Meet the Leadership Team, and stay up-to-date on what's been discussed in Leadership Team Meetings.
Dave Bright (Chairman)
Dave and his wife, Bev, joined the Vertical family in 2017.
Dave works in the insurance industry. He and Bev been blessed with two grown children, a fine son-in-law, and a precious grandson.
Dave and Bev are grateful for the supportive community they’ve found at Vertical Church. They enjoy serving in various ways. They are excited to see how God uses Vertical Church to reach people and help them grow in their relationship with Him.
Kayla Duckworth (Vice Chair)
I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at 9 years old and have been striving to serve Him ever since. As I’ve grown older, I have recognized my mission field is in education. I work at Union County Schools and love serving in the small town where I grew up.
Since 2017, I have been attending Vertical Church, where I cherish the connection and encounters with the Holy Spirit. It’s a wonderful place for both newcomers and long-time believers to worship together. I am excited to be a part of Vertical Church and look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us all.
Phillip Kight
Phillip is the Senior Pastor at Vertical Church. Phillip and Kalyn joined Vertical Church in 2019. They believe that Jesus can change the life of anyone, and a relationship with Jesus is worth going all in for. Kalyn and Phillip enjoy serving the Lord above all else.
Richard Jones
He lives with his wife, Melody, in Murphy NC. They have two sons, Jacob and Zachary and are blessed with 3 grandchildren, Cadence, Asher and Eden. Richard continues to work in Printing Sales as the owner of Mountaintop Print & More.
His journey with the Lord started at the age of 7 and has been better than he could ever imagine. Serving as a Home Group Leader, being a part of the Prayer Team, and having the opportunity to share Jesus on 3 mission trips to India are some of the highlights on the journey. Richard’s passion is to see others empowered to serve and to represent Jesus well. He desires to see the lost saved and their lives changed.
Makayla Rogers
Makayla Rogers and her family have been a part of Vertical since the very first service. She has served in many capacities over the years alongside her husband, DJ, and their sons, Lincoln and new baby Roman. Her professional background is in Industrial & Systems Engineering, with a focus on process improvement & system transformations. She currently works as a consultant facilitating digital transformation by implementing financial software for finance organizations for businesses of various sizes & industries.
Darrin Sparks
Darrin is CEO & Managing Member at Sparks Exchange. After 28 years in community banking providing financial guidance to clients including small business & real estate investors, Darrin now assists business owners investment property owners in legally structuring 1031 exchanges.
Active Affliations:
* Vertical Church Treasurer
* Genovus Partners, CFO & Director
* Grace Fiduciary Solutions, Owner, providing Trustee & Fiduciary services.
Previous Experience:
Seasons Bank President
Senior Management for multiple community banks from $50 million assets to $2 Billion.
Past Affiliations:
*MACA Board Treasurer
* Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach
*President Rotary Club of Union County, GA, *Union County Chamber Board, *member Board of Associates Young Harris College.
Bev Bright
Bev and her husband, Dave, joined the Vertical family in 2017.
Bev is a clinical research professional. She and Dave been blessed with two grown children, a fine son-in-law, and a precious grandson.
Bev and Dave are grateful for the supportive community they’ve found at Vertical Church. They enjoy serving in various ways. They are excited to see how God uses Vertical Church to reach people and help them grow in their relationship with Him.
Melody Jones
After teaching for 30 years, I retired and am now enjoying this new lifestyle. My husband, Richard and I moved from Texas about three years ago and immediately started attending Vertical Church.
What drew me to Vertical is that I loved to see how people were growing in deeper relationships with Jesus through the ministry of the church and making connections with other believers.
I’m excited that God is drawing people to Himself, they are responding to Him, and lives are being changed.
Leadership Team Meeting Notes (2024 & 2025 Thus Far)
2-26-25
01-29-25
12-18-2024
10-30-2024
11-20-2024
9-18-2024
8-21-2024
6-19-2024
04-23-2024
03-06-2024
02-07-2024
01-18-24
2-26-25
3-26-25
Vertical Church Organizational Chart
Vertical Church Organizational Leadership Chart Descriptions
The Lord is at the very top of our church leadership structure. We seek his direction and leading for our church. We submit to the authority of His Word and desire to honor him in all things.
The Leadership Team consists of three parts: The Senior Pastor, Lead Administrators, and Lead Elders. The team functions similar to a board of directors for our church. The Lead Administrators and Lead Elders have a four-year term for their service, can serve two consecutive terms, and have been appointed to serve in accordance with our church bylaws.
- The Senior Pastor is hired by the Leadership Team. The Senior Pastor oversees the teaching ministry, pastoral ministry, and spiritual vision of the church. The Senior Pastor oversees The Church Staff.
- Lead Administrators are spiritually gifted in administration and leadership. They oversee the business, financial, and legal matters of the church.
- Lead Elders are appointed to the leadership team by the Elders. They represent the Elders on the Leadership team for a four-year term and can serve two consecutive terms. Elders help oversee the spiritual matters of the church and support the pastoral ministry.
The Leadership Team creates Committees called “Teams” to help share and accomplish specific responsibilities of church leadership and to advise the Leadership Team for decision making. These members consist of Leadership Team Members and appointed members of the church congregation who possess the needed professional skills and wisdom for each responsibility. They are created and appointed by the Leadership Team as needed.
The Elders are appointed into spiritual church leadership by nomination. Then, all nominations for an Elder are reviewed and vetted. Once approved, they are confirmed by prayer, fasting, and vote by the existing Elders. They serve as an extension of the pastoral ministry for the church and as spiritual accountability for the Senior Pastor which is denoted by the dotted line on the Organizational Chart. The Elders oversee and disciple the Elders in Training.
- The Elders in Training are those who meet all the qualifications to be an elder and are being trained in their spiritual maturity, leadership, and wisdom to shepherd the church as an Elder.
The Church Staff are hired to do the daily ministry work of the church and their hiring is approved by the Leadership Team. They oversee day-to-day operations under the supervision of the Senior Pastor. They oversee ministries, ministry budgets, interns, volunteers, and teams under their ministry area.