Church of the Nazarene

Church of the Nazarene
Seal of the Church of the Nazarene
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationWesleyan–Holiness[1]
TheologyMethodist[2]
PolityMixed: elements of Congregationalist,
Presbyterian,
and Episcopal polities
AssociationsChristian Holiness Partnership;
Wesleyan Holiness Connection;
National Association of Evangelicals;
World Methodist Council;
Global Wesleyan Alliance
RegionGlobal
HeadquartersLenexa, Johnson County, Kansas United States
FounderInclude: Phineas F. Bresee,
Hiram F. Reynolds,
William Howard Hoople,
Mary Lee Cagle,
Robert Lee Harris,
J.B. Chapman,
and C. W. Ruth
OriginOctober 13, 1908
Pilot Point, Texas, U.S.
Branched fromChurch of the Nazarene (1895), Association of Pentecostal Churches of America (1897), and Holiness Church of Christ (1904)
Merger of15 Holiness denominations 1907–1988
SeparationsPentecost-Pilgrim Church (1917)
Bible Missionary Church (1955)
Holiness Church of the Nazarene (1958)
Church of the Bible Covenant (1967)
Crusaders Churches (1972)
Congregations31,049 (2020)
Members2,640,216 (2020)
Official websitenazarene.org

The Church of the Nazarene is a Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas.[1][2] With its members commonly referred to as Nazarenes, it is the largest denomination in the world aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement and is a member of the World Methodist Council.

  1. ^ a b Cooper, Aimee Stone (2016). Means of Grace as Formative Holiness: The Role and Significance of John Wesley's Spiritual Formation Practices in The Pursuit of Christian Holiness for The Church of The Nazarene.
  2. ^ a b O'Brien, Glen; Carey, Hilary M. (March 3, 2016). Methodism in Australia: A History. Routledge. p. 268. ISBN 978-1-317-09709-9. identifying with the Church of the Nazarene, 846 of these in Queensland. The Church began to advertise itself as 'a church in the Methodist tradition' in order to make its theological orientation clear to the public