Our Story: Becoming Nova
At Northern Virginia Community Church (NoVA), we’re more than a Sunday gathering, we’re a diverse, vibrant community seeking to follow Jesus in real, creative, and transformative ways. Each Sunday, we meet at the Waterford Event Center in Springfield, Virginia, but our church family extends far beyond those walls. We are made up of people from all over Northern Virginia, D.C., and Maryland, each with unique backgrounds, experiences, and stories.
At the heart of NoVA is a simple but profound belief: every person bears the image of God. This truth drives us to build a church that is multiethnic, multicultural, and marked by the creativity of its people. Our desire is to encounter God’s transforming love and presence and to live in response by joining in His work for the sake of the world.
Whether we’re worshiping together on Sundays, gathering in small groups, serving our neighborhoods, or walking alongside families, we’re committed to three things: loving God, loving people, and making disciples. These aren’t just slogans, they’re the heartbeat of who we are.
LAUNCH: A Story of Repotting
The journey of NoVA began during a time of uncertainty and isolation, the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the darkness, a new dream emerged. In 2020, three campuses of National Community Church—Ballston (led by Pastor Jenni Wong Clayville), Kingstowne (led by Pastor Marion Mason), and Potomac Yard (led by Pastor Jon Vaughan)—began to imagine a different kind of church community: one that was regional in reach, but deeply local in expression.
What if these three communities could come together, not just for efficiency, but to create something new? What if the church could become even more rooted in the lives of people across the region?
That dream became a reality on October 3rd, 2021, when the three campuses merged to form one united body. For two years, the NoVA Campus of National Community Church thrived as a single, vibrant church family.
Then, in September 2025, a new chapter began. NoVA launched out as a standalone church, continuing the work that had begun but now with new autonomy, vision, and responsibility. While many might call this a “church plant,” we think of it more as a “repotting.” We didn’t start from scratch. We took deep roots, nurtured them, and placed them in new soil, ready for continued growth.
We’re grateful for our story. But more than that, we’re excited about what’s ahead!
Want to learn more about our mission, vision, and values? Click here or reach out to speak with us directly!
