Our Denomination

Organized October 8, 1908, in Pilot Point, Texas, the Church of the Nazarene has made its home in Kansas City, Mo., since shortly after the birth of the denomination. The church’s International Center is located at 6401 The Paseo at the intersection of 63rd Street and The Paseo. The Nazarene Publishing House is located at 2923 Troost Avenue, about five miles north of denominational headquarters.

The Nazarene International Center provides support services to more than 1,417,664 members worshiping in more than 12,799 churches in the United States, Canada, and 135 other world areas. Services 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, developing satellite, Internet, and radio programs for outreach and education to all parts of the globe, and much more.

 A People of Hope

The theme of the denomination for the current quadrennium is "Jesus the Hope." This theme expresses the pressing desire of the denomination to share the good news that Jesus Christ is the source of hope for our lives.

 Publishing

The Nazarene Publishing House (NPH) is the largest publisher of Holiness (Wesleyan) 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 prints more than 200,000 books annually and also produces a wide variety of periodicals and other publications.

 Education

Nazarenes support 11 liberal arts institutions in the Africa, Canada, Korea, and the United States, as well as 2 graduate seminaries and 41 undergraduate Bible/theological colleges worldwide. The church operates 2 hospitals, 63 medical clinics, 2 nurses training colleges, 1 junior college, and serves 69,100 children, outside the United States and Canada.

 World Outreach

Nazarenes are passionate about making a difference in the world. This means taking the good news of Jesus Christ around the globe. Today there are 742 missionaries and volunteers serving around the world. This missionary enterprise is made possible by the contributions of the global Nazarene family. Nazarenes also engage in starting new churches and congregations by prayer support, financial giving, and facilitating volunteers and contracted missionaries.

 Theology

The Church of the Nazarene is the largest denomination in the 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.

All figures based on 2002 statistics

For a more complete look at the Church of the Nazarene, visit the Nazarene.org website.