Our Team
ENTREPRENEURS
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PASTORS
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CHURCH PLANTERS
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ARTISTS
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ENTREPRENEURS ● PASTORS ● CHURCH PLANTERS ● ARTISTS ●
Our Story
Every generation builds on the foundation of those who came before.
In the 1960s, pastors Dick Foth and Bob Schmidgall answered E.M. Clark's call to "come dream with us" and planted churches that shaped a generation of leaders - among them Mark Batterson.
That dream took 35 years to reach its first service: 19 people in a DC school on January 14, 1996. After early setbacks, God opened a door at Union Station's movie theaters, cementing our conviction that the church belongs in the marketplace. In the two decades since, National Community Church has planted churches, launched campuses, started businesses, and sent missionaries.
Now we're seeding the next generation's dreams. The Dream Collective equips future leaders in every sphere - from business to the arts - to carry the torch of revival, reformation, and renaissance, and to build a better world for generations to come.
Our Leadership Team
You are never alone as you join this vibrant network of storytellers, strategists, pastors, and entrepreneurs. Together, we encourage each other to dream boldly and pursue impactful change, creating an environment where we all grow, learn, and transform.
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![Smiling man with glasses and a beard sitting by a large window in a house with exposed brick wall wearing a light blue denim shirt.]()
Mark Batterson
Lead Visionary
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![A woman with long brown hair and blue eyes smiling while leaning against a brick wall in a well-lit indoor space.]()
Nina Schmidgall
Executive Director
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![Smiling woman with long brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a white top, standing in front of a brick wall with large windows, natural light]()
Britni Grellman
Manager of Partnerships
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![A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, glasses, and a blue shirt, smiling indoors near a window with brick wall in the background.]()
Paige Spence
Project Manager
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![A woman with shoulder-length dark hair wearing a black dress and gold necklace standing indoors next to a wall with a framed map or diagram and a potted plant.]()
Lori Parkerson
Curator in Residence
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![A man with dark skin and dreadlocks sitting on a white chair against a plain light-colored background, looking to his right with a serious expression, wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, gray shoes, and a gold watch.]()
Ben Baugham
Artist in Residence
Our Guiding Mindsets
Powerful Mindsets for Dreamers:
Prophetic Imagination
See beyond the present and envision a better future with creativity and faith.
Criticize By Creating
Instead of pointing out flaws, focus on building and improving through your own action.
Play The Long Game
Focus on sustainable growth and long-term impact, not just short-term wins.
Embrace Obstacles as Opportunities
View challenges as chances to learn, grow, and innovate.
Pursue Intersectional Innovation
Lead from multiple perspectives and collaborate across diverse strengths.
Work Better Together
Foster unity and teamwork, recognizing that collective effort drives greater success.
Opportunities To Join Our Team
Dream Fellows:
Training Ground for Kingdom Impact
Dream Fellows is a 10-month immersive experience in Washington, D.C., equipping the next generation of leaders to weave faith into their vocation.
Through hands-on ministry, tailored training, and one-on-one mentorship, you'll sharpen your gifts, deepen your faith, and step into the purpose God has for you.
Your journey starts here.
Church Planters:
Pioneers of Faith and Legacies
Planting a church is an act of faith at every step. With God's guidance, a vision becomes a community that changes lives.
If you're in your first few years of launching, we're here for you.
Join a community of bold pastors and leaders building something extraordinary and grow a thriving church with lasting Kingdom impact.
Igniting Change
Legacy isn’t measured by what we achieve, but by what we empower others to do.
We equip the next generation to write groundbreaking books, tell culture-shaping stories, produce films that inspire, compose music that moves, draft legislation that transforms, and build businesses that last.
With the right resources, training, and mentorship, dreamers turn bold ideas into reality. Your support shapes the leaders, creators, and innovators who will change the world for generations.
Join us in igniting a movement that empowers dreamers to build a better future - one idea, one story, one life at a time.
To the dreamers, the visionaries, those seeking refuge from today, and those seeking to create a better tomorrow - we extend that same invitation to you, just as Jesus did.
We ground our approach to creativity and cultural renewal in the transformative power of Scripture. Here, we celebrate the dreams and aspirations of all.
The Heart of Who We Are
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Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
—Genesis 1:26-27
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We recognize there are spiritual, physical, and social dimensions of healing and renewal and seek to offer solutions to problems.
“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”
—Isaiah 61:4
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“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
—Jeremiah 29:5–7
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We operate incarnationally and contextually, with presence and proximity, to proclaim the gospel.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
—John 1:14
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We honor others by celebrating their gifts and finding platforms for their use. We honor God by honing our gifts and humbly striving for excellence.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
—Ephesians 2:10
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We believe the church should offer a counterculture narrative and should image a foretaste of the new creation. We strive to be peace-makers, grace-givers, tone-setters, and truth-tellers.
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
—Revelation 7:9