Church of the Advent, founded in 2007 as a mission of the Church of the Resurrection, was born of a desire to bring renewal to our city.

Life in Washington, DC, while fast-paced and at times exhilarating, can soon give way to disillusionment. For the “elites” and idealists who come hoping to change the world, government bureaucracy or encounters with self-interested leaders often breed cynicism. Meanwhile, the poor and marginalized may feel acute alienation in a city that cares about the world but not for them. Put plainly, the Washington ideals—education and ambition, wealth and power—promise but do not deliver; Jesus Christ offers the only real hope for our city. Yet most people here still have not met him, and what they have perceived of the Church is often so distorted as to be unrecognizable.

Psalm 68:6 says that God sets the lonely in families. We desire to be such a family for the people of DC: to welcome the lonely; care for the broken-hearted; share our struggles, doubts, and fears; and together proclaim and experience the life-changing love of God. We see the church not as a building or a social club, but as a growing family meant to embody all that God is doing in the world.

Church of the Advent began as a living room gathering in an apartment on Newton Street, NW. As the church grew, we relocated eight times to a variety of rented spaces around the city and we are very grateful to each of the churches who hosted us. The numerous moves, however, made it difficult to invest in the local communities and to offer all of the ministry we had a vision for, so we began to pray…

In 2022 we formally launched the Home Campaign to raise funds to purchase a building in the city and in summer 2023 a beautiful historic church located in DC’s Shaw neighborhood came on the market. Thanks to the Lord’s generosity through his people, we bought the former Third Baptist Church in January 2024 and began seeking permits and fundraising to make the renovations necessary in order to occupy this space. We are so grateful to all those who generously contributed to the For the City campaign so that deferred maintenance, ADA upgrades and other adaptations could be made.

Work was finally completed in March 2026 and with great joy, we were able to move in!

Our sense of calling to the city has only grown and Advent’s story is still unfolding. We seek to be a blessing to our local neighborhood and we long to serve the city of Washington, DC, with humility and faithfulness. We pray that our city would be renewed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that all people might come to know the beauty and goodness of God.

We invite you to join us in seeking to honor the Lord with this building and our lives. Please pray for us and if you are looking for a new church in DC, you are warmly welcome at Church of the Advent.