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Seal of the Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene, more commonly called the Nazarene Church, is an evangelical Christian denomination within the tradition of Methodism. It was founded through mergers in 1907 and 1908 that united three smaller regional Wesleyan-holiness denominations located principally on America's East Coast, West Coast, and the South. In 2006, the church had 1,622,669 members worldwide in 18,690 churches. Membership of 639,999 in the United States constitutes the largest for one country, although there are more total members outside the U.S. than in it. The church is present in over 151 areas of the world. It also supports 56 educational institutions around the world.^[1] As is common for an evangelical denomination, the Nazarene church participates in revivals and is highly active in missionary work. It is currently a member of the World Methodist Council and the National Association of Evangelicals. Headquarters for the Church of the Nazarene are in Kansas City, Missouri, where the Nazarene Publishing House is also located.

The name of the denomination comes from the biblical description of the followers of Jesus as "Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5), a term perhaps used by Jesus himself. Dr. J.P. Widney, a former president of the University of Southern California and influential figure in the early days of the Church of the Nazarene on the West Coast, who recommended the name "Church of the Nazarene." He explained that the name had come to him one morning after spending the whole night in prayer. He said that the word "Nazarene" symbolized "the toiling, lowly mission of Christ. It was the name that Christ used of Himself, the name which was used in derision of Him by His enemies, the name which above all others linked Him to the great toiling, struggling, sorrowing heart of the world. It is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth to whom the world in its misery and despair turns, that it may have hope" (Called Unto Holiness, Volume I). The denomination started as a mission that ministered to the homeless and poor, and wanted to keep that attitude of ministering to "lower classes" of society.

History

The spiritual vision of early Nazarenes was derived from the doctrinal core of John Wesley's preaching and the holiness movement. The affirmations of the church include justification by grace through faith, sanctification by grace through faith, entire sanctification as an inheritance available to every Christian, and the witness of the Spirit to God's work in human lives. The holiness movement arose in the 1830s to promote these doctrines, especially entire sanctification, but had splintered by 1900.

The Church of the Nazarene today was the product of a three-way merger that occurred at the First and Second General Assemblies, held respectively at Chicago, Illinois, and Pilot Point, Texas in 1907 and 1908. The First General Assembly brought together the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America, a denomination formed in 1896 through the merger of two older bodies that lay principally along America's northeast coast and stretched from Nova Scotia to Iowa, and the Church of the Nazarene, founded in 1895 in Los Angeles, California by Dr. Phineas F. Bresee, a Methodist Episcopal Church minister, and Dr. J. P. Widney, a Methodist layman and former President of the University of Southern California. Bresee sought to return to John Wesley's original goals of preaching the good news of the gospel to the poor and underprivileged. The name of the united body adopted at the First General Assembly was Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. The following year, at the Second General Assembly, the Holiness Church of Christ, located in the southern United States, merged with the Pentecostal Nazarenes. The Holiness Church of Christ, like the eastern group, was also the result of an earlier merger between two slightly older denominations. Between the First and Second General Assemblies, there also occurred major accessions of members from the Holiness Association of Texas and the merger in September 1908 of the Pennsylvania Conference of the Holiness Christian Church.

The term "Pentecostal" in the church's original name soon proved to be problematic. In the Wesleyan-holiness movement, the word was used widely as a synonym simply for "holiness." But the rise of 20th century Pentecostalism, especially after 1906, gave new meanings and associations to the term -- meanings that the Pentecostal Nazarenes rejected. In 1919, the name was shortened to avoid any confusion in the public mind about the church's place on the theological spectrum.

Other independent bodies joined at later dates, including the Pentecostal Church of Scotland and Pentecostal Mission, both in 1915. At this point, the Church of the Nazarene now embraced seven previous denominations and significant parts of two other groups. In time, the Church of the Nazarene and the Wesleyan Church would emerge as the two major denominations to gather in the smaller bodies of the 19th century Wesleyan-holiness movement.

In subsequent decades, there were new accretions and merges. In the 1920s there were major accessions from the Laymen's Holiness Association located in the Dakotas. In the 1950s there were mergers with the International Holiness Mission and the Calvary Holiness Church, both located primarily in the United Kingdom; the Hephzibah Faith Missionary Association in Iowa; the Gospel Workers Church of Canada; an indigenous Church of the Nazarene in Nigeria.

International growth

By 1908, there were churches in Canada and organized work in India, Cape Verde, and Japan, soon followed by work in central Africa, Mexico, and China. The 1915 mergers added congregations in the British Isles and work in Cuba, Central America, and South America. There were congregations in Syria and Palestine by 1922. General Superintendent Reynolds advocated "a mission to the world," and support for world evangelization became a distinguishing characteristic of Nazarene life. Taking advantage of new technologies, the church began producing the Showers of Blessing radio program in the 1940s, followed by the Spanish broadcast La Hora Nazarena and later by broadcasts in other languages. From the 1940s through the 1980s, other indigenous holiness churches in other countries continued to join the church. Current missionary work is both evangelical and takes place in areas of crisis.

