 the Lord gave him the words, "Go to Plano and speak to the people of Plano." He obeyed. The Lord spoke to him again on May 22, 2017, saying, "I have chosen you, sent you, to the four corners of the earth to deliver my word without despair or fear, saith the Lord of Hosts."
The Foundation: Six Principles from Hebrews 6
The teaching at Water of Life is built on what Davidson calls the Six Principles, taken from Hebrews chapter 6, verses 1 through 3: repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Davidson teaches that these are the same foundational teachings held by a group of men and women who came to New England in the seventeenth century seeking freedom to worship God according to their own consciences. He traces his own maternal lineage to eight of those founders. They established the first Six-Principle Church in America and founded a civil government separate from the church in what became the colony of Rhode Island, to preserve religious liberty.
That connection runs deep in the congregation's identity. The Rhode Island founders - Roger Williams, Samuel Gorton, Ezekiel Holliman, John Greene, John Clark, Obadiah Holmes, William Bradford, and others - were driven out of Massachusetts Bay by Puritans who fined, jailed, beat, and even killed dissenters. Davidson says God revealed to him that, just as God preserved a remnant in Israel through Joseph and his brothers, He preserved a remnant in America in this little group of Rhode Islanders, and that the same six doctrines they taught are the doctrines he has taught from the beginning of his ministry.
The Gospel as the Power of God
What Water of Life teaches about the gospel is plain and emphatic. The gospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Anything less than all three of those facts, Davidson teaches, is not the gospel. He points out that if Christ was not raised from the dead, the faith is empty and those who believe are still in their sins. Forgiveness of sins, healing, prosperity, and every other benefit purchased by the cross, he teaches, become the believer's experience through faith in the gospel. The church's name - Water of Life - is anchored in that idea, drawn from John 4:14 and from Ezekiel's vision of the river that flows from the temple bringing life to the dead places.
Forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, justification, righteousness, and sanctification are taught as benefits of the gospel. Justification is by faith in the blood of Jesus. Sanctification is a progressive work, from the moment of being born again until the believer meets the Lord in the air. The church also teaches divine healing as part of what Jesus purchased on the cross, and believes that physical healing can be ministered by prayer, the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, or the spoken word.
Five Baptisms, One Gospel
Water of Life identifies five baptisms in the New Testament: John's baptism of repentance (which it teaches is no longer applicable), water baptism, baptism for the dead, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of suffering. Water baptism is by immersion, only for believers, and is administered in the name of the Lord Jesus. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is taught as a separate and subsequent experience to being born again. It is a gift from the Father, may be received by the laying on of hands or without it, and is evidenced by the initial sign of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. The church also practices baptism for the dead, administering it with the words, "I baptize you in the name of Jesus for the dead," for those who died in faith without having been baptized in water.
Sunday Mornings at 10:00
Anyone is welcome to attend the Sunday morning service at the church building. Doors open at 1621 18th Street in Plano. The broadcast starts at 10:00 a.m. Central Time; daylight savings time is observed. The service is also streamed live over the internet through Vimeo, with the stream accessible at vimeo.com/wolandplano. Viewers can create an account, add the channel to their Likes, and watch on a phone, computer, smart TV, Roku, or through Airplay or Chromecast. Program archives and the music videos from recorded worship hours are available for download.
Listeners around the world can also tune in through the church's Roku channel. Each week the services are recorded and distributed as audio (MP3) and video (MP4) downloads on the Audio/Video page. The archives include Wednesday evening services and both Sunday morning and Sunday evening services. Doyle Davidson is the primary preacher. His wife, Kathie Davidson, is identified as a prophetess in the ministry. Worship is led by singers and includes both prayers and preaching, in a setting the congregation describes as Spirit-filled and rooted in the apostolic teaching of the New Testament.
The Building in East Plano
Water of Life Church is in the older part of Plano, near downtown. The sanctuary and offices share a single 16,600-square-foot building on 2.5 acres. From U.S. Highway 75, the directions are simple: northbound travelers take Exit 29A, turn right from the service road onto 18th Street. Southbound travelers take Exit 29, loop underneath the highway at 15th Street, then turn right onto 18th Street from the service road. The church sits at the corner of 18th Street and Avenue P. Plenty of space is available on the property for parking, including a recently completed new parking lot. The mailing address for the ministry is PO Box 941925, Plano, TX 75094-1925.
Body of Christ Meetings Across the United States
In July 1994, at the direction of the Lord, Doyle Davidson and the ministry began conducting Body of Christ meetings, first in Joplin, Missouri, near Davidson's hometown of Sarcoxie. In July 2003, the Lord directed Davidson to begin traveling to all the states in the union to pray or conduct meetings in each one. Since then the ministry has held meetings in cities that include Anaheim, California; Byers, Colorado; Indianapolis, Indiana; South Bend, Indiana; Russell, Kansas; Lafayette, Louisiana; Waterville, Maine; Joplin, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; Mansfield, Ohio; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nashville, Tennessee; Houston, Texas; Dublin, Virginia; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
These gatherings are open to believers and seekers. A listing of the current meetings, including the Rural America Praise and Worship meetings, is maintained at the Facebook page for Doyle Davidson. The meetings are intended as opportunities for prayer, worship, and the preaching of the gospel.
