What is a Nazarene?
Building a community associated with the idea that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
Who are the Nazarenes? Every church has beliefs or preferences that set it apart from other churches. Still, most churches agree on 90-95% of Christian teaching. The other 5-10% falls in the category of “distinctives”.
So, just who are we? What sets us a part from other churches? Well, let’s begin with our name - Community Church of the Nazarene. Our local church and the Church of the Nazarene denomination, take our name from Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene…
As Nazarenes, we, like Baptists, believe in calling people to repentance, to a new life in Christ, with baptism as the symbol of our new lives…
As Nazarenes, we, like Presbyterians, believe the preaching of the Bible, God’s Word, can and does bring about change in people’s lives…
As Nazarenes, we, like Lutherans, believe in salvation through Christ, on the authority of the Bible, by faith alone, that salvation is a gift of God’s Grace…
As Nazarenes, we, like Pentecostals, believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. While we don’t speak in tongues in our services, we do believe in the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. We believe the Spirit can empower followers of Christ to live Christ-like lives…
As Nazarenes, we, like Episcopalians, take seriously our worship of our Savior and God. Our choice to worship in a less formal way is driven by our passion to worship…
As Nazarenes, we, like Quakers, Mennonites or Moravians, believe in living a careful life that testifies to the watching world that we are followers of Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit can empower us to follow closely in the steps of Jesus, our Savior…
As Nazarenes, we, like the United Methodists, are a Christian tradition that grew out of John Wesley’s revival movement in the 1700’s. We have good fellowship with our United Methodist’s cousins…
So, just who are we? We are a warm and friendly group of people who desire, with God’s help, to live in close relationship with Jesus Christ. Our desire is for Christ to forgive and cleanse us from our sins and to free us from our selfishness. Ultimately, we want to bring glory and honor to our Lord and Savior. We look to the Bible to guide us in our relationship with Christ while seeking to live a lifestyle of worship. We are life-centered in our teaching and sensitive to the needs and concerns of others. We give people opportunities to put their faith into action. We laugh and cry together, rejoice and grieve together, grow together and walk in faith together. And more than anything we desire to reflect Christ’s Love, both to those who have yet to meet Christ and to those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We aim to be a family for all who desire to follow and love Jesus, the Nazarene.