We exist to awaken and empower you to follow Jesus.
Our Team
The church should not replace you in ministry. The church should equip you for ministry. That is why Vertical Life was birthed with a mandate to equip people to follow Jesus. Everything that we do is centered around that purpose - to see you fully equipped to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, be rooted in the Word of God, live in Christ-centered community, and teach others to do the same.
Our Beliefs
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We believe the Bible is the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, without error in the original writings, infallible and God-breathed. (2 Tim. 3:15-17, 1 Peter 1:23-25, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 4:12)
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We believe there is one God, the Triune God, eternally existing in three persons – The Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that these three are equal in power, nature, glory and possess the same attributes and perfections; that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Gen. 1:1, Deut. 6:4, Is. 43:10-11, Matt. 28:19, Mark 12:29, Jn 1:1, 3, 2 Cor. 13:14, Eph. 4:5, 6)
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We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, infinite in power, wisdom and love. We believe that He is good, sovereign and His love towards us is perfect, that He works all things to the good of those who love Him, that His leadership is faultless, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Matt 28:19, Jn 3:16, 4:24, Rom 8:28, 1 Tim 1:1,2, 1 Peter 1:3, Rev 1:6)
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We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son and the eternal Word made flesh. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and in His virgin birth. We believe He became man without ceasing to be God, He is the image of the invisible God and in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We believe he in His perfect nature, His sinless life, His teachings and His miracles. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death and His literal physical resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven. We believe He is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is our High Priest, Intercessor and Advocate. We believe He is the only Savior for the sins of the world. (Matt 1:18-25, Jn 1:1, Acts 1:9, 10, Eph 1:4-5, Col 2:9, Hebrews 7:25, 9:24, 28, Rom 5, 8:34, 1Tim 3:16, 1 Jn 2:1-2,
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We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe He is our helper, teacher and guide. We believe He persuades men to repent of theirs sins and to confess Jesus as Lord. We believe He regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers believers to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. We believe He points to Jesus and His salvation. We believe He is the promise of the Father and dwells within and seals all believers unto the day of redemption. (Jn 16:8-14, Rom 8:9, 1 Cor 12:12-14, 2 Cor 3:6, Gal 5:22-26)
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We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life. (Gen 1:26, 2:17, 3, 5:2, Jn 3:14, 16, 5:24, 5:30, 8:13, Rom 8:1, 2 Thess 1:9, 1 Jn 1:9)
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We believe that salvation is a gift from God and only received by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We believe that it was His and only His blood shed on Calvary for our sins. We believe that Jesus is the only answer to our depravity and the only Savior. We believe that all other attempts, outside of faith in Jesus and His complete work, at salvation are vain and have no value. (Is 64:6, Jn 1:12, 3:14, 16, Eph 1:7, 2:8-10, 1 Peter 1:18-19)
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We believe that the promise of the Father is freely available to all believers. We believe the Holy Spirit empowers all believers to be a witness and to serve. We believe that God is sovereign in bestowing spiritual gifts; we believe it is our responsibility to pursue and develop these gifts within our lives. We believe that the Holy Spirit desires us to be continually filled with power and to use this empowerment/gifts to edify the local body and to minister to the world. We believe that all of the gifts are available for today and that they are essential to the mission of church. (Acts 1:7-9, 1 Cor 12, Rom 12:3-8, 1 Pet 4:10-11)
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We believe that the church is the bride of Christ, a living spiritual body made up of all born-again believers. We believe in the local church and the need for the local church. We believe that all members of the Church should play a vital and committed part in a local body of believers. We believe that we are to walk out this faith with each other, challenging each other, loving each other, serving each other, and demonstrating the reality of the Kingdom of God to the world. We believe the local church is to equip its members for the work of the ministry and to send them to expand the Kingdom. We believe the local church is to point to Jesus Christ and His salvation and not to be an end in itself. We believe there should be no entity like the local church in the way it loves, serves and ministers to its community. (Acts 2:42-47, 1 Cor 12:12-14, 2 Cor 11:2 Eph 2:19-22, 5:19-21, Heb 10:23-25)
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We believe Jesus Christ has given two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that water baptism is a testimony to God, the church and the world through immersion of the believer in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This is a visual demonstration of a believers union with Christ in His death and resurrection, and symbol of putting to death the old ways and being born a new creature in Christ.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper symbolizes the breaking of Jesus’ body and the shedding of His blood on our behalf. We believe it is to be done often in remembrance of Jesus’ complete work and our continued participation in His atonement. (Matt 28:18-20, Romans 6:3-5, 1 Cor 11:23-26)
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We believe in the personal and visible return of Jesus Christ. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the everlasting punishment of the wicked. (Matt 16:27, Mk 16:42, 1 Cor 4:5, 2 Tim 4:1, Titus 2:13, 2 Thess 1:7-10, Rev 20:4-6, 11-15)
Our Values
At Vertical Life we hold to 4 values that shape and guide this ministry. In Acts 2:42-47 we find a description of the early church that was effective in displaying, empowering and releasing people for Kingdom impact. In this passage, we see 4 values to cultivating a healthy church culture:
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We hold to the Bible as the Word of God and the final authority. The Word is not just words on a page, doctrines to debate over or a tool to belittle others. We believe that the Word and the Spirit actually shapes lives and communities.
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We refuse to act or go without His presence. We expect God's presence to be tangible in our lives, and to be in awe of the signs and wonders that God will do among us. His presence in our lives will not be something referred to as a past event or distant possibility, but rather, moving and working among us at all times.
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We make disciples that make disciples. This looks like relationships that are centered on Jesus and a community that equips others to be change in their neighborhoods, cities and the world. We are a group of believers displaying the Gospel in all areas of our lives.
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We value living in a Christ-Centered community. Life was never meant to be lived alone. We desire that everyone be part of a Christ-Centered community that genuinely loves and serves one another. We also value a community in which the older generation trains the younger, and the younger works with the older.