Welcome to Vertical. We are so glad you are here!
Vertical didn't begin with a strategy. It began with a prayer.
In the fall of 2009, a small group of Baylor students started gathering each week with one simple desire: to see their campus united under the name of Jesus Christ. They met in a living room to pray, worship, and study Scripture together, asking God to move in the hearts of college students.
As more students joined, the gathering outgrew the living room. It moved to a neighborhood park, then to a parking garage, and eventually to the historic Waco Hippodrome. On the very first night at the Hippodrome, more than 1,000 college students gathered to worship Jesus and hear God's Word preached.
Since that night, God has continued to write a story far greater than anyone could have imagined. Thousands of students have encountered Christ, grown in their faith, discovered Christian community, and been sent into churches, workplaces, and mission fields around the world.
Our prayer today is the same as it was in 2009: that every college student would have the opportunity to know Jesus and become the man or woman God created them to be.
In the fall of 2009, a small group of Baylor students started gathering each week with one simple desire: to see their campus united under the name of Jesus Christ. They met in a living room to pray, worship, and study Scripture together, asking God to move in the hearts of college students.
As more students joined, the gathering outgrew the living room. It moved to a neighborhood park, then to a parking garage, and eventually to the historic Waco Hippodrome. On the very first night at the Hippodrome, more than 1,000 college students gathered to worship Jesus and hear God's Word preached.
Since that night, God has continued to write a story far greater than anyone could have imagined. Thousands of students have encountered Christ, grown in their faith, discovered Christian community, and been sent into churches, workplaces, and mission fields around the world.
Our prayer today is the same as it was in 2009: that every college student would have the opportunity to know Jesus and become the man or woman God created them to be.
A Legacy of Faithfulness
Vertical is part of a much bigger story.
Throughout Baylor's history, God has repeatedly used college students to awaken spiritual renewal on campus. In the 1940s, Baylor became the birthplace of a student-led revival that spread across the nation, calling an entire generation to wholehearted devotion to Jesus Christ. One phrase became synonymous with that movement: "I'd Rather Have Jesus.”
Decades later, in the 1980s and 1990s, God moved again through Choice, a student Bible study led by Louie Giglio that gathered hundreds of Baylor students each week to worship Jesus, study Scripture, and boldly live out their faith. For many alumni, Choice became a defining part of their college experience and a catalyst for lifelong discipleship.
When Vertical began in 2009, our desire wasn't to create something entirely new. It was to faithfully continue the work God has been doing at Baylor for generations. While each movement has looked different, the heart has remained the same: college students gathering around the gospel, encountering Jesus, growing in authentic community, and being sent out to influence the world for His glory.
We are grateful for the men and women who came before us, whose faithfulness prepared the way for the work God is doing today, and we eagerly look forward to what He will continue to do through the next generation of Baylor students.
Throughout Baylor's history, God has repeatedly used college students to awaken spiritual renewal on campus. In the 1940s, Baylor became the birthplace of a student-led revival that spread across the nation, calling an entire generation to wholehearted devotion to Jesus Christ. One phrase became synonymous with that movement: "I'd Rather Have Jesus.”
Decades later, in the 1980s and 1990s, God moved again through Choice, a student Bible study led by Louie Giglio that gathered hundreds of Baylor students each week to worship Jesus, study Scripture, and boldly live out their faith. For many alumni, Choice became a defining part of their college experience and a catalyst for lifelong discipleship.
When Vertical began in 2009, our desire wasn't to create something entirely new. It was to faithfully continue the work God has been doing at Baylor for generations. While each movement has looked different, the heart has remained the same: college students gathering around the gospel, encountering Jesus, growing in authentic community, and being sent out to influence the world for His glory.
We are grateful for the men and women who came before us, whose faithfulness prepared the way for the work God is doing today, and we eagerly look forward to what He will continue to do through the next generation of Baylor students.
2009
The first Vertical happens at the Hippodrome.
2010
Afshin Ziafat becomes the first Executive Director.
2012
Timothy "TA" Ateek becomes the second Executive Director.
2013
Vertical meets on campus for the first time.
2016
Dale Wallace becomes the third Executive Director.
2018
Vertical meets in the Ferrell Center for the first time.
2019
First year of FM72 - four days dedicated to prayer and worship, where students seek the heart of God in the heart of campus.
2022
Myles Olenski becomes the fourth Executive Director.
2024
Vertical celebrates 15 years of God's faithfulness and launches Vertical Worship.