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What is the Church of the Nazarene?
The Church of the Nazarene is a global Christian denomination in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Its stated mission is “To make Christlike disciples in the nations,” and its website describes it as the largest denomination in the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. It presents itself as a worldwide community of faith committed to evangelism, discipleship, and spreading the message of scriptural holiness.
What Distinguishes It
The doctrine of entire sanctification is the belief that sets Nazarenes apart from most other Christian denominations. In the denomination's own explanation, this is an act of God that cleanses the heart from original sin and fills the person with love for God and others. It is framed as a call to holy living rather than a one-time event without ongoing discipleship.
How It Organizes Itself
The site points to three foundational statements that shape the denomination's identity and practice:
- Articles of Faith — the essential beliefs that guide practice.
- Core Values — the cultural identity that supports the vision.
- Statement of Mission — the stated reason for existing as a denomination.
It also describes itself as moving from a church with an international presence toward a global community of believers, organized into world areas.
Who It's For
This page is most useful if you are exploring the denomination's beliefs, looking for a Wesleyan-Holiness church, or researching how Nazarenes understand holiness and discipleship. If you want to compare it with other Wesleyan or Holiness bodies, start with the Articles of Faith and the statement on entire sanctification, then look at how the denomination describes its global mission structure. For local details such as service times or congregations, you would need to look beyond the homepage.
What distinguishes the Church of the Nazarene from other Christian denominations?
The Church of the Nazarene stands out mainly through its place in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition and its emphasis on entire sanctification. Its own materials describe this as the doctrine that most clearly separates it from many other Christian denominations: the belief that God calls Christians to holy living, cleanses the heart from original sin, and fills the person with love for God and others. This is not presented as a one-time event that replaces ongoing growth; the site also frames discipleship as a lifelong process of learning, obedience, spiritual discipline, and accountability.
A second distinguishing feature is its self-description as a global church. The stated mission, “To make Christlike disciples in the nations,” reflects a shift from being a church with an international presence toward a global community of believers. That combination of a specific holiness doctrine and a strongly missional identity is what shapes how the denomination describes itself.
How this compares with other traditions
| Emphasis | Church of the Nazarene | Common contrast |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctification | Entire sanctification as a distinct work of God | Many traditions treat sanctification mainly as gradual growth or leave it less defined |
| Tradition | Classical Wesleyan-Holiness | Reformed, Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, or non-denominational streams differ on doctrine and church structure |
| Mission | Global disciple-making across nations | Some denominations prioritize local or national ministry, though many are also international |
| Discipleship | Lifelong formation in obedience and accountability | Similar language appears elsewhere, but here it is tied to holiness teaching |
If you are trying to understand the difference for yourself, read the denomination’s Articles of Faith and its statement on mission side by side. Those two documents show how the holiness doctrine and the global mission work together. You can find them at Church of the Nazarene. For a broader Wesleyan-Holiness comparison, the official sites of other holiness bodies are useful, but the Nazarene pages are the clearest starting point for this specific question.
How can I find a Church of the Nazarene near me?
Use the official church locator on the denomination's site: Church of the Nazarene. Its homepage points visitors to a global directory organized by world areas, which is the intended route for finding a local congregation.
How to search
- Go to the site and look for the church finder or "find a church" tool rather than browsing the homepage text.
- Enter your city, postal code or country, then widen the radius if the first result is too far away.
- Check the listing details: service times, language of worship, address and contact information.
- If no result appears, try the next-largest town or the district/field office for your region.
What the listing tells you — and what it doesn't
| You can usually confirm | You may need to ask directly |
|---|---|
| Address and meeting times | Style of worship and music |
| Language(s) of services | Congregation size and demographics |
| Contact details | Accessibility, parking, children's programs |
A directory entry confirms a congregation exists and when it meets; it rarely captures the feel of a service. If you are deciding between two nearby churches, attend both once and speak to someone after the service.
A practical next step
Search your area, then email or call the congregation before visiting to confirm the current schedule — listings can lag behind changes. If you are moving internationally, the same directory covers world areas, so search the country first and then narrow to the city. For background on what Nazarenes believe before you visit, the site's beliefs and mission pages give a short summary of the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition and the emphasis on holy living.
What are the core beliefs and Articles of Faith of the Church of the Nazarene?
