what do nazarenes believe?

Our congregation is a part of the Church of the Nazarene, which is a Wesleyan-Holiness Protestant Christian denomination. The Church of the Nazarene began in 1908 when a group of like-minded believers came together in Pilot Point, Texas to consolidate a number of smaller holiness movement groups into one church and dedicated themselves to preaching the Gospel, living out the holiness to which God has called us and serving the poor.

Our denomination's key beliefs are are summarized here:

We believe in one God, the Creator, Savior and Sanctifier of the universe, who has revealed Himself to us as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe we have all committed sin and need forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and, through faith in him, we believe we can be saved from sin, death and Hell.

We believe that, through sincere confession and by turning away from our sins, God will forgive us, purify us and grant us eternal life.

We believe we can live holy lives free from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We believe God has inspired the 66 books of the Bible, which teaches us everything we need to know in order to be saved from sin and restored to our relationship with God.

We believe the Church has been brought together by the Father and united by the Holy Spirit to carry on Jesus Christ's mission. We accomplish this mission by worshiping God, preaching the Gospel, administering the sacraments, encouraging one another, learning together and serving our world.

We believe every person will be raised from the dead and come before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ to be judged fairly according to our deeds in life.

If you would like to read our complete Articles of Faith, you can find a digital copy by clicking here.

why are we called

"nazarenes"?

The name "Church of the Nazarene" was chosen ironically. Nazareth was a backwater town in the region of Galilee and the hometown of Jesus Christ. Hence, some called him "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus the Nazarene." When Nathanael (who later became one of the twelve apostles) first heard that the Messiah had come from Nazareth, he responded, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46). Little did he know it was the very Son of God who had come from that little backwater town, out of obscurity and into the world to save humanity from sin and death through love. Remembering this story, the early Nazarenes were able to relate: they too came from obscurity and hoped to change the world through radical love. So, our founders chose the name "Church of the Nazarene" and it is in this tradition that we continue to serve our God, each other and our world more than a century later.

If you would like to learn more about our story, our denomination, our beliefs or how we live out our mission, please feel free to contact Pastor Ryan by clicking here.