About the
Metro D.C. Synod
The synod consists of about 25,000 baptized members within 67 faith communities located in:
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District of Columbia
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Upper Montgomery County and south to the Quantico Marine barracks
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The western shore of the Chesapeake Bay out to the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains
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Bermuda
We worship every week in English, Spanish, Norwegian, Slovak, Amharic, German, and Swahili.
Mission Statement
By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we are called to cultivate a bold and boundless love for Jesus and God’s beloved creation.
Synod Priorities
Coming soon for 2026!
Synod Themes
Coming Soon for 2026!
By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod affirms that all God’s children are called to cultivate a bold and boundless love for Jesus and God’s beloved creation.
As such, you are beloved and welcome as you are, whatever your race, culture, ethnicity, age, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, disability status, mental health status, socioeconomic position, family status, or background, and you are welcome wherever you are in your faith journey. You are a unique child of God. You are accepted and affirmed not despite your differences but precisely because of all your differences and gifts.
As a synod, we commit ourselves to embracing the work of racial equity, social and economic justice, and environmental care, and we welcome leadership by rostered and lay leaders who are LGBTQIA+, Black, Brown, Indigenous, or Persons of Color. Together, as through Jesus, we joyfully and inclusively love and serve our whole community, the Church, and the world.
Affirming of the LGBTQIA+
Community since 1989
In 1989, the Metro D.C. Synod adopted an affirmation of welcome for gay and lesbian Christians, thus being recognized by ReconilingWorks.org as a welcoming Synod to the LGTBQ+ community. Then in 1991, the Metro D.C. synod assembly voted to accept and affirm homosexual persons as rostered ministers to serve in the church. In 2023, a welcome statement was adopted by the synod assembly.
Find a Congregation Near You
There are 1,015 Reconciling in Christ congregations in the U.S. – 30 of them reside in the Metro D.C. Synod. A list of RIC congregations in the Metro D.C. Synod is provided below.
Quick Facts
About the Metro D.C. Synod
24,834
Baptized Members
67
Faith Communities
25
Congregations affirming of LGBTQIA+ community
72
Rostered Ministers
38
Sabbath Grants awarded to Rostered Ministers in 2021-22
Meet the Synod Staff
Katharyn Wheeler
