A Pentecostal Church on US-70 in Garner
The Capital Church sits along the busy US-70 corridor in Garner, North Carolina, just southeast of Raleigh. The congregation's stated identity is straightforward: "a community of authentic followers of Jesus Christ who help others find life in Him." Locals shorten the name to TCC, and the building itself is easy to find, with a Next Steps Desk on the left side of the lobby, a coffee bar on the right, and a glass-doored Kids Wing just past the coffee area. Bathrooms line the left-side hallway.
The Capital Church is affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC), headquartered in Oklahoma City. The IPHC traces its roots to the first organized Pentecostal Holiness congregation in Goldsboro, NC in 1898 and today includes more than 10,000 congregations and around 3 million members worldwide. TCC describes itself as Gospel Focused, Christ Exalting, Word Based, and Spirit Driven, and that four-fold rhythm shows up everywhere in the life of the church.
Sunday Mornings at 10:30
Worship is the heart of the week. Sunday services begin at 10:30 AM, though visitors are welcome any time and the greeting team is in place by about 9:45. The services blend modern and traditional elements, including Scripture readings, congregational worship, prayer, and preaching. Communion is observed on the first Sunday of each month.
The sermon is described as theologically sound, highly applicable, and gospel-centered. The preaching pastor, Dr. Ryan Jackson, holds a BA in Religion from Emmanuel College (1995, summa cum laude), a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1998, magna cum laude), and a PhD from Cambridge University (2009). His framing verse is the charge to Timothy: "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season."
There is no dress code. Visitors can come in whatever is comfortable, and the church is explicit that anyone is welcome, Christian or not. Services are livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube at The Capital Church for those who want to follow along online.
Capital Kids
Capital Kids is the children's ministry of TCC, serving infants through fifth grade. The goal is simple: for kids to grow in their love for God, to hear His voice, and to follow Him. Every Sunday at 10:30 AM and again on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM, children study the Bible together, worship together, and pray together.
The ministry runs on five core values: biblical teaching through a large-group and small-group structure; family ministry that partners with parents in evangelism and discipleship; fun, because children who enjoy church want to come back; Life Groups, where consistent leaders build the relationships that make learning possible; and safety. Every parent receives a unique ID number tied to their child for safe check-out, and every volunteer is vetted, background-checked, and interviewed before serving.
Sunday mornings use the High Voltage Kids curriculum, and Wednesday evenings use the Gospel Project curriculum. A monthly newsletter from Pastor Becky (Rebekah McCullar, the Children's Pastor) goes out to parents with content, resources, and practical tips for engaging children spiritually at home. Check-in is through the double glass doors on the right side of the lobby.
Capital YTH
Capital YTH is the student ministry of TCC, welcoming any teen in grades 6 through 12. The ministry meets on Wednesday evenings and is built around worship, Scripture, prayer, small groups, and games, all in the YTH Center, a second building located behind the main sanctuary. Wednesday nights are described as the number-one way for students to build relationships with one another and hear from God's Word, and services are aimed at wrapping up by 8:30 PM (though students are welcome to stay longer).
YTH is shaped by five core values: loving God (the Greatest Commandment), loving one another (the second Greatest Commandment), making disciples (the Great Commission), family ministry, and a culture of prayer and worship. The ministry recognizes that some students come from difficult home situations and that YTH leaders may, at times, be the closest thing to a stable father or mother figure in a student's life.
YTH Life Groups are split by grade and gender, with a 1-to-5 leader-to-student ratio. The Instagram handle is @thecapitalyth, and parents are encouraged to be active partners rather than spectators.
CYA: Capital Young Adults
CYA is the young-adult ministry of TCC, serving college students and young professionals ages 18 through 30. The name fits both meanings: a community for young adults and a kind of warm sendoff, since attendees joke "SEE YA AT CYA!"
CYA gathers every other Sunday at 6 PM, typically in the church lobby but sometimes in the YTH Center. Each gathering includes fellowship, Scripture, and prayer, and then breaks into smaller gender-based small groups for a more intimate time of confession, bearing burdens, and building one another up. The Instagram handle is @thecapitalya. Non-Christians are explicitly welcomed.
Primetimers and Women's Ministry
Primetimers is the senior-adult gathering of TCC. The group meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 6 PM for fellowship, food, and prayer. The focus is on friendship and spiritual encouragement for the older members of the church.
The Women's Ministry meets on the second Saturday of each month for fellowship, worship, and Bible study. It is positioned as a natural next step for women who want to get even more deeply connected to the church family.
