National Council of Churches (NCC)

Background

The National Council of Churches, formally known as the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, was established in 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio. It is made up of 37 Christian denominations and 100,000 congregations. ¹ These include Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, and historically African American denominations. ⁴ It is the largest ecumenical body in the United States. ⁵

It does not include the Catholic Church, which is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ⁶ The NCC works to create unity among Christian denominations and advocates for left-of-center social concerns related to racial, environmental, economic, and religious justice. ^{7  2}

Advocacy and Programs

The National Council of Churches has exerted influence in civil rights issues. ⁴ Its priorities include ending racism, reducing mass incarceration and eliminating racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and improving relations between religious organizations. ⁷ It advocates several left-of-center issues including environmental justice, decriminalization of the homeless, racial reparations, “sentencing equity” in the criminal justice system, and the Momnibus Act which claims that there are maternal health inequities for Black women, and opposes what it calls “white Christian nationalism.” ⁸

The NCC launched Act Now to End Racism in 2018 with a rally in Washington, D.C. to oppose “white supremacy” and promote racial equity. It advocated for reparatory justice and support legislation that would establish a commission to develop slavery reparations proposals. ^{9  10}

In August 2025, the NCC issued a pastoral letter urging climate action. ¹¹

Partner Organizations

The National Council of Churches partners with councils of churches, ecumenical organizations, advocacy organizations, humanitarian aid groups, interfaith organizations, and academics. ¹²

The NCC is a founding member of the civil rights organization Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. ⁸ Other advocacy groups with which NCC partnered as of 2025 included Bread for the World, Faith in Public Life, Faithful Democracy, the Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition, the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and Sojourners. ¹²

The NCC is a member of the steering committee of Faithful Democracy which is a policy partner of the Declaration for American Democracy. Other steering committee members include the Franciscan Action Network, the Friends Committee of National Legislation, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the National Council of Churches, and the Religious Action Center. ¹³

Friendship Press is the publishing arm of the NCC, which holds the copyright to the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible and also publishes hundreds of titles that advocate for its priorities. Its latest book is entitled “Confronting Racism and White Supremacy in the US.” ^{14  15}

Funding

The National Council of Churches is not required to file an annual tax return because it is considered a church organization. ¹⁶ As of 2025, the most recent financial statements the National Council of Churches published online covered the two-year period ending 2020. During that period the NCC reported revenues of $4.7 million, expenses of $3.7 million, and net assets of $6.2 million. ¹⁷

In January 2025, the Lilly Endowment granted the NCC $5 million through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. The grant was set to be used to support the NCC’s Mosaic project. ¹⁸

Leadership

As of October 2025, the chair of the National Council of Churches governing board was Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Elpidophoros (Ioannis Lambriniadis). ¹⁹ Elpidophoros was born in Turkey. He earned a master’s in philosophy from the University of Bonn in Germany and a Ph.D. in theology from Aristotle University in Greece. He was ordained a deacon in 1994 and ordained a priest in 2005. In 2019, he became Archbishop of America. ²⁰

A.M.E. Church Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie was named president and general secretary of NCC in May 2023. She had held these positions on an interim basis since April 2022. McKenzie is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the Howard University School of Divinity. She earned a doctorate from the United Theological Seminary. In 2009, she was appointed by former President Barack Obama to the White House Commission of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Prior to joining the NCC, she was a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, president of the Council of Bishops, and president of the General Board. ²¹

Criticism

The National Council of Churches has faced criticism for “align[ing] too closely with progressive political agendas.” As a result, some conservative denominations have withdrawn or declined membership. ⁴

In 2018, the NCC opposed the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The then-president and general secretary of the NCC, Jim Winkler, had authority to issue the statement voicing that opposition without consulting member denominations, creating dissent within the organization. ⁶