Church of the Nazarene

If you look back at the early 1900s, the world was shifting fast. Industrialization was booming, cities were exploding, and unfortunately, a lot of established churches were moving away from the margins and toward the mainstream elite. But a small, passionate group of leaders looked at the landscape and asked a dangerous question: What if we built a movement explicitly dedicated to the people society overlooks?

They chose a name that raised eyebrows. They called themselves the Church of the Nazarene. Why? Because in the first century, “Nazarene” was basically an insult. It meant you were from the wrong side of the tracks. It was a nod to Nathanael’s famous skeptical question in John 1:46: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Their answer was a resounding yes. They wanted a church that mirrored Jesus: holy, radical, deeply invested in the poor, and completely dependent on the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. 

What started as a scattering of small, regional holiness groups fusing together in 1908 has exploded into something truly historic. Today, the Church of the Nazarene has grown into one of the largest bodies in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, with approximately 2,764,205 members, worshipping across 29,424 local congregations worldwide.

Across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, North America, and beyond, Nazarene churches continue planting congregations, discipling new believers, investing in children and youth, responding to disasters, educating future leaders, and proclaiming the hope of Christ in communities that desperately need good news. Their 2025 annual report also celebrated a record number of conversions for the second year in a row, a beautiful reminder that God is still drawing people to Himself around the world.

As Methodists and Wesleyans, we share more than history. We share a passion for scriptural holiness, evangelism, discipleship, and God’s mission to the world. Let’s intentionally lift up our Nazarene brothers and sisters in prayer.

A Prayer for the Church of the Nazarene

Lord God, we thank You for the Church of the Nazarene. We ask for Your continued outpouring of grace on their local churches. We pray for the hundreds of thousands who came to know Christ this past year that their new faith would take deep root. Protect their pastors, empower their lay leaders, and fuel their global evangelism efforts. Continue to raise up laborers for the harvest in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and every place where this family is growing, and where they face persecution or economic hardship, provide supernatural breakthrough. May every church become a beacon of hope, every believer a faithful witness, and every community they serve experience Your transforming grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.