Life Groups
Life Groups are where the small-scale life of the church happens. The driving text is Matthew 22:36-40: love God and love your neighbor. Groups gather for three core elements: Fellowship, Scripture, and Prayer, and the content can take several shapes.
The structure has two broad categories. Interest Groups center fellowship around an activity, such as pickleball or hiking, and are particularly welcoming to new believers (though TCC notes none are currently active this semester). Development Groups are content-focused, including sermon-based groups, book study groups, and Bible study groups. Groups meet on campus, off campus, or virtually, and Sunday-morning options exist for those whose weekday schedules are tight. Most groups begin with an eight-week commitment, though longer runs are encouraged.
Anyone interested in leading a Life Group can sign up; the next Life Group launch is in January, with trainings during the fall.
Beliefs and Pentecostal Identity
The Capital Church holds to a classical evangelical and Pentecostal statement of faith. The Bible is the authoritative Word of God, inspired, inflessible, and inerrant in its original writings. God is one in essence and eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for sin, rose again the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return in power and glory.
Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. Sanctification is an ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and Spirit. The church affirms the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a distinct empowerment given at Pentecost, along with the operation of the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Two ordinances are practiced: water baptism following faith, and the Lord's Supper, observed with bread and grape juice in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. The church also recites the Nicene Creed as part of its confession.
Marriage is defined as a covenant between one man and one woman. Divine healing, the gifts of the Spirit, and the second coming of Christ are all part of the church's teaching. TCC also lives by the well-known Unity-Liberty-Love framework: unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and love in everything.
The Pentecostal-charismatic stream is especially visible in the statement on the Holy Spirit. TCC describes itself as flowing within the Pentecostal/charismatic family of faith and cherishing the uniqueness of that tradition. The worship gathering is meant to be a space where sincerity, openness to the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit are welcomed.
Serving and the Food Pantry
Serving is treated as essential, not optional. The Serve Teams at TCC include Guest Experience (the Sunday morning teams), Life Group Leaders, Worship Team, Kids Volunteer Team, YTH Adult Leadership, the Food Pantry, Prayer Team, Media Team, and Pastoral Care Team. Some teams require a background check (Kids, YTH Leadership), and a few require church membership; others (Connections, Food Pantry, Media) do not.
The TCC Food Pantry is one of the most visible community ministries. Operating as an extension of the North Carolina Food Bank, the pantry is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM to noon. Volunteers help by bagging food, checking people in, driving to pick up supplies, and praying with those who come. Care and Support requests, including food help, can be submitted online, and prayer requests can be sent in as well.
The Pastoral Care Team handles hospital visits, home visits, and meal coordination for those in need. The Prayer Team prays with congregants at the close of Sunday services. The Media Team runs cameras, sound, ProPresenter, lighting, and the livestream each Sunday.
Next Steps, Giving, and Getting Connected
For newcomers, Next Steps is the on-ramp. It is a re-named membership class, meeting the first Sunday of each month at 12:30 PM, immediately after the worship service. Next Steps covers essential Christian doctrines, what TCC specifically believes, the church's vision, and the places to get plugged in. There is also a baptism sign-up for those who have recently said yes to Jesus, and a separate "I Said Yes" form for those making an initial decision of faith.
Giving is framed as cheerful worship, not obligation. The text the church leans on is 2 Corinthians 9:7. Giving can be done online through the church's giving portal, by check or cash in the offering plate on Sunday morning, or by mail to the church address. TCC teaches that the Bible's posture is the tithe (10%) but emphasizes that God is more concerned with the heart and attitude than the exact percentage.
The church is led by Dr. Ryan Jackson (Senior Pastor), Paul Deal (Associate Pastor), Gayla Hitchings (Worship Director), Noah Lucas (Worship Leader), Isaac McCullar (Youth and Connections Pastor), and Rebekah McCullar (Children's Pastor). The office is open 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Thursday, and the church can be reached by phone at (919) 772-5919 or by email at info@thecapitalchurch.org.
For a first-time visitor, the path is simple: come on a Sunday at 10:30 AM, stop by the Next Steps Desk on the left side of the lobby, grab a coffee from the bar on the right, and if there are children, head through the glass doors to the Kids Wing. Wear whatever is comfortable. There is a place for everyone from a senior in Primetimers to a sixth grader in Capital YTH to a college student at CYA, and the church's heartbeat is the same in every one of them: love God, love one another, and love the world.