Our Story

The idea that inspired Thrive Church began when the Lord placed a desire in the hearts of Pastors Steve and Maureen Soto to start a church in the heart of Greenville, South Carolina. This church would be a place where people could be brought together to experience more of what God intended for their lives. Upon moving to Greenville in 2012, Pastors Steve and Maureen were new to the area and did not know anyone. However, they brought with them a vision to see people freed from the bondage of religiosity and be launched into a lifetime of deep discipleship that would lead them to a well rounded, life-long relationship with God. On September 16, 2012, the first service at Thrive Church was held with the desire to see people thrive. Since then, Thrive has been pastoring families and friends in the area and has been committed to fostering hope and desire to see God’s kingdom grow in Greenville and the surrounding communities.

With thanks to the Lord for the desire He placed in our pastors’ hearts years ago, over the last decade, our church has seen many families become restored, communities found, and lives changed. We fully believe, through God’s faithful leadership, wisdom, and grace, we will continue to grow as a church and will continue to help lead and encourage others to discover their God-given purpose, find freedom through Christ and help others thrive!”

Our Vision

We envision a church where…

GOD’S PRESENCE is at the center of everything we do.

We believe that Jesus came so that every person could have access to the Holy Spirit on Earth. We were made to commune with Him. We use our Sunday services as a springboard to show people what life is like in God’s presence.

The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.
Psalms 102:28 NLT

GOD’S PEOPLE do life together.

We believe real life change happens in the context of authentic relationships. Godly friendships help us in every stage of life. In the Bible, they worshiped in the temple, but personal ministry happened “house to house”. Life groups help us have a place to connect, protect, and grow with other believers.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:16 NLT

GOD’S PURPOSE is discovered in each member.

We are created to live our lives empowered by God’s grace gift’s. It’s our heart to help each member discover their spiritual gifts. God has dreams, visions, and plans for each of us. We want to help you find your God-given purpose! Our Growth Track is a catalyst to help you live out a lifetime of commitment to Christ.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT

GOD’S PROCESS facilitates our Spiritual Growth.

Spiritual Maturity takes time. It’s a process that takes discipline. Bible study, prayer and fasting, community, being led by the Spirit and giving of yourself are all discipline we believe lead to a spiritually mature believer. Strong leaders live with Spiritual disciplines that empower them to lead others

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 ESV

GOD’S PLAN to reach our world is fulfilled.

All of us were created by God to make a difference. God has a place for you here. Your unique gifts and passions can touch the lives of others. When we come together as The Body of Christ, it multiplies our impact to the world. We want to fulfill The Great Commission in our everyday lives and through our church. At Thrive, we use serving and outreach to help you do that.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV

Our Values

structure + freedom

We believe that structure and freedom work together to create environments where God can fulfill His purpose in the Church. We run with the vision God gives us, with the freedom He allows us to live in. We believe that when we plan and organize, it gives us more freedom to follow The Lord’s leading when it comes. That way, our freedom is true freedom, not chaos.

Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.”
Habakkuk 2:2 NLT

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17

authenticity + honor

We foster environments where we can have honest communication, while maintaining respect and kindness. This allows us to stretch and grow, while avoiding unnecessary hurt and resentment that can come from a critical spirit.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
Ephesians 4:15 NIV

courage + humility

Every believer has been empowered by God with different gifts. Each one of us is placed in The Body of Christ to use those gifts to build up others and not ourselves. We want to equip people to confidently embrace their strengths and use them for the glory of God.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
1 Peter 4:10

reverence + joy

Because God is holy, He deserves our reverence. Because He’s gracious, He brings great joy. We can lead a life with God that honors Him for His holiness and praises him for His goodness.

Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling.
1 Chronicles 16:27

hunger + contentment

We pursue all that God has for us from a position of being fully satisfied. His purpose for our life motivates us to move forward, but we find contentment in His presence through everyday life.

I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances. I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:11-13

creativity + clarity

Creation in itself is God’s way of showing us how beautiful and unique He is. We are dedicated to creativity that does not add confusion. We want to use creativity as a tool to send a clear message of God’s love.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:20

relationship + individuality

Each person’s uniqueness is embraced as we do life together. We love being a multi-generational and multi-cultural church, full of different life experiences. Unity is not conformity, but a community where Jesus is our common denominator.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Philippians 2:1-2

stewardship + generosity

We see throughout scripture that God is always generous and never wasteful. We believe that God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He called us to be good stewards of what we have so we can maximize our generosity.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Luke 16:10