Thinking of going to a Nazarene church?!
Question: Has anyone been to one before and if so, what makes them different from other churches. What should I know or wear before going?
Answers: Has anyone been to one before and if so, what makes them different from other churches. What should I know or wear before going?
Hello Dottie:
I was a youth pastor at a Nazarene church for 10-11 years ending in 2004. The Nazarene Churches believe in the same doctrines of the mainline protestant churches such as the Baptist, however they have one different belief, ...they do not believe in a.."Once saved always saved."
They believe that if a person turns his back on God and no longer chose not to accept the the fact that Jesus is savior then that person may lose their salvation. The Baptist believe once saved always saved.
The Church of the Nazarene are filled with nice people, the Church I attended in Florida tend to have mostly elderly and services are very traditional with singing from Hymm books, you know the old 18th century songs. However they know they have a need to change and many may be starting to modernize their services with more contemporary music.
The type of sermons may be different from one church to another depending on the Pastor, however the teachings are Biblical. There are normally youth groups in the Churches headed by the NYI (Nazarene Youth International President) lofty title, but just a person in the church that plans and monitors the youth.
The congregation is mainly 98% caucasion, however there are a few hatian congregations. I beleive the membership has not risen much in the past decade and has declined slightly, possibly due to the elderly congregation passing over to a new life.
Clothing is typical, church attire, some people seen going in jeans actually, ame clothing you will wear at work or school. Just look decent. In the old days women could not wear jewelry and skirts had to be down to their ankles however that stopped and men and women wear all types of clothing and make-up too.
Enjoy, I went for 10 - 12 years, I am now attending another church but I still consider the members good friends.
There Is More People
The Church of the Nazarene, often referred to as the Nazarene Church, is an evangelical Christian denomination whose mission is "to respond to the Great Commission of Christ to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:19),"[1] or, more succinctly, "to make Christlike disciples in the nations."[2] This frames the global mission of the denomination.
As of 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.[3] 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. In 2005, the General Board decided to relocate the headquarters complex to Lenexa, Kansas and name the new facility the Global Ministry Center (GMC).[4]
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_t...