q: how did you end up in washington, dc? Honestly, we would have never come to Washington, DC if it weren t for a failed church plant in Chicago. We tried to plant a church while I was in seminary, but we fell flat on our faces. It was embarrassing and discouraging when it happened, but I m so grateful looking back! When that church plant was closing down, it opened us up to other options. Failed plans have a way of doing that. After a few months of praying for and seeking out opportunities, we felt like God was calling us to DC, so we literally packed all of our earthly belongings into a 15- foot U-Haul and made the move. We didn t have a place to live. We didn t have a salary. But we knew God was calling us to DC. q: how did ncc get started? Lora and I inherited a core group of people that had been meeting for about a year before we came on the scene. Our first Sunday was the day the blizzard of 96 left record snowfalls on Washington, DC. Only three people showed up Lora, Parker, and myself. Of course, the upside is that we experienced a 533% growth spurt in one week when 19 people showed up the next Sunday. q: why does ncc meet in theaters? We went into this church plant with the traditional mindset: meet in rented facilities until you can buy or build a church building. But being in the middle of the marketplace has become part of our DNA. We don t see movie theaters as short-term rental options. We see them as our long-range strategy. q: what is your vision for ncc? My father-in-law, Bob Schmidgall, planted and pastored Calvary Church in Naperville, Illinois, for 30+ years so I saw firsthand what God can do if you plant yourself in one place and give your life to it. Lord willing, I want to pastor NCC for life. And when you think long, you can dream big. Our 2020 vision is to have 20 locations. Most of those locations will be movie theaters and coffeehouses throughout the metro DC area, but we will also launch locations in major metropolitan cities in the US, as well as capital cities in Europe. Our first international location will launch in Berlin, Germany, in 2013. q: what are some of the core convictions that drive ncc? NCC is absolutely orthodox in doctrine, but we re a little unorthodox in practice. We have a core conviction: there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet. In a sense, every church has the same mission and that is to make disciples. But we accomplish that mission in different ways. So the message is sacred, but the methods are not. I believe every church ought to have a unique churchprint. They ought to be a unique expression of who God is and who they are. As it relates to NCC, I believe God has uniquely called and positioned us to reach those who are unchurched and dechurched in Washington, DC. Average attendance in 1996 was 35 people A spare bedroom in the Batterson home doubled as the church office for two years You can follow Pastor Mark on Twitter: @MarkBatterson Ebenezers is kitty-corner to the largest office building in Washington, DC 32,000 college students live within a one-mile radius of our Georgetown location NCC recorded it s second album, More than Conquerors in 2012
in 1996, the dc public school where ncc was meeting closed because of fire code violations. ncc was on the verge of becoming a homeless church when god opened an amazing door of opportunity at union station. for 13 years, ncc met in the movie theaters at union station. the theater closed in 2009, but the vision of meeting in movie theaters throughout the dc metro area had just begun. in 2003, ncc launched its second movie theater location at ballston common mall. in 2007 and 2009, ncc launched new locations in georgetown and kingstowne. in 2010, the potomac yard and columbia heights locations launched. on easter 2011, ncc launched its seventh location on barracks row. the 2020 vision of national community church is two-fold. the first half of the vision is to launch 20 locations by 2020. the majority will be in theaters and coffeehouses in the dc metro area, but ncc will also target major cities in the us and europe. ncc will launch its first international campus in berlin, germany, in 2013. the second half of the vision, and primary motivation for growth, is missions. along with a dozen missions trips, ncc gave more than a million dollars to missions in 2011. the 2020 vision is to give $2 million annually to the hundreds of missionaries and ministries ncc supports all around the world.
In 1908, a German immigrant named Ernestine Reuter was granted a permit to build a diner at 201 F Street, NE. The cost of construction was $2,000. The building was 16 x 16 and heated by a stove. The original diner served butter and eggs to Union Station travelers before there was food service on the trains. The diner closed in 1954. After a quarter century of neglect, National Community Church purchased the former crackhouse on February 7, 2002. Following several years of rezoning and construction, Ebenezers opened for business on National Coffee Day on March 15, 2006. Dedicated to meeting both tangible and spiritual needs in our city, the DC Dream Center will be focused on serving the poor and the disenfranchised and being a place of reconciliation and refuge for southeast DC. Situated in one of the forgotten parts of our city, the Dream Center will serve a community where up to 43% of people use food stamps, the unemployment rate is as high as 20.8%, and as high as 49% of children are in poverty. Wards 7 & 8 have the highest DC rate of teen pregnancy, unemployment, and poverty. We believe the Dream Center will be a place where hope becomes habit and ALL people are welcome to experience the life changing power of Jesus. So why would a church build a coffeehouse? Because Jesus didn t just hang out at the synagogue. He hung out at wells. Wells weren t just places to draw water. They were natural gathering places in ancient culture. Coffeehouses are postmodern wells. The vision of Ebenezers is to be a place where the church and community cross paths. Our original espresso machine pulled 201,843 shots from March 15, 2006 to December 31, 2009 The name Ebenezers means hitherto the lord has helped us Ebenezers was voted the runner up coffeehouse in the Washington City Paper Best of DC Competition in 2012 DC DREAM CENTER
Jesus never meant church to become synonymous with a building that we go to or an event we attend. Church is a group of people who are joined together in a common experience (a relationship with Christ) and a common mission (to share that relationship with the world). The best way to become a part of the community and mission at NCC is to join a small group and a ministry team. We believe that spiritual growth happens best in the context of community, which is why we do small groups. The ultimate purpose is to create a place where people can connect with God and connect with each other. The groups operate on a semester system and range from learning what it means to be a disciple to investing in the Kingdom by influencing those around you. As one church with multiple locations, our worship gatherings wouldn t happen without the amazing volunteers that serve at our weekend services. Ministry teams allow you to use your God-given gifts to become actively involved in the mission of NCC. Each location has a range of opportunities, including production, hospitality, prayer, worship, and kids. pick up a copy of our group directory for more details on how you can get involved at ncc On March 23, 2011, National Community Church purchased 535 8th street se from the People s Church and launched its seventh location in the metro DC area. The purchase was a miracle for both churches - a double miracle - thus the name, The Miracle Theatre. Located in the heart of Capitol Hill, the original building was a Vaudeville theatre with a mix of entertainment, including motion pictures and live performances. The first movie premiered on December 27, 1910, and the building continued to operate as a movie theatre under four different names until 1960: Meader, New Meader, Family, and Academy. The current movie theatre still has the original seats from 1929 Barracks Row was the first commercial street in Washington, DC because of its proximity to the Navy Yard
2012 2012 $13,023,000 $1,037,000 2010 $10,658,000 2010 $596,000 2008 $2,473,000 2008 $434,000 2006 $1,773,000 2006 $292,000 2004 $1,410,000 2004 $205,000 2002 $589,000 2002 $75,000 Assets $22,971,000 Liabilities $2,156,000 Equity $20,786,000 Personnel $2,087,000 Facilities $1,836,000 Ministries $798,000 Missions $1,037,000 Total Expenses $5,758,000 *Amounts are estimates as of year-end 2012 *NCC has an annual audit every spring to finalize numbers *Audited statements are available to NCC shareholders upon request In the last 10 years, NCC gave $5,293,860 to missions NCC raised $3.8 million in gifts and pledges for the DC Dream Center. ( as of 12.31.2012 ) i simply say, the cross must be raised again at the center of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. i am claiming that jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap, at a crossroads so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in hebrew, latin, and greek. at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble, because that is where he died and that is what he died about and that is where churchmen ought to be and what churchmen ought to be about. ~ george mcleod
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED IRRELEVANCE IS IRREVERENCE LOVE PEOPLE WHEN THEY LEAST EXPECT IT AND LEAST DESERVE IT PLAYING IT SAFE IS RISKY EVERYONE IS INVALUABLE AND IRREPLACEABLE PRAY LIKE IT DEPENDS ON GOD AND WORK LIKE IT DEPENDS ON YOU MATURITY DOESN T EQUAL CONFORMITY EVERYTHING IS AN EXPERIMENT YOU CAN T OUTGIVE GOD GO THE EXTRA MILE IT S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHO YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN theaterchurch.com Like NCC on facebook facebook.com/theaterchurch Follow NCC on Twitter @NCC