The Church of the Nazarene identifies itself as the largest denomination in the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Its core beliefs center on Christian holiness, and the doctrine that most clearly distinguishes it from many other Christian denominations is entire sanctification: the belief that God calls Christians to holy living, marked by an act of God that cleanses the heart from original sin and fills the person with love for God and humankind. The denomination summarizes its identity as Christian, holiness, and missional, with the mission “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.”
The Articles of Faith are described as the denomination's foundational beliefs, setting out the essential truths that guide its practices. Alongside them, the church points to Core Values that shape its culture and a Statement of Mission that defines why it exists. These are the three main reference points for anyone wanting to understand Nazarene teaching.
Discipleship is presented as a way of life rather than a set of rules: learning how God would have us live through obedience to the Word, submission to the disciplines of the faith, and accountability to one another. The stated goal is transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
If you want the exact wording of each Article of Faith, the practical next step is to read them directly on the denomination's site rather than relying on summaries: Church of the Nazarene. For broader Wesleyan-Holiness context, you can compare with The United Methodist Church or The Salvation Army, though each differs on specifics.
A useful decision criterion: if entire sanctification as a distinct, subsequent work of grace is central to what you are looking for, Nazarene teaching will align closely. If you prefer a tradition that treats holiness mainly as gradual growth without that specific doctrine, the differences will matter more than the shared Wesleyan roots.
How does the Church of the Nazarene approach global missions and discipleship?
The Church of the Nazarene frames both global missions and discipleship around one mission statement: “To make Christlike disciples in the nations.” In practice, that means the denomination treats mission and discipleship as connected rather than separate programs. Its stated aim is to spread the message of scriptural holiness “across the lands,” and it describes itself as a global community of faith rather than a church with only an international presence.
Missions The homepage emphasizes that the church is “commissioned to take the Good News of life in Jesus Christ to people everywhere.” It organizes its global work by world areas and presents global missions as a core identity, not an auxiliary activity. The Wesleyan-Holiness context matters here: the distinguishing doctrine of entire sanctification shapes what the church believes it is spreading—not only conversion but a call to holy living marked by love for God and humankind.
Discipleship Discipleship is described as a way of life and a process of learning how God would have us live. The page names several practices: obedience to the Word of God, submission to the disciplines of the faith, and accountability to one another. It also stresses that this is not merely human effort or rule-keeping; the Holy Spirit is described as the one who gradually brings believers to maturity in Christ. The stated goal is transformation into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
How the two connect A useful way to see the relationship is that missions is the outward movement and discipleship is the forming work that sustains it. The church’s global posture gives discipleship a cross-cultural, worldwide frame, while discipleship gives missions a defined purpose: not just gathering people but forming them in Christian character.
| Element | Missions emphasis | Discipleship emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Stated focus | Take the Good News everywhere; spread scriptural holiness | Learn to live obediently and grow in Christian character |
| Scope | Global, organized by world areas | Personal and communal, practiced in accountability |
| Goal | Christlike disciples in the nations | Transformation into the likeness of Christ |
| Underlying doctrine | Wesleyan-Holiness, including entire sanctification | Holy living shaped by the Holy Spirit |
For someone exploring the denomination, a practical next step is to read the Articles of Faith, Core Values, and Mission pages together, then look at how a local congregation or world area puts those statements into practice. That will show whether the global mission language and the discipleship language function as one integrated approach in actual church life.
What does the Church of the Nazarene teach about entire sanctification and holy living?
The Church of the Nazarene teaches that entire sanctification is a distinct act of God that cleanses the heart from original sin and fills the person with love for God and others. It is the doctrine that most clearly sets the denomination apart within the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, and the church frames it as the foundation for a life of holy living rather than a one-time spiritual achievement.
Entire sanctification. According to the denomination’s own statement, Nazarenes believe God calls Christians to holy living marked by this cleansing and filling. The emphasis is on God’s action, not human effort or rule-keeping.
Holy living as discipleship. The church describes discipleship as a way of life: learning how God would have us live through obedience to Scripture, submission to the disciplines of faith, and accountability to one another. It presents this not as mere human effort but as the means through which the Holy Spirit gradually brings believers to maturity in Christ, with the goal of being transformed into Christ’s likeness.
Why the distinction matters. In practice, this means a Nazarene congregation will typically treat sanctification as both a definite experience and an ongoing journey. A reader exploring the denomination could ask a local pastor how the church teaches the relationship between the crisis of entire sanctification and the gradual process of growing in Christlikeness.
For the primary wording, see the Church of the Nazarene’s official site at Church of the Nazarene.
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