Church of Nazarene Evolution: 6 Key Events for Christian Denomination Since It Began

The Church of the Nazarene grew from a small congregation an international denomination. Christians now attend 30,000 Nazarene churches in more than 160 countries around the world with a membership of more than 2 million.

Here are six events that helped continue the growth of the Church of the Nazarene:

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1. The first Church of the Nazarene was established in Los Angeles in 1895 under Dr. Phineas F. Bresee in Los Angeles. It was for believers who had left the Methodist and other Protestant churches for a place that practiced the holiness doctrine of perfectionism in faith and sanctification.

2. Bresee and other holiness leaders helped unite different factions with similar beliefs during a general assembly. Such affiliates were the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America and the Holiness Church of Christ in 1907.

3. The official formation of the Church of the Nazarene is often considered to have occurred in October 1908. Churches from around the country met at a second assembly in Pilot Point, Texas and merged northern, as well as southern denominations as one church.

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4. In 1915, more Christian churches from the Holiness movement began joining the Nazarene, including the Pentecostal Church of Scotland and Pentecostal Mission. The Nazarenes also merged with the Wesleyan Church, which had split from the Methodist Church to continue the ideas of Methodist founder John Wesley.

5. The church had called itself the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene during the first assembly in 1907, but dropped the "Pentecostal" term in 1919 at a general assembly. Pentecostalism had similar practices to the Nazarenes, but had more charismatic experiences such as speaking in tongues to receive the Holy Spirit. Nazarenes wanted a separate identity from the Pentecostals.

6. The international membership of the Church of the Nazarene expanded rapidly following "a mission to the world" promotion from H. F. Reynolds, general superintendent of the church. Congregations spread to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Japan, China and to the Middle East by 1922. Nazarenes began using radio programs to broadcast in different languages around the world, adding churches in Australia, Italy and Africa.

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