Located in the heart of Nampa next door to Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa College Church has gathered for worship, teaching, and service since the 1930s. What began as a small community seeking hope during a time of economic and cultural uncertainty has grown into a multi-generational congregation that still describes its calling in the same three words the founders chose: community, hope, and flourishing. Today the church welcomes neighbors, NNU students and faculty, and families from across Nampa to two very different Sunday services under one roof, and offers a deep bench of ministries for every stage of life.
Two Gatherings on Sunday Morning
The church meets twice on Sunday in two distinct settings, each with its own feel.
Sacred Rhythms takes place at 8:15 a.m. in Franklin Hall. It is a liturgically based service that runs about forty-five minutes. Each week people gather to read scripture, pray, reflect on God's Word, receive the Lord's Supper, and share in fellowship. For anyone who finds a smaller, more reflective gathering resonant, Sacred Rhythms offers a quiet, ordered way to begin the day.
Sacred Spaces meets at 10:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary and typically lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. Combining prayer, scripture, blended worship, and preaching, the larger gathering brings the whole congregation together as one body to experience the love and grace of God through worship. The worship team blends current songs, classic hymns, and the occasional less familiar piece, with intentionality that the Worship Pastor calls worship in posture rather than style.
Sunday School classes for adults, teens, and children meet at 9:30 a.m. in between the two services, giving the congregation a chance to study scripture together and connect across ages.
Children at NCC: From Nursery Through PreTeen
NCC Kids serves families with children from birth through sixth grade in age-appropriate classrooms staffed by trained adults with approved background checks. A secure check-in station sits in the Early Childhood Hallway near the front entrance, where families provide names, ages, contact information, and allergy notes and receive matching name and pick-up tags.
The Early Childhood wing cares for the youngest children in the Nursery and gathers preschoolers and kindergartners for Sunday School, then for Little Church, where the weekly Bible story comes to life through story-telling, skits, music, games, hands-on activities, and play. On Wednesday evenings, Bible Buddies meets from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. for ages three through kindergarten with lessons, music, scripture memorization, prayer, snack, and crafts.
Elementary classes for first through fourth grade meet in the basement each Sunday. Each grade gathers first for Sunday School, then regroups at 10:30 a.m. for Kids Church with interactive teaching, music, games, and science experiments. Wednesday nights continue the same format with a rotating biblical series, games, and application activities.
The PreTeen ministry walks alongside fifth and sixth graders during the transitional years. PreTeens meet for Sunday School and Wednesday evenings, building relationships, digging into scripture, and applying what they learn to their lives. They also gather monthly for events, take an annual summer retreat, and travel on a missions trip each spring break. Heather Pillers serves as Children's Pastor, with Kalyn Pearsall as Early Childhood Director and Alison Rex as KidZone Director.
Upper Room: Teen Ministry
Upper Room Student Ministries exists to foster the faith of the next generation and to open young people's eyes to where God is already at work in their lives. The Upper Room is located upstairs, through the double doors past the elevator after entering the main entrance.
On Sundays, teens gather at 9:30 a.m. in Room 228 for Sunday School, a time to connect over coffee from the Upper Room Cafe, study scripture, and dialogue about faith in grade-specific small groups. On Wednesdays, the midweek Youth Group meets at 6:30 p.m. in Room 228 with high-energy games, deeply relevant conversation about faith, and space for the questions students actually carry. The youth ministry is led by Youth Pastor Josh Dringenberg.
Young Adults Connected to NNU
The Young Adult Ministry welcomes everyone from recent high school graduates to young marrieds with small children. The goal is simple: create a space to belong, grow, and serve. Pastoral Resident Mikaela Pennington, who is finishing her master's in Christian ministry at NNU, leads the ministry and is the main point of contact.
The group meets every Monday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Room 216 for snacks, scripture, and community. On Sundays, young adults are encouraged to join one of the adult Sunday School classes and one of the two worship services. The ministry also maintains an active Instagram presence at nccya26 for updates on events and gatherings.
Adults: Women, Men, Encore, and Mission
The adult ministries at NCC include groups and studies for nearly every interest and life stage.
The Women's ministry equips women to connect with each other and with God. Three women's Bible study sessions run throughout the year on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Rooted Motherhood launches a new year of mom community each fall for expecting mothers through moms of teenagers, meeting the second and fourth Tuesday evenings from mid-September through early May, with childcare available for ages zero through ten. A Pure Desire Women's Group supports women working through hurts related to brokenness in purity and relationships.
The Men's ministry anchors itself in Men with a Mission, a Bible study that equips men to serve as Christ's ambassadors through the teaching of God's truth and the discovery of God's mission. A Pure Desire Men's Group offers a space for men to pursue God's call for purity in their lives and relationships.
Encore is the ministry for adults 55 and older, and the NMI (Nazarene Missions International) work keeps the congregation engaged in global missions. Community on Mission groups share life together, grow as disciples, and serve together in the city; interested participants can contact Discipleship Pastor Carly Bartlett for more information.
Worship Arts and the Library
The Worship Arts Ministry frames worship as something that intentionally forms the congregation as reflections of Jesus. Musical Arts include the Worship Leading Choir, a large ensemble open to anyone thirteen and older with no audition required, rehearsing Wednesday nights at 6:15 p.m.; the audition-based Worship Band and Vocal Teams, open to those fifteen and older; NCC Singers, a collective exploring jazz, black gospel, and a cappella forms; the Grace Notes Choir, the senior adult choir for singers sixty and older that performs for retirement communities and care centers and tours each spring; and a seasonal Handbell Choir open to those fifteen and older.
Technical Arts cover the sound team that runs both in-person and online gatherings, lyric and media specialists using ProPresenter, a production manager, video switchers, and camera engineers. Creative Arts include seasonal musical productions, graphic design, and photography. Worship and Creative Arts Pastor Ryan Gage oversees the ministry, with Drew McKellips serving as Technical Arts Director.
The NCC Library supports the congregation with resources to know, grow in, serve, and share Christ. It is open Sundays from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 to 12:30 p.m., Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m.
Pastoral Residency and the Church Match Scholarship
Because of its long relationship with NNU, the church invests in the next generation of ministers and scholars through two programs. The Pastoral Residency is a twenty-four-month program that prepares ministers for the breadth and scope of lead or senior pastor ministry, selecting graduate-level students from the Church of the Nazarene who demonstrate both a heart of integrity and skillful hands. The Church Match Scholarship is a college scholarship established for student members of Nampa College Church who are pursuing further education.
Getting Connected, Giving, and Visiting
Visitors are invited to stop by the Cookies and Connection hospitality room next to the Welcome Desk on the last Sunday of each month, where they can grab a cookie, meet pastors, and stay as long as they like. A coffee cart serves drinks before each service, with proceeds supporting the youth ministry.
Dress is casual and comfortable; the church welcomes guests as they are. Sunday services run about an hour and fifteen minutes for Sacred Spaces and about forty-five minutes for Sacred Rhythms. Kids and teens have full programming on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to noon and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., with age-appropriate rooms for infants through high schoolers.
The church is supported entirely by the generous giving of its members and regular attenders. Giving is available online through the church's giving page, and checks may be mailed to the church, made payable to Nampa College Church of the Nazarene. Services are livestreamed online each Sunday at 10:45 a.m., and a streaming guide is available for new online viewers.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The mailing address is 504 East Dewey Avenue, Nampa, Idaho 83686. The Church Center app connects members to events, groups, prayer requests, membership and baptism forms, and giving.