Churches in Washington DC

Historic and landmark churches

• Washington National Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul) — the second largest cathedral in America; Gothic Revival construction completed in 1990 after 83 years of building; the Episcopal cathedral of the Diocese of Washington; the site of presidential funerals and national memorial services; its West facade towers were damaged in the 2011 earthquake and repaired; a genuine landmark of American civic and religious life.
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Brookland — the largest Catholic church in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world; the national patronal church of the United States under the title of the Immaculate Conception; its mosaic artwork is among the most extensive in any American building; a pilgrimage destination and active parish on the campus of Catholic University.
• Foundry United Methodist Church — historic Methodist congregation; a church that President Clinton attended; central to DC's mainline Protestant presence.
• New York Avenue Presbyterian Church — the church where Abraham Lincoln worshipped during his presidency; historic congregation; holds Lincoln's original pew.

Notable evangelical churches in DC

• Capitol Hill Baptist Church — one of the most theologically influential Baptist churches in America; led for decades by Mark Dever, whose 9Marks Ministries has shaped evangelical ecclesiology globally; known for expository preaching, formal church membership, and church discipline; intentionally has one service and one campus to prioritize genuine community over growth; a model congregation for Reformed evangelical ecclesiology.
• McLean Bible Church, Northern Virginia — one of the largest evangelical churches in the DC metro; multiple campuses; strong programming; approximately 12,000 weekly attendees; recently joined the Southern Baptist Convention; serves Northern Virginia's dense suburban population.
• National Community Church (NCC) — church that meets in movie theaters and other unconventional spaces; known for its coffeehouse ministry; serves DC's young professional and government worker population; founded by Mark Batterson (author of The Circle Maker).
• Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland — historically significant in the reformed charismatic world; founding church of Sovereign Grace Ministries; has navigated significant challenges over the past decade.
• Church of the Advent Christian Community — conservative evangelical congregation serving Capitol Hill's professional community.

The African American church in DC

Washington DC has one of the most historically rich African American church communities in the country — rooted in the free Black community that existed in DC even before the Civil War:

• Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, Downtown — the "National Cathedral of African Methodism"; founding place of the NAACP's early meetings; Frederick Douglass was a member; one of the most historically significant Black churches in America
• Alfred Street Baptist Church, Alexandria, Virginia — one of the oldest African American Baptist churches in the country (founded 1803); under Howard John Wesley has become one of the largest Black churches in the DC area
• Nineteenth Street Baptist Church — historic DC congregation; longstanding fixture of Black Baptist life in the capital
• Shiloh Baptist Church — historic African American congregation; significant in DC civil rights history

International and immigrant churches

The DC metro has exceptional diversity, reflected in its church community:

• Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox churches — one of the largest Ethiopian American communities in the country; multiple Ethiopian Orthodox and evangelical congregations in Northern Virginia
• Korean evangelical megachurches — Northern Virginia's Korean community supports several of the largest Korean American churches on the East Coast
• Latino Catholic and evangelical parishes — significant Central American, Salvadoran, and Mexican communities throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia
• African evangelical churches — Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Congolese evangelical congregations across the metro

Frequently asked questions

What is DC's religious character?

DC proper is relatively secular, with a highly educated professional class that skews toward low religious affiliation. The suburbs — particularly Northern Virginia — are significantly more churched, with large evangelical megachurches serving the dense suburban population. The African American community in DC maintains stronger church attendance than the white professional class. The constant turnover of government workers and young professionals creates a unique dynamic: many churches near Capitol Hill specialize in serving people who are in DC for two to four years and need community quickly.