Our vision at The Ridge is to do whatever it takes to reach our community for Christ.

Our entire approach as a church is built around making sure that people like your friends and family have a place to come to church where they are welcomed, and really be pointed toward Jesus. In the past, we've done this from the website, to the landscaping, to the words and music we use on stage. We do our best to keep people who don't have a church home in mind. We want everyone who interacts with The Ridge to feel like they can belong even before they figure out what they believe. 

This vision to do “whatever it takes” hasn’t changed even in the midst of Jerry nearing retirement, and we’re still a whatever it takes church because God is a whatever it takes God. But, HOW we go about responding to God’s prompting in that vision is being challenged big time. What we’re finding is “our community” doesn’t just mean Columbus anymore, nor is it just people who come to church in person. 

How does this new reality impact our vision? We believe God is prompting us to launch an online campus of The Ridge. An online church campus is different than streaming our services online. Our online campus will do everything we do in our physical location, but online. This includes children’s ministry, student ministry, and groups. We will look to find ways to engage individuals to serve, online or in-person. We’ve identified this “online campus” approach to be one of our key priorities to do whatever it takes to reach our community for Christ in 2021.

Yes, we’ll still have our current physical campus. But we’ll also have an online campus that does the same thing. Will we still launch another physical location like we talked about in the past? Maybe, though hopefully not in a three-day period in the middle of a global pandemic. COVID, am I right? 

As we're working toward this vision to launch an online campus by Easter of 2021, I'd like to invite you to pray daily for 60 days at 4:04PM. Every single day, from now until December 23, including today. At 4:04. 

Why 4:04? Easter this next year is April 4. 4/04. Get it? Praying at this time is a great reminder that because of what God did through Jesus on the cross, whatever it takes, we are called to do whatever it takes for others. We want to pray about this online campus and surrender it completely to God. I believe this vision is one that God desires, but we don’t want to do it on our own. We want to pray every day for sixty days at 4:04 about this vision. 

We've set up a Facebook Group, where you can interact with others who are also praying, and we've got a calendar with some things you can be praying for each day of the 60 days. Text "PRAY" to 812.408.1188 (no seriously, do it right now) and we'll send you the link to the Facebook group and the calendar, plus we'll send you a few reminders throughout the 60 days. 

I’m going to set an alarm on my phone and maybe get a special ring tone for it (MC Hammer's "You've Got to Pray Just to Make It Today?") for 4:04PM. If you’re brave, do 4:04AM. Text the word "pray," then set your alarm to remind you to pray.

I’m excited about what God is doing and what He will do. And I don’t want to be anywhere that doesn’t care this deeply about people who don’t know Jesus. 

Whatever it takes, 

Adam