About Vertical Church
We exist to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment by making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Our Story
Vertical Church began in the Spring of 2010 when Pastor Luke and Jensine Ahrens and a group of believers began praying about starting a new church in Columbus. Vertical Church launched their first service on October 10, 2010. Over the next ten years, Vertical Church met in various schools and continued to develop.
In the fall of 2021, God blessed the Vertical Church family with a permanent church home near OH-315 and Henderson Road.
Our goal is to see disciples growing in their Worship of Christ, Walk with Christ, Work for Christ, and Witness for Christ. More than just knowing what we believe, we want for you to experience the power of God and the love of His people in uncommon community.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19–20
“A new command I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34–35
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Vertical Church Elders
Tom Heyl
Interim Director of Pastoral Engagement
Andy Gilbert
Elder
Luke Ahrens
Senior Pastor & Lead Elder
Vertical Church Deacons
Ron Townsend
Deacon — Finance
Rick Howard
Deacon — Facilities
Mark Knore
Deacon — Benevolence & Finance
John Buk
Deacon — Ushers
Vertical Church Ministry Leaders
Rick Ross
Security Team
Revonne Hammond
Greeting Team Lead
Kristen Martin
Outreach
Amber Bernal
Coffee Cart
Our Values & Beliefs
WHO WE ARE
Our Principles
Worship Christ
God’s Word admonishes us to worship together regularly. We worship together as a community through music, prayer, and the preaching of God’s Word every weekend.
Walk with Christ
Growing in your walk with Christ is best achieved in rich community. The Vertical Church family encourages everyone to join a Grace Group where you experience fellowship, applicational study in God’s Word, and mutual ministry. Vertical Grace Groups are a warm, relational setting where you can get to know other believers and grow as a disciple.
Work for Christ
One of the great joys of being a disciple of Christ is by serving Christ and one another. We encourage all those in the Vertical Church family to use their time, energy, and talents to build the Kingdom of God and care for one another.
The Word of God
We believe the Bible is the critical foundation that we must build our lives upon. The inspiration, sufficiency, authority, and inerrancy of Scripture are critical to experiencing the life transformation God intends (Hebrews 4:12). We love God’s Word and seek to study (Psalm 119), meditate (Psalm 1), and apply (Luke 6:46–49) the Bible to every area of our lives.
The Gospel of Jesus
The Gospel is the Good News of reconciliation with God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:34–43)! We believe this reconciliation comes not by our good works, but by God’s grace (undeserved favor) through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1–10) — our only hope for salvation. We celebrate the Gospel and seek to share this Good News with other people around us (Romans 6:23; Acts 1:8).
Life in the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is our redemptive Advocate (Romans 8), giving us spiritual life, indwelling us, and sealing our salvation and adoption into the family of God. The Spirit leads and empowers us to grow as faithful disciples of Jesus as we worship, walk, work, and witness for Christ (Philippians 3:3; Galatians 5:16, 25; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11; Acts 1:8).
Relentless Prayer
Followers of Jesus have special access to our Heavenly Father — we are invited to come boldly before God to ask for grace and mercy at any time (Hebrews 4:15–16). Jesus encouraged us, His disciples, to boldly and relentlessly petition our Heavenly Father for our needs (John 15:7–8, Luke 18:1–8).