North Decatur Presbyterian Church

About Us

Called to serve, work for peace and justice and share God's love.

There are lots of different kinds of churches out there. What kind are we? We read the Holy Scriptures, share the sacraments of baptism and communion, and model our individual and collective lives on the servant Christ. What else should you know about us?

-We’re Presbyterian (PCUSA), which means that power for setting church direction and policy belongs to the people in the pews.
-We’re “family-sized.” We have about 275 members, about 180 are in worship each week. We know each other and care for one another as a family.
-Children have always been a tremendously important part of our congregation. We value their safety, their education, and their growth in faith.
-We believe that Christians are supposed to make the world a better place. Our members have been involved in nearly every initiative to alleviate the effects of poverty and suffering in our community and we have founded or co-founded several of them.
-We are part of a global community, with active relationships in Guatemala and Colombia. Included in our membership are several retired missionaries who have served in Asia, South America, and Africa.
-We are politically active: we work to change state and national government policy to promote peace, justice, and human rights.
-We welcome LGBTQ Christians, their partners, and their children without question. We have been a gay-friendly church for decades and we believe that Jesus wants it that way.
-Our sign on the corner of Scott and North Decatur has portrayed our ethos. In the 50s, it said: “A Contemporary Church Serving the Contemporary Christ in the Contemporary World.” Now, it says, “We Welcome All.” Both are true today.

Programs: Community Service, Social Justice, Young Adults, Youth Group, Choir, Missions, Nursery, Adult Education, Children's Ministry

Denomination: Presbyterian (PCUSA)

Networks

Presbytery of Greater Atlanta (PCUSA)

Size: Medium

Language: English

Founded: 1955

Contact

Phone

(404) 636-1429

Website

http://www.ndpc.org

Social

Our Services

Sunday

11:00am: Service

What to Expect

What are services like?
You’ve seen the worship services with the rock bands and the big screens? OK. That’s not us. Our worship service is traditional, also warm and personable. The music is a mix of traditional hymns, contemporary songs, classical works, and African-American spirituals. It’s eclectic–so are we. When you arrive at the sanctuary for worship, you will receive a printed bulletin, which shows everything that happens in the service. You can sit anywhere you like. If you are in need of prayer, there are cards on which you can write a prayer request and if you hand it to an usher, the pastors will include your prayer in that day’s worship. As the service begins, follow along and roll with it. Feel whatever you’re feeling. You will experience an interweaving of prayer, song, and speech. Each week, we hear a passage from the Bible read aloud. The preacher will speak for 20 minutes (the “sermon“) about what the passage might reveal about God and about ourselves. People say that the sermons at NDPC are “smart,” “funny,” “comforting,” and “challenging.” You can listen to a sermon on our website to see for yourself. Communion–sharing the traditional Christian “meal” of bread and cup–happens the first Sunday of every month. Everyone who comes to worship is invited to receive communion, but you do not have to if you do not wish to. We serve grape juice so that it’s accessible for our members and friends in recovery programs; we also offer gluten-free wafers. We do ask for money during worship–it’s called the “offering.” All of the money we collect each Sunday supports the church’s work to love and heal our community and world. Visitors are encouraged to make an offering, but no one will look at you funny if you don’t. If you write a check, you will get a receipt to write it off on your taxes. How much should you give? It’s up to you. Contributing 10% or more of your income to charity is standard Christian teaching. Worship services are 75 minutes long. After worship, you can hang around and meet the co-pastors and folks sitting near you. Or you can make a bee-line for the door and go to brunch. We suggest Melton’s right nearby–where you’ll see about 1/2 of our congregation!

What is the community like?
Friendly and sincerely wanting to follow Jesus as a way of life. We're growing and every new person changes us for the better.

What if I'm not a Christian?
What is a Christian, really? We're all works-in-progress. None of us is "there" yet, wherever "there" is. Come as you are. We all come seeking the face of God and seeking to grow.