The Church of the Nazarene, also called the Nazarene Church, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement whose mission is "To make Christlike
disciples in the nations." Originating officially in October, 1908 as a consequence of a series of mergers of antecedent holiness
denominations at Pilot Point, Texas, by 2006, the
church had 1,622,669 members in 18,690 churches in 151 different "world areas" (nation-like geographical units). Membership of
639,999 in the United States constitutes the largest for one country, although there are
more total members outside the U.S.A. It also supports 56 educational
institutions around the world.[1] As is common for
an evangelical denomination, the Nazarene church holds revivals and is highly active in
missionary work. It is currently a member of the World Methodist Council and the National
Association of Evangelicals. International Headquarters for the Church of the Nazarene is in Kansas City, Missouri, where the Nazarene Publishing
House is also located. Recently the General Board decided to relocate the headquarters complex to Lenexa, Kansas.
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. The name was first
recommended by 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. 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 is the product of many mergers that occurred between various holiness churches and denominations
throughout the course of the 20th century. The most prominent of these mergers took place at the First and Second General
Assemblies, held at Chicago, Illinois, and Pilot Point, Texas in 1907 and
1908, respectively. The First General Assembly brought together the Association of Pentecostal
Churches of America,[2] a denomination formed in
1896 through the merger of two older bodies that existed principally from Nova Scotia to Iowa and the northeastern United States, and the Church of the Nazarene from the West Coast of the United States, founded in 1895 in
Los Angeles, California by Phineas F.
Bresee, a Methodist Episcopal Church minister, and Dr.
Joseph Pomeroy Widney, a Methodist layman and former President of the
University of Southern California. 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,[3] located in the
southern United States, merged with the Pentecostal Nazarenes. The Holiness Church of
Christ in the South, like the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America in the east, was also the result of an earlier
merger between two older denominations. Between the First and Second General Assemblies, there also occurred major accessions of
members from the Holiness Association of Texas[4]
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,[5] both in 1915.
At this point, the Church of the Nazarene now embraced 7 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,[6] both located primarily in the United Kingdom, the Hephzibah Faith Missionary Association in
Iowa, the Gospel Workers Church of Canada, and 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 of 2007, the church is located in 151 "world areas"
(approximately equivalent to nations).[1]
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.
Influential figures
Founders and architects of the denominational mergers included Phineas F. Bresee,
Joseph Pomeroy Widney, Hiram Reynolds and
Ernest E. Angell. 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, Stan Ingersol, Floyd Cunningham and Harold Raser. Famous members of the
Church of the Nazarene include James Dobson.
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.[2]
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.
Church leaders and offices
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:[7] The Church of the
Nazarene has 14,314 ordained elders, 654 ordained deacons and 7,133 licensed ministers.[3]
Organization
Churches
The basic unit of organization in the Church of the Nazarene is the local congregation, which may be either an organized
church or church-type mission (often known as New Starts).
Districts
Local congregations are grouped administratively into districts, each led by a district superintendent, who is usually elected
by delegates from each local church in an annual meeting called the district assembly. In embryonic districts, the district
superintendent may be appointed by the jurisdictional general superintendent. There are currently 425 districts globally, with 85
districts in the USA and Canada. The two districts with the largest membership in the Church of the Nazarene are the Guatemala
North Verapaz District with 22,012 members and the Korea National District with 20,282 members.[4] Districts
may be organized into several Zones.
Fields
Districts in areas administered by the Department of World Mission are often grouped into "fields", with a field strategy
co-ordinator providing strategic leadership.
Regions
The various districts of the Church of the Nazarene are organised into regions. Currently there are fifteen regions, with
eight in the United States of America, one in Canada, and the other six comprising the rest of the world. These six non-North
American regions are the Africa (319,342 members in 4,598 churches in 33 countries), Asia-Pacific (99,221 members in 1,572
churches in 24 countries), Caribbean (141,259 members in 1,056 churches in 23 countries), Eurasia (92,779 members in in 2,148
churches in 32 countries), Mexico and Central America (143,996 members in 1,665 churches in 7 countries), and South America
regions (172,672 members in 2,249 churches in 10 countries)[5][6],which are administered
through the denomination's department of World Mission, with each having a regional director.
Existence of Regions in the United States and Canada is tied to church funds, as local churches pay budgets on a District level, and as Districts onto the Regional level.
