About Vertical Church
Mission & Purpose
The mission of Vertical Church is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment by making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:19–20 — “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.”
John 13:34–35 — “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.”
Our History
Vertical Church began in the Spring of 2010 when Pastor Luke & 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 vision is to be a church that is faithfully committed to making more disciples and stronger disciples of Jesus Christ with an effective witness and mutual ministry.” — Pastor Luke Ahrens
Our Principles
The focus of ministry at Vertical Church is to glorify God by fulfilling the mission that Jesus gave His followers to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to follow His ways (Matthew 28:19–20). Vertical Church makes disciples of Jesus by encouraging them to worship Christ, walk with Christ, work for Christ, and witness for Christ.
WHO WE ARE
Witness for Christ
Sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ is a vital aspect in the life of a growing disciple. At Vertical Church we encourage believers to share the Gospel with those around us in loving and intentional ways.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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).
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.
Our Pillars
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Our Leadership
Luke Ahrens
Senior Pastor & Lead Elder
Matt Rickly
Worship & Administrative Pastor
Claire Bauer
Administrative Assistant
Megan Winkler
Children's Ministry Director
Staff
Andy Gilbert
Elder
Luke Ahrens
Senior Pastor & Lead Elder
Tom Heyl
Elder
Elders
Deacons
John Buk
Deacon — Ushers
Mark Knore
Deacon — Benevolence
Rick Howard
Deacon — Facilities
Ron Townsend
Deacon — Finance
Travis Vulich
Deacon — Finance
Amber Bernal
Coffee Cart
Jensine Ahrens
Women's Ministry Director
Kristen Martin
Outreach
Revonne Hammond
Greeting Team Lead
Rick Ross
Security Team