About the Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene is a Protestant Christian church in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Organized in 1908, the Church is now home to more than 1.5 million members worshiping in over 14,000 local congregations in 151 world areas.

Jesus . . . the Hope

Our global mission is to share the good news that Jesus Christ is the source of hope for our lives and to spread the message of scriptural holiness (Christlike living) across the lands.

Global Ministries Center

The Global Ministries Center provides support services that include maintaining ministerial credentials and church records, coordinating the support and sending of missionaries, developing Sunday School and discipleship curriculum, providing retirement support programs for pastors, encouraging the starting of new churches, facilitating strategies of outreach and education to all parts of the globe, and much more. The Church of the Nazarene Global Ministries Center is located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Nazarene Publishing House

Nazarene Publishing House (NPH) is the largest publisher of Wesleyan-Holiness literature in the world. Products include Sunday School curriculum, music, periodicals, and books. In addition, many kinds of merchandise items are carried for the convenience of churches in fulfilling their mission. NPH is located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Suggested Reading

The following resources about the Church of the Nazarene are available for purchase from the Nazarene Publishing House. Thousands of other resources are available through the NPH web site, www.nph.com, or toll-free within the United States at 800-877-0700.

• What is the Church of the Nazarene?
• Manual of the Church of the Nazarene
• Articles of Faith: What Nazarenes Believe and Why
• What is a Nazarene? Understanding our Place in the Religious Community

Education

Nazarenes support 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.

World Outreach

Nazarenes are passionate about making a difference in the world by taking the good news of Jesus Christ to people everywhere. Today there are almost 800 missionaries and volunteers serving around the world. The Church of the Nazarene ministers in  more than 148 languages and 75 dialects or tribal languages and has produced  literature in 95 of these languages. The church operates 3 hospitals and 30  medical clinics worldwide. This missionary enterprise is made possible by the contributions of the global Nazarene family. Nazarenes also engage in starting new churches and congregations by praying, giving, and supporting worldwide volunteers and contracted missionaries.

Theology

The Church of the Nazarene is the largest denomination in the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The doctrine that distinguishes the Church of the Nazarene and other Wesleyan denominations from most other Christian denominations is that of entire sanctification. Nazarenes believe that God calls Christians to a life of holy living that is marked by an act of God, cleansing the heart from original sin and filling the individual with love for God and humankind. This experience is marked by entire consecration of the believer to do God's will and is followed by a life of seeking to serve God through service to others. Like salvation, entire sanctification is an act of God's grace, not of works. Our pursuant service to God is an act of love whereby we show our appreciation for the grace that has been extended to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Government

The government of the Church of the Nazarene is a combination of episcopacy and congregationalism. Six elected representatives serve on the Board of General Superintendents. This board is charged with the responsibility of administering the worldwide work of the Church of the Nazarene. The Board of General Superintendents also interprets the denomination's book of polity, the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene.

The General Assembly of the church serves as the supreme doctrine-formulating, lawmaking, and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene, subject to the provisions of the church constitution. Comprised of elected representatives from all of the denomination's regular districts globally, the General Assembly meets once every four years.

The General Assembly elects the members of the Board of General Superintendents and considers legislative proposals from the church's 425 districts. Topics under consideration may range from the method of calling a pastor to bioethics.

The General Assembly also elects representatives from around the world to the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene. The General Board carries out the corporate business of the denomination.

A Tradition of Service

Nazarenes are a compassionate people. We believe in serving others. This is expressed locally through the services of members to their communities. Contributions from Nazarenes make possible the administration of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, which provides assistance to persons in communities hard hit by natural or man-made disaster or famine. In recent years, Nazarenes have been instrumental in assisting hurting people in every part of the globe. From war and famine relief in Rwanda and Zaire, to health care training in India, to serving orphaned children in Guatemala, to rebuilding homes and churches in the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Nazarenes are there through 190 full-time compassionate ministry centers and volunteer efforts.

The worldwide network of Nazarene churches makes it possible for the denomination to serve as a conduit of assistance to hurting nations. Nazarenes provide money for food, medical supplies, clothing, and other items to persons in a number of countries where there are pressing needs. In addition, the denomination’s missionary infrastructure is often used by World Relief and similar agencies when they need assistance in getting supplies to people in remote or troubled areas.

Nazarenes also offer their time and services on volunteer Work and Witness and Youth In Mission teams to build churches, schools, and clinics and to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Church of the Nazarene reaches out to persons around the globe through the power of technology. Through the Internet, radio broadcasts in 33 languages, and video and printed materials in 95 languages, we share the message of hope in Jesus Christ and educate constituents and interested parties about people, programs, news, and events of interest in the life of the church.

03/06

Copyright © 2006, Church of the Nazarene. All Rights Reserved.