National Community Church

National Community Church (NCC) is a multi-site church located in the Washington, D.C. area, pastored by Mark Batterson. The vision of the church is to meet in movie theaters at metro stops all across the Washington DC area. Weekly sermons are also available online as audio and video podcasts and on-demand webcasts.

History

National Community Church held its first Sunday service on January 7, 1996. During the first nine months of 1996, average attendance at Sunday services was between 20-25 people. At the time, all meetings were at the Joshua R. Giddings school in southeast Washington, DC, but the school was closed due to fire code violations.[1][2]

NCC found a new home in the AMC Theatres at Union Station, holding its first services there on November 17, 1996.[2] A second Sunday service was added in February 2001 when the church grew to 275 weekly attendees. In an August 2001 article in the Washington Post, the congregation was described as "young" and "casually dressed," and Batterson remarked that the church was "right in the middle of the marketplace."[3]

After being featured in the Washington Post, the congregation at Union Station grew to over 500.[4] NCC launched its second location in the Regal Entertainment Group theaters at Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Virginia in 2003, using a pre-recorded video to present sermons in both locations on Sundays.[2][5]

In 2005, NCC began making its sermons available online via podcast.[6]

Ebenezers Coffeehouse and headquarters of the National Community Church

In 2002, NCC purchased an abandoned building located one block from Union Station, which had been a one-story diner in the early twentieth century.[7] In March 2006, after investing a few million dollars for renovation, NCC opened Ebenezers, a coffeehouse serving fair trade and organic coffee, with church offices located on the top floor and an event space in the basement.[1][7] The basement of Ebenezer's became the regular venue for a Saturday worship service and the live taping of weekly sermons.[5] In July 2008, Ebenezers was named the best coffeehouse in the Washington, DC Metro Area by AOL cityguide.[8]

The church expanded to movie theaters in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and Kingstowne, Virginia, and Sunday services were held at Ebenezer's when the movie theater at Union Station abruptly closed in October 2009.[1][9] In 2010, NCC began a Sunday evening service at the GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C. and a regular Sunday service in Potomac Yard in Virginia.[10][11]

In 2011, NCC purchased a century-old theater on Barracks Row in Capitol Hill, which was originally known as Meader’s Theater and had been home to the People's Church since 1962.[12][13] In March 2011, NCC's congregation totaled around 2,000, and the theater became the NCC's central site, hosting multiple Sunday services and the Saturday afternoon taping of the sermon distributed to the other six locations and online.[12] Over the next several years, the theater was renovated and in May 2016 it opened to the public as a movie theater and performance venue, named the "Miracle Theatre."[14]

In 2012, NCC entered into a partnership with a community organization, the Southeast White House, to buy an abandoned apartment building in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The building was renovated into a community center with a dance studio, basketball court, art center, computer lab, and recording studio, opening in 2017 as the "DC Dream Center."[15]

In 2014, NCC celebrated Easter with 800 congregants at the historic Lincoln Theatre on U Street in Washington, D.C. where the church established a new weekly Sunday service.[16] In April 2014, NCC had over 3,000 congregants attending services in seven locations.[17]

In 2014, NCC purchased the Navy Yard Car Barn, several blocks south of the Miracle Theatre on Barracks Row.[18]

NCC currently does not allow people who are homosexual and pursuing a relationship with a same sex partner to hold any sort of leadership position in their church.

Affiliations

National Community Church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA and the Willow Creek Association.[19][20]

References
  1. Batterson, Mark (2011). The Circle Maker. Zondervan. ISBN 9780310318293.
  2. "Mark Batterson: The Circle Maker". 700 Club. Christian Broadcasting Network. May 2012.
  3. Murphy, Caryle (August 12, 2001). "Young Audience Redefines Church". The Washington Post.
  4. Boorstein, Michelle (February 25, 2012). "From a movie theater church, pastor Mark Batterson blends orthodoxy and innovation". The Washington Post.
  5. Walker, Ken (September 1, 2006). "Lost in Space?". Charisma Leader.
  6. Ralli, Tania (August 29, 2005). "Missed Church? Download It to Your IPod". The New York Times.
  7. "Church Makes Its Home in Local Coffee Shop". Roll Call. Jan 5, 2011.
  8. "City's Best: Washington, DC - coffee". AOL. September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. After decades of neglect, National Community Church transformed this run-down onetime diner into a not-so-shabby neighborhood coffeehouse.
  9. Wan, William (October 20, 2009). "Movie-theater church loses spot at Union Station". The Washington Post.
  10. Seed, Amy (March 26, 2010). "DC-area church unveils new location inside theater". Washington Examiner.
  11. Parks, Kurtis (October 14, 2010). "Life as a Campus Pastor". Blogger.
  12. Phan, Katherine T. (March 29, 2011). "D.C.'s Theater Church Expanding on Capitol Hill". Christian Post.
  13. Jenkins, Mark (July 2, 2012). "Century-old movie theater in Capitol Hill to reopen as the Miracle". The Washington Post.
  14. Cohen, Matt (June 1, 2016). "Small Movie Theater Opens on Barracks Row". Washington City Paper.
  15. Sturdivant, Christina (August 23, 2017). "Photos: Mayor Bowser Cuts Ribbon At New Community Center In Southeast". DCist. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  16. Bahrampour, Tara (April 20, 2014). "Washington region celebrates Easter". The Washington Post.
  17. "Contemporary Religion on Capitol Hill". The Kojo Nnamdi Show. WAMU. April 17, 2014.
  18. Neibauer, Michael (Nov 4, 2014). "National Community Church to acquire Blue Castle, expand Barracks Row portfolio". Washington Business Journal.
  19. "National Community Church". Assemblies of God (USA). Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  20. "National Community Church". Willow Creek Association. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
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