As the church grew culturally and linguistically diverse, it committed itself in 1980 to internationalization -- a deliberate policy of being one church of congregations and districts worldwide, rather than splitting into national churches like earlier Protestant denominations. By the 2001 General Assembly, 42 percent of delegates present and voting were not native English speakers. Today over 60 percent of Nazarenes and 80 percent of the church's 425 districts are outside the United States. Since the Church of the Nazarene's general meeting, the quadrennial General Assembly, is based on district representation, it is probably the most racially and linguistically diverse general meeting of any religious body that originated on American soil.

An early system of colleges in North America and the British Isles has become a global network of institutions with 3 graduate seminaries, 11 liberal arts colleges, and 37 theological schools worldwide.

Influential figures

Some of the denomination's earlier theologians of note include H. Orton Wiley, A. M. Hills, S. S. White, Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, and J. Kenneth Grider. Some of its contemporary theologians include H. Ray Dunning, Rob L. Staples, Michael Lodahl, Thomas Jay Oord, Samuel Powell, T. A. Noble, and Steve McCormick. The church's earlier Biblical scholars of note include Olive Winchester, G. Frederick Owens and Ralph Earle. Its contemporary Biblical scholars of note include A.R.G. Deasley, Andy Johnson, George Lyons, and Richard P. Thompson. Notable church historians include the late Timothy L. Smith, Paul M. Bassett, Herbert McGonigle, and Floyd Cunningham.

Doctrine and beliefs

The Church of the Nazarene remains committed to Christian holiness. Nazarene beliefs include the following: one eternal self-existent God manifest in a three-fold nature; the divinity of Jesus; baptism by immersion, sprinkling, or pouring; the Lord's Supper for all believers; entire sanctification; and the return of Jesus Christ to raise the dead.

The Church of the Nazarene stands in the Arminian tradition of free grace for all and human freedom to choose that grace. The Church distinguishes itself from many other Protestant churches because of its belief that God's Holy Spirit empowers Christians to be constantly obedient to Him. The Church does not believe that a Christian must sin every day. Rather, the Church does teach that sin should be the rare exception in the life of a Christian. The Church also believes in the doctrine of entire sanctification, which states that a person can have a relationship of entire devotion to God in which they are no longer under the influence of original sin. This means that through the power of the Holy Spirit, people can be changed so as to be able to live a holy life for the glory of God. It is worthy of noting that this is interpreted on a variety of different levels; as with any denomination, certain believers interpret the theology more rigidly and others less so. Also, the concept of entire sanctification stems from John Wesley's concept of spiritual perfection. Both doctrines are usually interpreted in less rigid fashion by most church members, viewing spiritual perfection as something to strive toward, being already sanctified and forgiven for their sins under sacrifice of Christ. Hence, thinking in a circular and very Greek fashion, since one would be forgiven, one would be perfect, however, since Christ was also human, and one is still entirely alive and living in the world -- one would still need to continue striving to live the best, or most "perfect" life possible -- since Christ was God and man. And so, the dilemma continues in theological interpretation.

In recent days, some in the denomination have understood the movement's distinctive theological doctrine -- entire sanctification -- as best understood in terms of love. Love is the core notion of the various understandings of holiness and sanctification found in the Bible. Christians are called to love when in relation to God and others (Oord and Lodahl, 2005).

The Church of the Nazarene has maintained a strong stance supporting total abstinence from alcohol and any other intoxicant, including cigarettes. Although this continues to be debated, the position remains a firm one in the church. While the church does not consider alcohol itself to be the cause of sin for all people, it recognizes that intoxication is a 'danger' to many people, both physically and spiritually. Thus a person who is meant to serve an example to others should avoid the use of them, in order to not cause others to stray from their 'walk with God,' as that is considered a sin for both parties.

Regarding human sexuality, the Church's Board of General Superintendents has issued this official statement:

Human Sexuality:
- The Church of the Nazarene believes that every man or woman should be treated with dignity, grace, and holy love, whatever their sexual orientation. However, we continue to firmly hold the position that the homosexual lifestyle is sinful and is contrary to the Scriptures.
- We further wish to reemphasize our call to Nazarenes around the globe to recommit themselves to a life of holiness, characterized by holy love and expressed through the most rigorous and consistent lifestyle of sexual purity. We stand firmly on the belief that the biblical concept of marriage, always between one man and one woman in a committed, lifelong relationship, is the only relationship within which the gift of sexual intimacy is properly expressed.[1]

