How Did Thrive Begin?

Our history is relatively short, but super exciting.  Thrive was launched in March of 2007 by a few dedicated people hungry to see God work in the lives of those who needed a church.  Pastor Mark Hale IMG_0726and his wife Lisa, along with their four children, moved to the area to start Thrive.  Mark had spent the previous 17 years serving in mostly large churches, but also a smaller one.  What he realized is that most churches are built to cater to “church goers”.  It seemed to him that there was a huge segment of the population that hadn’t gone to church, or was disenfranchised with traditional churches.  For the last seven years, Thrive has been an outreach to them.

 

The Building:

Thrive was built on the premise that the church is not about the building.  Stained glass is not our thing.  Thus, Thrive rented space at the YMCA for over five years.  Our setup team transformed their gym into a really cool worship space.  Volunteers set up stages, lighting, sound, refreshments, welcome area, and children’s ministry.  Most people can’t fathom how a YMCA can become a church, but for 300-plus Sundays, it had.
 
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Today, Thrive meets in a permanent location.  God has blessed us with our own building that was once a large furniture store.  You can find us every Sunday morning at 1720 South Washington St. (corner of Washington St. &17th Ave S.).    
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The Relationships:477 Relationships are extremely important to us.  Thrive started with just a couple families being involved, and they are what matter most to us.  At the end of the day, fads come and go.  Styles change.  Trends come and go.  But healthy relationships between followers of Christ last and we do everything we can to help people connect with each other at Thrive.  Our entire ministry has been built around community.

The Staff:

Thrive employs 2 full time staff and 6 part time staff.  Each staff person oversees a vital area of ministry.  The staff is the heart of the day to day operation of the church while our Leadership and Finance Teams oversee and protect the vision and help make major decisions.

Our Beliefs:

As a church, we believe…
  • There is only one God and He made everything. God is a Trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  • Jesus, who came from heaven to earth about 2000 years ago, is fully God and fully man at the same time.  Jesus came to save us and give us eternal life through His death and resurrection.
  • God’s Holy Spirit is active in our world and helps lead us toward God.
  • The Bible is our instruction manual outlining all we need to know in life about how to live right by God and gain eternal life.
  • We have all sinned and need God’s forgiveness.
  • God invites us and enables us to turn from sin, but it is our choice.
  • When we repent and turn away from our sins, trust in Jesus to accept us, and make a complete commitment to God – He will purify our hearts and set us free to truly love God and one another.
  • Heaven and hell are real places.
  • Jesus is coming again.

 

Our Core Values:

These are the guiding principles that dictate behavior and action at Thrive.

  • We value the application of scripture: Teaching is for life change.
  • We value growth: Real Christian followers grow.
  • We value Grow Groups: As a church gets bigger, it must get smaller.
  • We value excellence: God is honored in excellence.
  • We value service: Every believer is a volunteer.
  • We value creativity & innovation: Changing methods – unchanging message.
  • We value unity & diversity: Focusing on the things that unite us – not on the things that divide us.
  • We value being ‘high tech’ & ‘high touch’: Utilizing technology & relationships.
  • We value all people…but we are a church focused on the next generation: Kids, youth, college age & young families are our future!