General Assembly
The supreme legislative body of the Church of the Nazarene is the General Assembly, which is comprised of elected and
ex-officio delegates from around the world. Usually the General Assembly
meets for about a week every four years. The next General Assembly is scheduled to meet in Orlando, Florida in June 2009. The General Assembly elects six general superintendents and a General
Board, in whom authority is vested between General Assemblies. The general superintendents are assigned jurisdictional authority
over the districts, regions and other instittions of the Church of the Nazarene, and are given authority to ordain qualified
women and men into the ministry.
Institutions of Higher Education
The Church of the Nazarene has a demonstrated historic and current commitment to evangelism, compassionate ministry and
education.[7] Over 40,800 students are enrolled in the 56 Nazarene institions of higher
education.[8] 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.[8] The largest Nazarene
university is Korea Nazarene University[9], with over 5,300 students. Nazarene educational institutions are overseen by
the Nazarene International Board of Education (IBOE).[10] See List of Church of the
Nazarene schools for a list of these institutions on Wikipedia.
A portion of the local and district budgets is alloted for Nazarene higher education, and subsidizes the cost of each Region's
respective institution. Accompanying that logic of institutional support, there is a gentlemen's agreement between the Nazarene liberal arts
colleges in the United States to not actively recruit outside their respective
region, requiring that a Nazarene prospective college student must first seek information from any "Off-Region" institution on an
individual basis. Hence, in the United States and Canada,[9] there is one Nazarene
liberal arts college per Region.[10] Bible colleges and seminaries are not associated with a Region in the same way as the liberal arts colleges.
Statistics
The Church of the Nazarene now ministers in 151 world areas.[11] In 2006,
there were 788 missionaries (active, retired, regional, Mission Corps volunteers, and tentmakers) for the Church of the Nazarene.
These missionaries originate from 26 world areas. In 2006, 534 Mission Corps (formerly Nazarenes in Volunteer Service)
volunteers, including 22 tentmakers, ministered in 66 world areas.[12][13]
In 2006 Nazarene Youth International (NYI) had 381,343 members. 181 Youth In Mission [14]participants from 5 regional areas, and 2,320 Youthserve [15] students served around the world for the
Church of the Nazarene.[16][17]
Nazarene Missions International (NMI) has 865,770 members. The total amount raised for World Evangelism Fund in 2006 was
approximately US$48 million. In 2006, the Church of the Nazarene sent 1,119 Work & Witness [18]teams, with a total of 20,581
participants.This represents an estimated 506 years of donated labor. [19][20]
The average Sunday School attendance each week is 803,990. In 2006 408,279 children and teachers attended Vacation Bible
School (VBS).[21]
The Church of the Nazarene has 176 Compassionate Ministries Centers in the United States of America and Canada to help care
for underprivileged and hurting people. In 2006, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries[22]’ Child Development program provided more than 9,348 sponsorships and nutritional
assistance in over 79 countries. [23]
Notes and references
- ^ About
the Church of the Nazarene
- ^ Founding organization for the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute.
- ^ Founder of the Arkansas
Holiness College, as well as the Pilot Point, Texas school later known as
Central Nazarene University.
- ^ Founding organization for Texas Holiness University.
- ^ Founder of the Pentecostal
Literary and Bible Training School.
- ^ Calvary Holiness Church at Adherents.com distinguishes between different Calvary Holiness denominations.
- ^ Organization of the clergy in the Church of the Nazarene
- ^ Church of the Nazarene - School Weblinks
- ^ Nazarene Educational Regions
- ^ Canada Region for Ambrose
University College in Calgary, Alberta, Eastern USA Region for Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) in Quincy,
Massachusetts, North Central USA Region for MidAmerica Nazarene
University (MNU) in Olathe, Kansas, East Central USA Region for Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in Mount
Vernon, Ohio, Northwest USA Region for Northwest Nazarene
University (NNU) in Nampa, Idaho, Central USA Region for Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) in Bourbonnais,
Illinois, Southwest USA Region for Point Loma Nazarene University
(PLNU) in San Diego, California, South Central USA Region for Southern Nazarene University (SNU) in Bethany,
Oklahoma, Southeast USA Region for Trevecca Nazarene University
(TNU) in Nashville, Tennessee
- 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
External links
See also
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