The Christian Training School and the Published Books
In 1982, again at the direction of the Lord, Davidson established the Water of Life Christian Training School at the church. Later the Lord told him, "I will pour out my Spirit through Water of Life Christian Training School." In the early 1990s, the Lord led Davidson to transcribe his recorded teachings from the school into five books: Jesus Did the Father's Will; He Rose Again; The Gospel Is Always a Blessing; Jesus On the Cross; and God's Plan of Reconciliation. In 1997 the Spirit brought forth another volume. Together these have been distributed primarily throughout the United States and Africa, free of charge, in keeping with Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9 about presenting the gospel without charge.
After publishing the first five books, the Lord directed Davidson to send a set of each to thirty-six well-known preachers, along with a short letter. Since 2010 the books have been available online in digital format, viewable or downloadable free of charge, in English and in Spanish, French, Hebrew, and Arabic. What Is the Gospel has been additionally translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The books are advertised through social media in the regions where each version is read: the Spanish versions in South and Central America and Mexico, the Hebrew versions in Israel, the English versions in the British Isles and the United States, and the Arabic versions in Israel, the Middle East, and Africa.
In addition to the gospel series, the church publishes the doctrinal statement of the ministry, What We Teach and Do, which draws together nearly fifty years of Davidson's walk with God into a single teaching on the Godhead, the gospel, the foundation principles, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is available in English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and Arabic. Other volumes include A Life Lived Wholly Unto God, The Davidsons of Sarcoxie, a History, Looking for a Right Way, and Steddie Muserera, Apostle and Prophet to Africa.
Worship Music and Recording Ministry
In 2007, the ministry recorded nearly an hour of congregational worship music, named by the opening song of each recording. The set includes Awake, Behold I Am the Lord, By This I Know, I Came to Glorify, Make a Joyful Noise, O Clap Your Hands, O Zion, Put on the Garment, This is the Day, We Are Able, and You Are a Chosen Generation. Each song appears in multiple arrangements, A and B (and sometimes C), capturing the way the congregation learns and sings through repetition. The complete set, All Worship Hours, is available as a single zip file. The Water of Life Boys and several soloists, including Terry Mai, Kathy Mai, and others named in the music notes, are featured on the recordings. The full Worship List is also available as a PDF.
Doctrine of the Ministry
What We Teach and Do is the doctrinal statement of Water of Life Ministries. It is organized under six headings, mirroring the six foundational principles: Scripture; the Godhead (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as three that bear record in heaven); man and his fall; the new birth and eternal life; the gospel and its benefits (forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, justification, righteousness, sanctification, healing, prosperity, and peace through the blood of Jesus); the foundation principles from Hebrews 6; and eternal judgment, including the resurrection, the marriage of the Lamb, the great white throne judgment, the new heavens and new earth, and the judgment of the twelve tribes of Israel and the angels. The ministry teaches the gifts of the Spirit and the laying on of hands for healing, for ordination, and for the impartation of spiritual gifts. It does not pray to the Holy Spirit but to the Father in the name of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is sent to testify of Jesus, comfort, edify, teach, lead, guide, empower to witness, and reprove.
A Word About the Six-Principle Heritage
The Six-Principle Baptist churches of Rhode Island, founded in the seventeenth century, took their name from the six doctrines of Hebrews 6 they believed were foundational to Christian faith. They held those doctrines without adding to them or subtracting from them. They taught that no civil or religious authority had the right to dictate what a person believed. They also established a government separate from the church. They were persecuted for those beliefs by the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay, who fined them, jailed them, beat them, burned their homes, drove them from their lands, and at times tried to destroy them. They survived because, as one historian wrote, "the hand of a Supreme power" preserved them.
Doyle Davidson teaches that the same doctrines the Rhode Island founders held - and suffered for - are the doctrines he teaches today. In his account, God preserved that remnant in America to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and those doctrines were passed down, though generations of drift and decline, to him. The Water of Life congregation today, in its own small room in Texas, teaches what was taught in the kitchens and chapels of colonial Rhode Island. The Six-Principle heritage shapes how the church understands itself: not as another denomination, but as a remnant holding fast to the foundation.
What to Expect When You Visit
Water of Life meets in a single story building at 1621 18th Street in Plano, Texas. The parking lot on the property has plenty of room. The service begins at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning and is broadcast live over Vimeo. Doyle Davidson preaches the gospel. Worship is led by the church's singers and musicians. There is a teaching time, a prayer time, and an altar call for those who want to receive Jesus or pray with someone at the end of the service. The congregation is warm and welcoming. Visitors from around the world have attended in person or joined through the livestream. There is no dress code or formal requirement. The church describes itself as a body of Christian believers, members of the body of Christ in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
A Closing Note on the Ministry's Reach
The Water of Life broadcast is heard around the world. Visits have come from Argentina, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, among many others. The books, in nine languages, have been distributed across these same regions. The Body of Christ meetings continue to be held in cities across the United States. Doyle Davidson continues to preach, teach, and write from the church in East Plano, where it all began.