Search Results

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 Grace Groups Worship Service Children’s Ministry Student Ministry 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. Find Outreach Opportunities 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. Work on a Service Team 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. Join a Grace Group 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. Visit a Worship Service 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 More About Our Theology WHAT WE BELIEVE Our Leadership Luke Ahrens Senior Pastor & Lead Elder Matt Rickly Worship & Business Pastor Chase Riebel Student Ministry Pastor Claire Bauer Connections & Communications Director 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 & Finance Rick Howard Deacon — Facilities Ron Townsend Deacon — Finance Amber Bernal Coffee Cart Kristen Martin Outreach Revonne Hammond Greeting Team Lead Rick Ross Security Team Ministry Leaders We seek to glorify God by fulfilling the mission the Lord Jesus gave His followers to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to follow His ways.

Student Ministry Student Ministries at Vertical Church encourage middle and high schoolers to know and love God, utilize His Holy Scriptures, engage in Christ's church, and partner with the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel. Discipling the Next Generation We would love for your student to join us every Sunday evening from 6:00-8:00 PM for fellowship, food, and fun on the second floor in our Student Ministries room. Each evening is led by Pastor Chase Riebel and the Student Ministries volunteer team who lead students in games, small group, great community and relevant teaching of God's Word. Click Here for Church Events Should you have any questions, need more information, or just want to introduce yourself, you can reach Pastor Chase Riebel at criebel@verticalchurch.life ! Check out upcoming special events on our church’s events registration page. Parent Email Opt-in Interested in scheduling, updates, and what God has been doing in the lives of your students? Sign-up to receive our monthly email! This is also the primary means of communication should changes or updates need to be made to upcoming events-so don't miss out!

Sundays at 10:00 AM 1290 Old Henderson Road, Columbus, Ohio 43220 Fervent Worship A typical service begins with the worship band leading the congregation in singing vertically-focused worship songs in a contemporary style. Scripture-Driven Teaching Every week, Pastor Luke studies the Word of God and delivers a message centered on Scriptural truths and personal application to our everyday lives. Community We gather together to worship God in community. Our weekend service provides opportunities before or after the service to fellowship and connect with one another. What to Expect at Vertical Church Where do my kids go during service? We currently have six safe, secure children’s ministry rooms for your children to learn and play during the entire service. The Vertical Kids ministry is open for all children from nursery up to sixth grade. Our toddlers to sixth graders are taught by an awesome team of volunteers using an engaging, age-appropriate curriculum that’s goal is to draw their hearts to Jesus. Learn more about Vertical Kids here . Weekend Services at Vertical Church

Prayer Requests Add Prayer Requests Here at Vertical, we believe in the power of prayer and one of our Pillars is Relentless Prayer. Click either of the buttons below to share a prayer request with the Prayer Team or a private prayer request that shared only with the pastors and elders. Share Your Prayer Request Share Private Prayer Request Sign Up for Weekly Prayer Email

Vertical Kids What to Expect We are excited to show the love of Jesus Christ to your children and teach them from God’s Word each weekend. Our ministry leaders and volunteers will welcome you and provide childcare from birth until 6th grade during our worship service. For First-Time Visitors The first time you bring your child or children to Vertical Church, you can register them in our computer-based, secured Vertical Kids check-in. Upon arrival, just look for the Vertical Kids check-in kiosk or ask a greeter to direct you. Awana Clubs is a weeknight discipleship program that focuses on Scripture memorization and engaging kids with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Awana meets on Wednesdays nights during the school year from 6:30-8 PM. Each week kids participate in a large group Bible lesson, small group time with a consistent adult leader and their peers, Scripture memorization, and a fun game time around the Awana game circle. If you have a child who is preschool age through Grade 6, we would love to have them join us! Register Now To learn more about our children’s ministry, please contact Megan Winkler . Our Beginners and Preschool/Kindergarten rooms are for kids ages 2 ½ through Kindergarten. They are taught using a curriculum called Brite Preschool . Brite engages preschoolers in engaging, age-appropriate lessons that take the children chronologically through the Bible every year. The lessons help them discover who God is and teaches foundational truths for a lifelong faith. They focus each month on a “Big Question” about the character of God and a Bible memory verse. In our Nursery and Toddler rooms, children from birth to age 2 ½ , are provided child care where they will enjoy music, short Bible stories, and guided play. Every month the Toddler teachers use a condensed lesson from the Brite Preschool curriculum to teach a “Big Truth” about who God is and also read a key Bible verse. Our Grades 1-2 and Grades 3-6 classrooms use the Brite Elementary curriculum to engage elementary-age students with the truths of Scripture by going chronologically through the Bible every year. They participate in a large group time, followed by meaningful crafts, activities, and review games that further enhance the lesson. Each month they focus on a biblical theme about who God is and also learn a key Bible verse.

