What is Thrive?  Thrive is our all-ages equipping program that focuses on teaching people the Word of God and how to apply it to all areas of our lives.  A big part of the Great Commission includes teaching people the Word of God.  In Acts 2, we see the early church focusing on the apostles’ teaching and the living out of that teaching.

Thrive addresses two aspects of a person’s life: Christian living and leadership development.  In the Fall we will be offering classes in both areas, classes like basic Christianity, Old Testament Survey, Biblical Manhood, Marriage and Parenting. We will also offer leadership development classes like Biblical Soul Care.

Next month we will launch our entire equipping calendar for 2011-2012 including the classes and conferences being offered at Grace.  This is part of a 5-year comprehensive plan to grow our church as disciples who make disciples.

Can I be involved in Thrive and a Faith Family at the same time?  The answer to this question is a resounding YES!  In fact this is one of the main reasons we are moving Thrive to Sunday mornings.  At Grace we put a major emphasis on the teaching of God’s Word and living that out in Biblical community.  That is what a mature disciple looks like.  It is essential in your walk with Christ to be engaged in both being equipped strategically and being in Biblical community.

Our hope is that you will come to Thrive and then move on to a Faith Family where you can experience all that God has for you.  These two aspects of the ministry at Grace are not competing with one another.  Rather, they compliment one another—you can’t have one without the other.  You can’t be truly equipped without Biblical  community and you can’t have Biblical community without being equipped.

Our Family Ministry Team has been working very hard to make sure that we are strategic in how we approach equipping and Biblical community.  We purposely are moving Thrive to Sunday mornings to give you as men more opportunity to be involved in Biblical community throughout the week and even have an intentional night at home on Wednesday nights to lead your family.  Again, this cannot be overstated: Thrive (equipping) and Faith Families (Biblical community) are mutually a part of becoming a mature disciple.  These two areas of ministry at Grace will be functioning as one from this point forward.

So Dave, what are you asking of me?  As a representative of the Elder Team, I am asking each of you to prayerfully consider where you are as a disciple and then to take spiritual inventory with your family.  Are you thriving as a disciple of Christ?  I am asking that you be watching for the big Thrive promotion coming next month and that you take the lead with your family in making equipping and biblical community an integral part of your lives now and this Fall.