|
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 1.8 million members
worshiping in almost 23,000 local congregations in 155
world areas.
Our
Mission
The
mission
of the Church of the Nazarene is to make Christlike
disciples in the nations.
Global
Ministry Center
The Global Ministry 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 Ministry Center is located in Lenexa,
Kansas.
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 website,
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 (Online
version)
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, 38 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 794 missionaries and
volunteers serving around the world. Each week,
Nazarenes worship in more than 212 languages or tribal
languages, with literature produced in 90 of these. The
church operates 64 medical clinics and hospitals
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.
For more information,
see:
Discovering Missions
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.
For more information,
see:
Here We Stand
A Century of Holiness Theology
Discovering the Old Testament
Discovering the Bible
Discovering the New Testament
Discovering our Christian Faith
Reading the Bible in Wesleyan
Ways
Philosophy of Religion
Holiness in the Gospels
With Cords of Love
Dismantling the Myths
The Story of God
Grace, Faith & Holiness
A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology
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
Manual
is also available online translated into numerous
languages.
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 433 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
(NCM). Following the example of Jesus, NCM seeks to
educate, clothe, shelter, feed, heal, and ultimately
empower those who suffer under oppression, injustice,
violence, poverty, hunger, and disease. Through 245
full-time compassionate ministries centers and
volunteer efforts, Nazarenes have been instrumental in
assisting people in every part of the globe who have
been affected by war, famine, hurricane, flood, and
other natural and man-made disasters.
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 denominations 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.
|
