Staff

Mark Batterson

Lead Pastor

Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor

Mark was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in Naperville, Illinois.

Mark went to the University of Chicago on scholarship playing basketball and majoring in pre-law. After a prayer walk through a cow pasture, he felt called to full time ministry and ended up at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. That's the short story. Mark also holds a Doctor of Ministry from Regent University. He is the author of 24 books including his first published title, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and The Circle Maker, a New York Times Bestseller.

Mark and his wife, Lora, moved to Washington, DC, in 1994 to direct an inner-city ministry. He has served as Lead Pastor of National Community Church since 1996. Under his leadership, NCC has grown from a core group of 19 people to one church with multiple locations. 

Mark and Lora live on Capitol Hill and have three children: Parker, Summer, and Josiah.

Joel Schmidgall

Executive Pastor | DC Campus Pastor

Joel Schmidgall, Executive Pastor | DC Campus Pastor

Joel was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. He is an unpaid marketer for all things Chicago, especially the Cubs, Malnotti’s pizza, and Portillo’s beef-and-cheddar!

In his role as Executive Pastor, Joel oversees the pastoral staff for and pastors the DC Campus. He also provides leadership to missions and outreach initiatives, and serves on the weekend teaching team. Joel founded and now serves as President of the board of the DC Dream Center, a community center committed to inspiring and equipping youth and adults to reach their God-given potential.

Joel and his wife Nina are authors of "Praying Circles Around your Marriage." They live on Capitol Hill with their three kids: Eloise, Ezekiel, and Lorenza. 

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Heather Zempel

Dream Collective Executive Director

Heather Zempel, Dream Collective Executive Director

A native Alabamian, Heather Zempel currently leads the discipleship efforts at National Community Church in Washington, DC where she oversees small groups, directs leadership development training, and serves on the weekend teaching team. 

Heather followed a circuitous route into full-time ministry. Having obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in biological engineering from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!), she worked as an environmental engineer and as a policy consultant on energy and environment in the United States Senate before coming on staff at National Community Church. Using her educational background, Heather now can be found exploring environments that foster spiritual growth.

She lives on Capitol Hill where she can be found enjoying the adventures of parenting with her husband Ryan as they raise Sawyer, their fun-loving and energetic daughter. Heather is the author of Sacred RoadsCommunity is Messy, and Amazed and Confused. 

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Marion Mason

NoVA Campus Pastor

Marion Mason, NoVA Campus Pastor

Marion is originally from Lincolnton, GA, but as a military child, he spent a number of years in North Carolina and the DC metro area. Marion is a sports enthusiast and competed in Track and Field at the University of Virginia, where he graduated with a BA in Government and Foreign Affairs. He holds Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from George Mason University and Religion (Christian Leadership) from Liberty University. Marion has a deep passion for creating environments that optimize learning, personal development, and spiritual growth. Marion and his wife, Tamika, have been married since 2004 and have three beautiful daughters, Mianna, Makyah, and Mykal. For the 10 years prior to NCC, Marion and Tamika served the Boston community through a multi-ethnic church plant, various non-profit organizations, and local colleges. The Mason family enjoys barbecues, sports, board games, and outdoor activities.

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