Church of the Nazarene

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Church of the Nazarene
General
Belief Methodism
organization Mixed form of congregational , Presbyterian and Episcopal elements
distribution worldwide
membership World Council of Methodist Churches
founding
founder Phineas F. Bresee
Establishment date 1908
Place of foundation Pilot Point , Texas
Origin and development
Spin-off from

Methodist Episcopal Church

numbers
Members 2,168,883
Others
Tax position Free Church
Also called: KdN (abbreviation)
Website www.nazarener.de
Community hall in Berlin-Lichtenrade
Church of the Nazarene in Nazareth , Israel

The Church of the Nazarenes ( English Church of the Nazarene ) is a free church . It stands in the Methodist tradition and is part of the sanctification movement . It was founded in 1908 in Pilot Point , Texas . The number of members is now around 2.17 million worldwide, spread over 150 countries (as of May 2014).

history

In the 1890s, various groups separated from the Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles in protest against what they believed to be neglected doctrine of sanctification. In 1895, a group called the Church of the Nazarene appeared for the first time under the direction of Phineas F. Bresee . On October 13, 1908, several groups were merged to form the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene , which is considered to be the founding date of the church. On the World Church Day of the Church of the Nazarene in 1919, however, it was decided to delete the word Pentecostal from the name in order to avoid confusion with the Pentecostal movement.

The first community in Germany was founded in Frankfurt am Main in 1958 , and the first community center was inaugurated there in 1962. Work in Switzerland began in the 1970s, and in 1987 Switzerland became a separate district.

In 1993 the German church district in Indianapolis was recognized by the world church because it had at least 20 congregations, 20 pastors ordained as elders and more than 1,000 church members, in addition to financial independence from the general church.

Distribution in the German-speaking area

In Germany there are 20 municipalities with approx. 1100 members (2013), which are grouped together in one German district. In Switzerland the church is represented by two parishes with fifty members. The European Nazarene College , one of the Church's two theological universities in Europe, held classes on campus in the German exclave of Büsingen on the Upper Rhine until 2011 . In the course of the decentralization of the school, the campus was closed and the properties were later sold. The administration of the school has been in Linsengericht since 2015 . Theological training in the German district has been taking place online and in German since 2013. The regional office for the Eurasia region, which includes all of Europe, the states of the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent , is still in Büsingen.

Teaching

The theology of the Church of the Nazarene corresponds roughly to conservative Methodist theology. More emphasis is placed on personal sanctification , diakonia and mission .

Worship and practice

There is liturgical freedom in the Church of the Nazarene. As usual in Protestant churches, the sermon is generally the focus of the worship service. Since the Church of the Nazarene exists in a multitude of nations and cultures, the form of worship and hymns can sometimes be quite different. But there are some similarities. Many songs written by Charles Wesley or representatives of the sanctification movement are sung internationally . In Germany, however, the songs are mostly contemporary and roughly coincide with those of other Protestant free churches .

In the Church of the Nazarene, as in most other Protestant churches, there are two sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

According to the church ordinance of the Church of the Nazarene, the Manual , both children and believers are allowed to be baptized. In practice, most of the time, only believers are baptized and children are blessed instead . Unlike in many churches and parishes, baptism is not necessarily established with membership in the Church of the Nazarene or one of its parishes. Rather, through baptism there is an incorporation into the worldwide body of Christ. The baptized one decides for himself which denomination or church he wants to belong to.

activities

The Nazarene World Mission Society is active in missions worldwide , the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries are the social sector that is active in both disaster relief and long-term development.

The Church's worldwide magazine is called Holiness Today .

organization

The leadership of the whole church is with six general superintendents, who are elected or confirmed every four years by the World Council of Churches. The World Council of Churches consists of delegates from the District Church Congress.

The local pastors and preachers are appointed by their respective congregations. The prerequisite is that the preachers have previously been ordained at a district church convention or that they have been awarded a district preacher's license there. The ordination of women is practiced. Ordinations are reserved for general superintendents who regularly visit the districts.

The manual, the church order, is a collection of theological and practical ethical statements, some of which are relevant to canon law. Rulings, so-called implementation regulations, which are not generally accessible, supplement the manual. The manual can be adapted or supplemented on request for the World Church Days in the General Assembly. The power of interpretation in cases of doubt lies exclusively with the superintendent general between the World Church Days.

The manual, written in English, reflects the character of the Church of the Nazarene through its high presence in the American " Bible belt " and the history of the Church and is a frequent criticism from members.

Ecumenism

The Church of the Nazarene belongs to the World Council of Methodist Churches and thus takes part in its ecumenical dialogues. She is also a member of the Association of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany and has been a guest member of the Working Group of Christian Churches in Germany since 2018 . Members of the church participate in the Evangelical Alliance . Local parishes of the Church of the Nazarene participate in the ecumenical movement .

Controversy

According to the understanding of the Church of the Nazarene, justification comes from faith and not from baptism. Therefore, baptism is not a prerequisite for access to the Lord's Supper. In the ecumenical dialogue with the regional churches, this gave the impression that baptism took a back seat to conversion and sanctification. Furthermore, outsiders understand the doctrine of sanctification in such a way that Christians of the sanctification movement see themselves as "the true Christians". According to Article XI of the Church of the Nazarene, however, the church is defined as "the community that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord". According to this understanding, the church comprises more than just the followers of the sanctification movement.

Known members

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nazarene Global Mission. Church of the Nazarene, archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; Retrieved May 3, 2014 .
  2. ^ Karl Heinz Voigt: Free churches in Germany (19th and 20th centuries). Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2004, ISBN 3-374-02230-8 , p. 90.
  3. ↑ See Articles IX and XII of the Articles of Faith
  4. ↑ http://www.whdl.org/glaubensartikel-kirche-des-nazareners
  5. ↑ Cf. Karl Richard Ziegert: We are the true Christians ( Memento from February 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive )