National Community Church

In this post I want to reflect on my recent trip to National Community Church in Washington DC.

The providence of God. About ten years ago at college I met a friend named Matt. We were in a band together for a couple years, and to this day he has remained a good friend. As New Day is considering moving to a movie theater I called Matt, who works at National Community Church because they primarily meet in movie theaters. I never would have been able to make this visit and get a back stage tour of everything they do if God hadn't brought Matt into my life.

Market place ministry. This was a really cool concept I wasn't really familiar with before my visit. Let me illustrate the "market place ministry" concept. They bought a building and turned it into a coffee shop. They also use the coffee shop as a place for church services. For years they would film a live service Saturday night and then show the video of that service at their various movie theater locations on Sunday morning. It was so cool to see Christian books and resources littered around the coffee shop. Why can they do this? Because they own the coffee shop! In the picture below you'll see an advertisement for Mark's (their lead pastor) latest book Circle Maker and their worship band's latest album God Anthology.

They recently bought a movie theater and are planning to actually show movies there (they will hand pick movies that are already out of main theaters and reshow them). But this movie theater will also be one of their meeting places for church (in fact it already has been for over a year).

They also recently purchased a piece of land they will build a community center on. This community center...you guessed it...will also double as a meeting location for their church.

Their strategy actually involves plans NOT to ever buy a church building. They would rather practice what they call "market place ministry", a fascinating concept to me.

Proteges. Because NCC is a prominent and influential church of 2,000 people, college students from around the country actually raise money and then go work for NCC for a year. I'm sure some hope to get a job there, while maybe others are just looking to beef up their resume and get some experience. Either way, it was really exciting to me thinking that a church can get to the place where people want to be a part so bad they are willing to raise money and come work for free for a year. I hope this happens at New Day someday!

Resources. My friend Matt pointed me towards some cool new resources. Let me share them with you. 1) Path is an app for your iPhone that's similar to Facebook, but in my eyes better. 2) Mod Displays, and 3) Rose Brand

There was so much more I learned, but I just wanted to share a couple of my main reflections. Enjoy some pictures below! I also visited the Barracks Row campus but can't find my pictures!


Ebenezers Coffee House on Capital Hill


Georgetown Campus at AMC Loews


Potomac Yard Campus at Regal Cinemas


Ballston Campus at Regal Cinemas

Feast When You Fast

What do you do when fasting? The short answer is: you feast on God. When feeding you feast on food and when fasting you feast on God.

Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, "People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." 

Jesus taught there is both physical and spiritual nutrition, and his followers must have both. As humans we need food, and when we eat some it provides us with physical nourishment. As Christians we need fellowship with God, through Bible reading and prayer, and when we have some it provides us with spiritual nourishment. 

Jesus didn't say "If you fast" rather "WHEN you fast" (Matthew 6:16). It's assumed. If fasting isn't a spiritual discipline you are currently practicing, why not start incorporating fasting into your weekly routine? Start with one meal and work your way up from there. 

What We Believe About Tithing

In regards to a recent question I was asked, I'm posting what New Day believes about tithing. This is just a summary. For a further look into what we believe on this subject you can listen to a message I preached called The Generosity Ladder.

1. Jesus didn't come to abolish the law so we can't throw out what it says about living or giving (Matthew 5:17-20).

2. On the contrary, the Old Testament sets an example for us to follow (1 Corinthians 10:11, 2 Timothy 3:16).

3. In the Old Testament we have the example of tithing 1) before, 2) during and 3) after the law was given (Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:22, Leviticus 27:30, 2 Chronicles 31, Nehemiah 10, Malachi 3).

4. To be free from the law (Acts 15, Galatians 2:19, 3:25, 5:1, Hebrews 8:13) means to stop looking to it to provide something it can't (salvation). It isn't a license to stop giving or drop our giving below the standard set by the law.

5. According to Jesus, to apply grace to our giving means you actually raise the baseline standard set by the law, not lower it (Matthew 5:21-22, 5:27-28, 5:33-34).