CCC Hosts Thrive Training Seminar to Equip Churches for Digital Evangelism

FRESNO, Calif. — The Central California Conference held a series of full-day training seminars across the conference from March 17–19, bringing together pastors and church leaders to explore Thrive, the North American Division's new interest management and discipleship platform. The training began on Tuesday, March 17, at the Sunnyvale Adventist Church for churches in Areas 1, 2, and 3, continued on Wednesday, March 18, in Bakersfield Hillcrest Adventist Church for Areas 4 and 5, and concluded on Thursday, March 19, in the CCC Executive Committee Room in Fresno for Areas 6, 7, and 8. Each session ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and was led by Pastor Marshall McKenzie, associate director of the North American Division Engagement Center for Adventist Connect, along with HaEun Park, digital relationship manager. In total, the three-day event supported over 30 congregations and several conference departments across the entire CCC field.

Thrive is a dynamic platform originally developed by the South Pacific Division and now adopted and expanded by the North American Division at no cost to local churches and entities. Designed as a comprehensive church relationship management system, it enables congregations to track contacts, manage discipleship pathways, coordinate ministry teams, and integrate with existing church databases such as eAdventist.

Pastor McKenzie opened the session with a biblical framework drawn from the book of Acts, tracing the early church's progression from believers to disciples to leaders with defined roles — a pattern, he explained, that Thrive is designed to support at the local church level. "The concept is grasped," he said, "but the application is elusive." Thrive, he emphasized, is the practical tool that bridges that gap.

He also challenged the group with a striking statistic: globally, it takes an average of 24 Seventh-day Adventists to win one person to the faith. Yet in Acts 1 and 2, 120 disciples in the upper room gave rise to 3,000 converts after Peter's first sermon — roughly 25 new believers for every disciple. "Our ratio has been flipped," McKenzie observed, arguing that Thrive exists to help reverse that trend by distributing the work of discipleship across the entire congregation, rather than leaving it to a dedicated few.

A key highlight of the training was the platform's discipleship model, which moves contacts through a clear progression — from initial interest to member, leader, and owner — mirroring the spiritual growth the church hopes to cultivate in each person. Pastors were guided through the process of creating contacts, understanding consent and data privacy standards, and navigating the owner, leader, and member permission structure.

Attendees also learned about Thrive's growing integrations with other ministry platforms. The Youth Rush app is among the first to be connected, meaning student canvassing contacts can now flow directly and in real time into a local church's Thrive system. Adventist Connect is also working to send its phone and media ministry contacts directly to local churches through the platform. A messaging center featuring email, SMS, and WhatsApp capabilities is expected to launch by mid-April.

One feature that drew particular interest was Thrive's QR code functionality. Pastors learned how to generate custom digital forms tied to specific events or ministries — forms that can be displayed on a screen, printed on a flyer, or sent by text message. McKenzie shared a real-world example: a pastor displayed a QR code during a worship service and invited first-time visitors to scan it and share their contact information. One visitor did — and in that same interaction, requested Bible studies. "That's the system working the way it was designed to work," McKenzie said.

CCC Evangelist Pastor Eddy Perez, who helped coordinate the event, noted that the Hanford-Armona-Lemoore District has already been piloting elements of the evangelism-discipleship workflow and expressed optimism about what a fully integrated system could accomplish. The morning session gave attendees an opportunity to explore the Thrive platform firsthand, while the afternoon focused on hands-on application through real-world use cases and implementation.

For all who attended, the day represented more than a software tutorial. As Pastor Perez reflected, "We believe Thrive offers us an effective communications management platform that will serve to better connect and engage with our members and communities more effectively."It was an investment in a shared vision: that local churches, equipped with the right tools and training, can become the true center of evangelistic activity in their communities. As Pastor McKenzie reminded the group, the North American Division's goal is to bring 2,000 churches onto the Thrive platform in 2025 alone — and with training events like this one, the Central California Conference is well positioned to contribute to that momentum.

For more information about Thrive or to get your church connected, contact Pastor Eddy Perez.

Written by Bryan Bong