The Thriving Church Podcast

Experience encouragement as you hear how God actively orchestrates and mobilizes His people for impact they cannot see coming. In an inspiring, energetic, and hopeful episode, Matt Thackerson and Pastor Chris Lethgo join podcast host Kevin Parker to celebrate God at work as over 900 New Mexico Baptists joined together to share the Gospel in Roswell and the East Mountains. More than an event review, they explore stories of how God worked in His people as they engaged in eternity-changing ministry. 

First contacts launch a spiritual journey; consider them divine appointments. Think about what God thinks about people and how He values those people. Then, pursue them that way. Make a contextualized plan by learning your community and laying out your next steps. That plan will strengthen the church and empower members to reach people in church and outside of church. Outreach with follow-up and salvations with follow-up cover 75% of church ministry that leads to reproduction.

New believers deserve something: personal help getting started walking with God. In an episode packed with principles and stories, our podcast hosts explore new believer follow-up through the lenses of intention, three core elements of the process, the human tendency to replace sin with sin, the real need for assistance, and having a plan and end goal for building new saints. It’s all here, compact and heartfelt: a foundation for biblical, life-changing ministry that can grow exponentially. It can start with just one believer helping another believer. This is the first of a two-part looking at spiritual follow-up.

Discover how your church “go deeper” into missions, meaningfully. Kevin, Matt, and Lance continue the previous episode’s conversations about life and church planting in another country. Lance offers firsthand, from-the-field perspectives. The trio explores how fear affects missions and how “rightly placed fear” keeps people in God’s task. They also explore the sources that shape fears and how believers can identify those sources. The episode wraps up with tips on loving neighbors and supporting well the workers churches send out on mission.

Podcast host Kevin Parker joins Matt Thackerson for a conversation with "Lance," a church planter in Central Asia who is trying to reach a very lost country discover faith in Jesus Christ. With frank honest, he tells his story and describes his situation and work. This is the first part of a two-part conversation.

Thriving Church Podcast hosts Rick Brittain and Kevin Parker team up with fellow BCNM team leader Matt Thackerson to out a staff slacker who had not registered for One Day until the podcast recording. In a lighthearted, playful, passionate episode, they walk through One Day registration process complete with details, how-to explanations, and the background behind the experience. After explaining how and why, they encourage listeners to join the slacker and say “Yes” to One Day.

Roswell Pastor Chris Lethgo and Estancia Pastor Jonathan Richard join Matt Thackerson and podcast hosts Rick Brittain and Kevin Parker to talk about their cities, their churches, and why One Day 2026 matters to them and their cities. They weave their personal stories and their ministry stories with their churches' stories to paint a picture of God's people with a big vision and a hope for others to come help them for a day to advance God's mission.

Is cooperation practical? What can churches do to involve themselves in the shared work of churches in Baptist Associations. How can groups of Baptist believers cooperate in God’s work with other groups of Baptist believers? Podcast host Kevin Parker and Director of Missions Stephen Baum explore the “how” and the benefits of cooperation in Baptist Associations.

Common beliefs foster cooperation among Baptist churches. That’s been the background of Baptist Associations since 1644. In fact, the first cooperative Baptist action was establishing common beliefs. Explore, with associational Director of Missions Stephen Baum what associations are and how churches can get involved in God’s mission together.

This episode explores practical and simple strategies to help churches be visitor-friendly. Podcast guest Herminio Estrada, pastor of Iglesia Hermosa, Santa Fe, describes how his church intentionally focuses on hospitality, music, and great speakers to connect with and keep visitors. The church constantly reaches new people. Estrada says churches need to use the best tools in our shed to reach lost people with the Gospel.