Worship and rituals

Nazarene churches have typically had worship services three times a week: Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. In recent years the Sunday and Wednesday evening services in many Nazarene churches have changed from worship services to discipleship training or other types of activities. Worship services typically contain singing of hymns or contemporary "praise choruses," prayer, special music, reading of Scripture, sermon, and offering. If the sermon is evangelistic in nature, a service may end with "an altar call." Worship styles vary widely from more traditional Protestant services to services anchored in contemporary Christian music. Over the last ten years, an increasing number of Nazarene churches have utilized contemporary worship services as their predominant worship style. This may involve the use of a projector to display song and chorus lyrics onto a video screen. More traditional Nazarene churches may have a song leader who directs congregational hymns from the pulpit or platform. In some worship services, particularly the traditional Wednesday night prayer meeting, members are often encouraged to "testify," that is, give an account of some aspect of their spiritual journey. A testimony may describe a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit or speak to a particular event of meaning in a person's recent Christian life. Prayers offered during services are most often communal and led by a single person. Annual "revival" meetings have long been a traditional part of Nazarene life, though may be seen less today than they once were. An "evangelist" comes to preach the revival services. The Church of the Nazarene has been known to credential evangelists, many of whom earn their entire living through their ministry of evangelism. Most Nazarene districts also sponsor an annual camp meeting for adults and their families as well as separate camps for both "teens" and children.

While Nazarenes believe that the ill should utilize all appropriate medical agencies, Nazarenes also affirm the possibility of divine healing and pastors may "lay hands" upon the ill in prayer, either at the hospital or in a worship service. A prayer for divine healing is never understood as excluding medical services and agencies.

Sacraments

The Church of the Nazarene recognizes two sacraments: Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper, or communion. Nazarenes permit believer's baptism and infant baptism alike, although in recent times infant baptism has given way to more frequent infant "dedication" ceremonies, thus reserving baptism until after the time when the child makes a conscious decision to follow Christ. Every Nazarene church is required to administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper at least four times a year. Some congregations offer Communion at least once a month. The Nazarene Manual also includes rituals for the reception of new church members, weddings, funerals, the installation of new officers, and church dedications.

Organization

The Church of the Nazarene's has two orders of ordained ministry: the ordained elder and the ordained deacon. The ordained elder is a person, either male or female, who has been set apart for a ministry of "Word and Sacrament." Their primary assignment is to preach the Word, administer the sacraments, and lead the local church. The ordained deacon is a man or woman who has been set apart for full-time ministry in a role other than "Word and Sacrament." Those eligible to be ordained as deacons include those who are called to a full-time ministry of music, Christian social ministry, or director of Christian education, or another ministry that does not typically involve leading a congregation. The church also has district licensed ministers. Usually these are persons who are on the path toward ordination or who are strongly considering a call to ordained ministry. A licensed minister may, in some cases, be the pastor of a church. The Church of the Nazarene also recognizes these specialized forms of Christian service and ministry:^[2]

Higher education

The Church of the Nazarene owns and operates 11 liberal arts institutions in Africa, Canada, Korea, and the United States, as well as 3 graduate seminaries, 37 undergraduate Bible/theological colleges, 3 nurses training colleges, 1 junior college, and 1 education college worldwide. In the United States, the eight colleges and universities affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene divide the nation into "educational regions,"^[3] and a gentlemen's agreement exists between the colleges, which stipulates that they are not to actively recruit outside their respective regions:

Eastern USA Region^[4] for Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) in Quincy, Massachusetts
North Central USA Region^[5] for MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) in Olathe, Kansas
East Central USA Region^[6] for Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in Mount Vernon, Ohio
Northwest USA Region^[7] for Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) in Nampa, Idaho
Central USA Region^[8] for Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) in Bourbonnais, Illinois
Southwest USA Region^[9] for Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) in San Diego, California
South Central USA Region^[10] for Southern Nazarene University (SNU) in Bethany, Oklahoma
Southeast USA Region^[11] for Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) in Nashville, Tennessee

See Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education for more information on the history and purpose of Nazarene Higher Education.

External links

General websites

Regional and district websites

Local church websites

References

Encyclopedia of Religion in the South, Samuel S. Hill, editor
Handbook of Denominations, Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, & Craig D. Atwood
Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love. Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2005.
Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States, Glenmary Research Center
The Manual: Church of the Nazarene, 1995/2005, ISBN 0-8341-1944-7
A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology, J. Kenneth Grider, 1994. ISBN 0-8341-1512-3

[1] About the Church of the Nazarene

[2] Organization of the clergy in the Church of the Nazarene

[3] Nazarene Educational Regions

[4] Eastern Region

[5] North Central Region

[6] East Central Region

[7] Northwest Region

[8] Central USA Region

[9] Southwest Region

[10] South Central Region

[11] Southeast Region

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 *[http://www.beaconhillbooks.com/ Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City]
 *[http://www.wordaction.com/ WordAction Publishing Company]
-*[http://www.allchurches.com/ Find a local Church to attend]
 ===Regional and district websites===