The Holiness movement involves a set of beliefs and practices which emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism and Anabaptism. The movement is Wesleyan-Arminian in theology, and is defined by its emphasis on the doctrine of a second work of grace leading to Christian perfection. As of 2015 A number of Evangelical Christian denominations, parachurch organizations, and movements emphasize those beliefs as central doctrine. Holiness-movement churches had an estimated 12 million adherents.
Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a Nazarene liberal arts university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location, Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930s, it moved to the campus in Bourbonnais. The university is affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene and is the annual site of the church's Regional Celebrate Life youth gathering for the Central USA Region. It is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.
Trevecca Nazarene University (TNU) is a private Christian liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1901.
The Eastern Nazarene College (ENC) is a private, Christian college in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is known for its liberal arts core curriculum and its science and religion education. Its academic programs are primarily undergraduate, with some professional graduate education offered.
Southern Nazarene University (SNU) is a private Nazarene liberal arts college in Bethany, Oklahoma.
Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current location in 1950. The seminary offers Master's degrees in Divinity, Christian Education, Intercultural Studies, and Theological Studies as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree and non-degree programs.
Phineas F. Bresee was the primary founder of the Church of the Nazarene, and founding president of Point Loma Nazarene University.
John William Middendorf II is a former Republican United States diplomat and Secretary of the Navy.
Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multidisciplinary studies who teaches at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books and hundreds of articles. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open theism, postmodernism, the relationship between religion and science, Wesleyan, Holiness, Nazarene, and evangelical theology. He is regarded by many as the leading theologian of love at work today.
The Nazarene International Education Association (NIEA) is a part of the Church of the Nazarene. The Church of the Nazarene owns and operates 11 liberal arts institutions in Africa, Canada, Korea, and the United States, as well as 3 graduate seminaries, 37 undergraduate Bible/theological colleges, 3 nurses training colleges, 1 junior college, and 1 education college worldwide. At least in terms of the American institutions, the Church of the Nazarene seems to have changed its original official philosophy of abandoning academies, bible colleges, and universities to focus on liberal arts colleges, as 7 of the 8 "liberal arts colleges" call themselves universities, and there is now a bible college in Colorado Springs. The early-twentieth-century philosophy, as expressed by J.B. Chapman:
It was originally the plan to call every school we started a “university” ... It was our ultimate aim to have universities and our schools were named according to our vision of future developments. But I am, personally, convinced that we should definitely abandon the idea of building any universities, that we should drop these names from our schools... [Moreover,] it is my conclusion that we ... cannot permanently maintain academies and they do not meet our need, that a special Bible school does not meet our needs and that we should express ourselves on this conviction.... That the College, with the necessary fitting school and Bible department[,] is the school that we need and will build."
Jerry D. Porter is a minister and general superintendent emeritus in the Church of the Nazarene.
Gideon Williamson (1898-1981) was a minister, president of Eastern Nazarene College (1936–1944), general president of the Nazarene Young People's Society (1932–1940), and general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene (1946–1968).
Jim L. Bond is a minister and emeritus general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene. He was elected at the 24th General Assembly in San Antonio, Texas, in June 1997 and served until retirement in July 2005.
William J. Prince was a minister, college president, and emeritus general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene.
Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) is a graduate-level theological institution located near Metro Manila in the Philippines. APNTS is a seminary in the Wesleyan theological tradition and affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene through its Division of World Mission. Its mission is to prepare "men and women for Christ-like leadership and excellence in ministries." Its institutional vision is: "Bridging cultures for Christ, APNTS equips each new generation of leaders to disseminate the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Asia, the Pacific, and the world.
Nazarene Publishing House (NPH), the publishing arm of the Church of the Nazarene, is the world's largest publisher of Wesleyan-Holiness literature. NPH was located on Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1912 until its move in February 2016. At the peak of its printing capabilities, NPH printed more than 25 million pieces of literature each year, and processed more than 250,000 orders each year from more than 11,000 churches from many denominations. As the publishing industry began to change with the onset of digital distribution, NPH began to scale itself accordingly. In early 2016, NPH moved its administrative offices from the Troost facility to a location a short distance away, while maintaining ownership of the printing facility at its original location on Troost. They also obtained a new President Mark Brown.
Nazarene Missionaries are missionaries trained and supported by the Church of the Nazarene. There are currently 737 missionaries. Missionaries are sent around the world as a means for evangelism and church development. The Nazarene missionary is a member of the clergy or a layperson who has been appointed by the General Board to work a ministerial position through the World Mission Department/Evangelism Committee or through the USA/Canada Mission/Evangelism Committee.
The history of the Church of the Nazarene has been divided into seven overlapping periods by the staff of the Nazarene archives in Lenexa, Kansas: (1) Parent Denominations (1887–1907); (2) Consolidation (1896–1915); (3) Search for Solid Foundations (1911–1928); (4) Persistence Amid Adversity (1928–1945); (5) Mid-Century Crusade for Souls (1945–1960); (6) Toward the Post-War Evangelical Mainstream (1960–1980); and (7) Internationalization.
David Busic is an ordained minister and 40th general superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene, the denomination's highest elected office. He was elected on June 25, 2013, at the 28th General Assembly and Conventions in Indianapolis, Indiana.
