ABOUT US

Jesus changes everything!

Our Mission

Making More and Better Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Making MORE disciples of Jesus. Communicating the hope of Christ to our community and the world. We deeply sense our responsibility to share the message of the gospel in our community and around the world. Christ has called us to share the gift of eternal life with those who are without God and hope in this world.

Matthew 28:19- “…go and make disciples of all nations…”

Why we must reach people with the Gospel:

  • 2 Peter 3:9- “The Lord...is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

  • John 14:6- “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

  • Luke 14:23- “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”

  • Colossians 2:19- “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.”


  • Cultivating personal growth in Christ. It is our desire that every Christian be growing and changing to be more like Christ. This requires a strong emphasis on the teaching of God’s Word and training in a balanced Christian life. Before the Christian life can be lived it must be understood (taught) and accepted (believed).

    1 John 2:6- “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

  • People are important here at Vertical! We are made to be a part of a community. It is hard to love and care for people you don’t know or have never met! One of the chief characteristics of a mature Christian is an active love in the context of caring and meaningful relationships. This is one of the reasons we believe it is important for everyone to become involved in a small group and a ministry team.

    1 Corinthians 12:12–14- “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Our Vision

The mission of Vertical Church is to “Make More and Better Disciples of Jesus Christ”.

This is broken down into three unique phases that work together for the greatest Kingdom Impact.

  • Our vision to prosper where we are planted mirrors our Spiritual walk with Jesus Christ, the deeper the roots the greater the impact. The deeper roots we have in our communities the greater impact we will have for the Kingdom. It is our desire not to just reside in the communities where our campuses are located, but to be involved in them; investing into community leadership, schools, local businesses, and other nonprofits.

  • God has caused a burden within us to Make More and Better Disciples of Jesus Christ and that our Kingdom reach that God has called Vertical to go beyond our original church location in Ft. Branch. God has given Vertical a clear calling to reach into other local communities with the gospel message by planting missional driven campuses and be a multisite church. We will be “One Church in Multiple Locations!”.

  • Kingdom business is far greater than one church. At Vertical we believe in the big “C” church that exists globally, nationally, and locally. It is our desire as an organization as we learn, grow, and develop to share our blessings, experiences, and resources with other churches who desire to have a Kingdom impact. Our heart is to turn and love on other churches, their leadership, and congregations with the same love that God has poured out on Vertical Church. God doesn’t waste an experience, and neither should we. We don’t claim to know everything or do everything the best, but we will claim that we aim to learn and share our wins and failures so that we help strengthen the church to reach more people with the greatest message given to mankind; Jesus saves!

Core Values

we desire to be a Jesus church.

  • At some point, someone talked to you about Jesus and/or asked you to come to church with them. Now it’s your turn to tell someone else about Him and invite them to church!

  • Those who have been saved by Jesus are called to serve others. We want everyone to serve by volunteering in one of our ministries throughout the week. Whether behind the scenes or in the middle of people, everyone has a place here!

  • Following Jesus means changing to become more like Him. The longer we walk with Him the more our lives should look like Him. We desire to help you take those next steps in your spiritual journey; growing in prayer, reading God’s Word, giving back to him, serving in His church, and living in community with others.

  • Life is better connected to God, His church, and His people. Just as God lives in community (Father, Son, and Spirit), we are called to do the same. We were created for community. Gathering for worship on Sunday mornings is a big deal for us at Vertical. We believe that life is better connected and that the “better” (growing in Christ’s likeness) happens best in small group environments.

  • A heart of gratitude results in generosity. When we realize how generous God has been toward us through His Son, we are inspired to offer up our time, talents, and resources to see more people come to Jesus as their Lord and Savior and become more like Him.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Vertical Beliefs

Although Vertical’s culture is anything but traditional, we take a conservative theological position.

  • In essential beliefs we have unity.

    Ephesians 4:4-6- “There is one body and one Spirit...one Lord”, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all...”

    In non-essential beliefs we have liberty.

    Romans 14:1, 4, 12, 22 - “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgement on disputable matters. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls...So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God...so whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God...”

    In all our beliefs we show love.

    1 Corinthians 13:2- “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

  • The Bible

    The Bible is God’s Word to all people. Human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit wrote it. Because God inspired it in its original writing, the Bible is truth without error and remains completely relevant to our daily lives. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26)

    The Trinity

    God has existed in relationship with Himself for all eternity. He exists as one essence in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they each possess equal power and authority. (1 John 5:7’ Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11)

    The Father

    God is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and, above all, holy. It is in Him that we live, move, and exist. God is good. He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises.

    The Son

    Jesus Christ is completely human but at the same time completely God. He was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. He’s the only plan for bringing people who, because of sin, are enemies of God back into a right relationship with God. He lived a perfect life so He could be a substitution for us in satisfying God’s demands for perfection. He defeated death with His resurrection also by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we could have life. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to God the Father except through Him. (John 1:1, 14, 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5)

    The Holy Spirit

    His presence assures us of salvation and a relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ. (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6; Romans 8:16)

    Eternity

    Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God by His forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of real, eternal existence. (2 Corinthians 5:10, Romans 14:10-12; Daniel 12:1-3; Revelation 20:4-6)

    Man

    We are made in the image of God and according to His likeness. We are the supreme object of His creation. We were created to have fellowship with God, but became separated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, we cannot establish a right relationship with God through our efforts. Every human is uniquely created, possesses dignity, and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 139:14, 17-18; 1 John 4:19)

    Salvation

    The blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross provides the only way of salvation through the forgiveness of sin. Salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. Salvation is a gift from God, and it cannot be earned through our own efforts. Our salvation produces what the Bible calls “fruit”. We should be continually growing more and more like Jesus. Will we mess up? Absolutely, but we are to repent and turn back to Him. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to test and examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Faith produces fruit. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22)

    Repentance

    Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance, we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation. (Acts 2:21, 3:19; 1 John 1:9)

    The Church

    The Church is the Body of Christ, comprising local communities of baptized believers, unified through devotion to one another and faith in Jesus. We are committed to the teachings of Jesus, to obeying all of His commands, and to bringing the Gospel to this world. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Jesus. Everyone who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23)

    Prayer

    Prayer is our ability to communicate with God. Through Jesus’ salvation, we can now address Him directly. Jesus became our high priest before God, continually interceding for us. It is because of Jesus’ sacrifice that the New Covenant was ushered in, and we now no longer depend on earthly priests to come before God for us, but through Christ we may directly and boldly approach God’s throne with our prayers. (1 John 5:14; 2 Chronicles 6:21, 7:14; Ephesians 6:18; Jeremiah 29:12; Job 22:27; Mark 11:1-4, 11:24; Psalm 17:6, 145:18; Proverbs 15:29; Matthew 6:9-13)

    Spiritual Gifts

    The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters. (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10)

    Second Coming

    Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures. (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)

  • Baptism

    Baptism is a symbolic act by which believers publicly profess their salvation. Jesus commanded it. Believers should be baptized, but baptism is a result of salvation, not a contributor to it. We practice full-immersion baptism, symbolizing the process of death and resurrection that Jesus experienced for us. We do not baptize infants. In infant baptism, the choice is made by someone else, not the child being baptized. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38, 10:47-48)

    The Lord’s Supper

    This is a unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (symbolizing the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25)