Walking with Christ is not a journey to take alone, but with others in community. Grace Groups "God led me to Vertical Church back in 2017 as I was going through one of the most difficult times in my life. Over time, several members of the Winkler Grace group invited me to attend their Grace Group, so I finally went. Everyone was so open and friendly. I could not help but be encouraged and drawn into this caring group of people who were so dedicated to loving others and growing deeper in their relationship with Jesus. Over the next 3 years, these same people supported me through my trials and helped to meet my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in so many ways. I cannot imagine how I would have been able to endure if it had not been for the wonderful people God put in my life through my Grace group." John "Some of our most meaningful friendships and deepest sense of community at Vertical have come through our involvement in a Grace Group. We recently had our second child at 29 weeks and had a lengthy stay in the NICU with her. Our grace group surrounded and supported us through setting up a meal train, childcare for our toddler while we went to the NICU, painting our daughter’s nursery, taking our puppy to the dog park, and so many prayers and words of encouragement. It is even clearer to us why God designed believers to live in community. We were already doing life with this group and when circumstances got challenging for our family, they were some of the first to step in. God has used them over and over again in both of our lives to keep us grounded in Truth and walking faithfully with Him. It is a blessing to walk alongside them!" Megan “I love our small group. Not only do we get to dive into the word, but we have intentional prayer time, deep conversation, accountability, and sweet fellowship. We are able to serve each other in the ways each of us need the most because we’ve really grown to know each other. Community is powerful, and it’s a gift to follow Jesus TOGETHER.” Morgan Testimonials Participation in a Grace Group is the very best way to know others — and be known — at Vertical Church. It could be said that we are a church made up of Grace Groups. Our Grace Groups offer the opportunity for regular life-on-life engagement within the family of God. We strongly encourage everyone who attends Vertical Church to join a small group. We have Men’s Groups, Women’s Groups, and Mixed Groups that meet on different nights of the week throughout the city. If you’re interested in seeing a full list of our Grace Groups, check out our “Groups” on our Church Center App. Click Below to see a list of our current groups. Current Groups Bringing our Community Closer We strive to follow the example set for us by the early church: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 2:42–47

Women’s Ministry “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 Ministry by Women for Women Our mission is to ignite the passion of women in following and glorifying Jesus Christ and to equip women for the work of ministry, moving them toward a deeper walk with Christ and deeper connection with one another (Matthew 28:18–19, Ephesians 4:11–12, Titus 2). We invite you to join us in being part of a diverse ministry that equips women to fulfill their God-ordained purpose for their lives and to support the ministries and mission of the church. To find upcoming Women’s Ministry events, check out our church’s events registration page by clicking the link. Click Here for Church Events

Giving Thank you for your generosity to God’s work at Vertical Church! Giving to Vertical Church Online Give Online Giving to Vertical Church by Check Checks can be accepted during our weekly services or mailed to: Vertical Church, 1290 Old Henderson Rd, Columbus, OH 43220 Refund and Privacy Policy Learn more about Vertical Church’s online giving policies, including refund policy and privacy practices. Our Policies

Men’s Ministry Click Here for Church Events Living as Men of God It is our desire for the men of Vertical Church to glorify God and be conformed into the image of Christ. With this in mind, we seek to equip men to serve, love, and lead their own families and our local church. We offer men’s grace groups, sessions for deeper study, and special events (like our annual retreat) in order to build up the men of Vertical Church and create a culture where men can grow in their love for Jesus Christ while pursuing Him together in friendship with other men. For upcoming men’s ministry events, check out our church’s events registration page by clicking the link. Join us every other month for a Men's Breakfast and every fall for our Men's Retreat. “For those He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:29 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13–14

Witness God’s Word commissions us to make disciples of Jesus Christ by sharing the good news about Him with others. THE GREAT COMMISSION Every Christian is on mission proclaiming the name of Jesus in Columbus and beyond. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:14–15 God has called all believers to participate in His Great Commission: to glorify Him by making disciples of Jesus Christ. Just as the early church did throughout their communities, we seek to spread the name of Jesus through the city of Columbus. Take a look at our current ministry partners and outreach opportunities below and read further to find which opportunities might be a good fit for you! Our Local Outreach Partners Alicia’s Closet Alicia’s Closet is a nonprofit organization serving the foster care community in Central Ohio (Columbus/Franklin County and surrounding areas) and Northwest Ohio (Fremont/Sandusky County and surrounding areas). They provide infant to young adult sized clothing, shoes, coats, diapers, wipes, baby accessories, and other essentials, at no cost to families. By supplying much needed items to those who have been affected by foster care, Alicia’s Closet helps create a sense of comfort, normalcy and dignity during a very difficult, uncertain time. In the process, they also hope to create genuine connections and provide support to families/caregivers. Learn more at aliciasclosetcolumbus.org . Sign Up International Friendships, Inc. (IFI) IFI has been operating in the Columbus area for over 40 years. The organization began right here at Ohio state and has expanded throughout the country and to Canada. IFI strives to make international students and college faculty feel welcome in the United States and share the gospel with them. The main ministry of IFI is providing hospitality and small group Bible discussions for International students, professors, and their families. Volunteers from Vertical Church can serve as mentors, leading small group Bible discussions, or assisting with any of the events that IFI hosts throughout the school year. If you are a person who loves getting to know other’s stories or you’re interested in sharing the gospel in an international context, this could be a great outreach opportunity for you! Learn more at columbus.ifipartners.org . Sign Up LifeWise Academy LifeWise Academy is a Released Time Religious Instruction (RTRI) program which provides Bible-based character education to public school students. Under RTRI laws, students can be released from public school during the school day to attend religious classes, provided the program is off school property, privately funded and parent-permitted. The LifeWise curriculum is designed to take students through the entire Bible, beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation, over the course of five years. Each lesson reviews a Bible passage as well as a “Living LifeWise” character trait. The lessons’ order and activities are flexible and can be modified as the teacher finds necessary. Download a sample of the curriculum here . Learn more at lifewise.org . Sign Up Cru Ohio State RealLife (Cru Ohio State) is a place where students bring students to grow in our understanding of who God is, who he says we are, and how that impacts our lives. You can expect stories of how God is at work in the lives of other students, worship led by the RealLife band, and a practical teaching from one of Cru’s staff members. RealLife gathers Thursdays at 8:00 PM for worship, stories, talks from the Bible, and opportunities to connect with college students who are pursuing Jesus. RealLife’s “home” is Hitchcock Hall 131. Learn More The Covering The Covering is a ministry of Central Ohio Living Free. It exists for the redeeming of women’s lives through the gospel of Jesus Christ in a Christian home: rebuilding family. Its vision is to equip and empower families in God-centered homes to live out the gospel to the glory of God. Founded on the conviction that women are created in God’s image and that no woman is beyond God’s reach, the Covering believes that Jesus — brought to trial, executed, buried, and brought to life again — offers hope, healing, and a new purpose for each life. He can make even the most broken people and situations whole again. Through an amazing awakening to new hope and life purpose, those who once were broken, can begin a new life as a daughter, wife, mother, and friend! Learn More

Our Policies Refund and Privacy Policy Privacy Policy Vertical Church Columbus (“The Church”) is committed to ensuring the privacy of all users’ (“Users”) information. Application of privacy policy This privacy policy applies to all personal information submitted by Users through Vertical Church Columbus’s website (the “Website”), and through the Pushpay mobile payment application for use on iOS and Android smart phones (the “Application”). Personal information The Church will collect general information about you, such as your name, address, contact details so the Church can contact you. We may also collect this and other types of personal information during the course of dealing with you, for example when you wish to obtain goods or services from the Church, when you register for conferences or events, and when you participate in Church activities or complete other forms. The Church will not collect any personal information about visitors to the website except when they knowingly provide it. In order to make a payment to Vertical Church Columbus all Users will need to submit certain personal information about themselves (as prompted by the Website and/or Application), including their name, phone number, postal and email address. Users may be asked to submit further information from time to time. Use of information and data The Church will collect general information about you, such as your name, address, contact details so the Church can contact you. We may also collect this and other types of personal information during the course of dealing with you, for example when you wish to obtain goods or services from the Church, when you register for conferences or events, and when you participate in Church activities or complete other forms. The Church will not collect any personal information about visitors to the website except when they knowingly provide it. In order to make a payment to Vertical Church Columbus all Users will need to submit certain personal information about themselves (as prompted by the Website and/or Application), including their name, phone number, postal and email address. Users may be asked to submit further information from time to time. Consent By accessing the Website and/or using the Application, all Users consent to the collection, use, disclosure, storage and processing of their information in accordance with this privacy policy. Changes to privacy policy The Church may amend or update this privacy policy from time to time, with or without notice to Users. All Users agree to be bound by the privacy policy that is in effect at the time they access the Website or use the Application. Protection of Personal Information The Church takes precautions — including administrative, technical, and physical measures — to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. Retention The Church will retain your personal information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Refund Policy Online contributions to the ministry Vertical Church Columbus are considered to be non-refundable. The refund policy for specific events is determined according to the nature of event. The event refund policy is posted within the event registration form.