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The mission of the church in the
world begins in worship. It is as we are gathered together before God in
worship -- singing, hearing the public reading of the Bible, giving our
tithes and offerings, praying, hearing the preached Word, baptizing, and
sharing the Lord's Supper -- that we know most clearly what it means to be
the people of God. Our belief that the work of God in the world is
accomplished primarily through worshiping congregations leads us to
understand that our mission includes the receiving of new members into the
fellowship of the church and the organizing of new worshiping congregations.
Worship is the highest expression of our love for God. It
is God-centered adoration honoring the One who in grace and mercy redeems
us. The primary context of worship is the local church where God's people
gather, not in self-centered experience or for self-glorification, but in
self-surrender and self-offering. Worship is the church in loving, obedient
service to God.
Worship is the first privilege and responsibility of
God's people. It is the gathering of the covenant community before God in
proclamation and celebrative response of who He is, what He has done, and
what He promises to do.
The local church in worship is at the core of our
identity. The Church of the Nazarene is essentially local worshiping
congregations, and it is in and through the local congregation that our
mission is fulfilled. The mission of the church finds its meaning and
orientation in worship. It is in the preaching of the Word, the celebration
of the sacraments, the public reading of the Scripture, the singing of the
hymns and choruses, corporate prayer, and the presenting of our tithes and
offerings that we know most clearly what it means to be the people of God.
It is in worship that we understand most clearly what it means to
participate with God in the work of redemption.
Our mission of worship is foundational for our church. As the
Church of the Nazarene is essentially local worshiping
congregations, our mission of worship will include a continued
commitment to the starting of new congregations |
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As people who are consecrated to God, we share His
love for the lost and His compassion for the poor and broken. The Great
Commandment and the Great Commission move us to engage the world in
evangelism, compassion, and justice. To this end we are committed to
inviting people to faith, to caring for those in need, to standing against
injustice and with the oppressed, to working to protect and preserve the
resources of God's creation, and to including in our fellowship all who will
call upon the name of the Lord.
Through its mission in the world, the church demonstrates
the love of God. The story of the Bible is the story of God reconciling the
world to Himself, ultimately through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
The Church is sent into the world to participate with God in this ministry
of love and reconciliation through evangelism, compassion and justice.
Both the Great Commission and the Great Commandment are
central to the understanding of our mission. They are two expressions of a
single mission, two dimensions of one gospel message. Jesus, who directs us
to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind . . . and your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37, 39),
also tells us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).
The mission of the church in the world extends to all
humanity, as all people, being created in the image of God, have ultimate
value. It is our mission to love and value people as they are loved and
valued by God, who seeks to bring them peace, justice, and salvation from
sin through Christ. It is our mission to have compassion upon and to care
for those in need. It is our mission to oppose social systems and policies
that devalue or disempower people.
The mission of the church extends to the whole person.
God has created us as whole persons, and it is our mission to be ministers
of God's love to people as whole persons -- body, soul, and spirit. Our
mission of evangelism, compassion, and justice is a single integrated
mission, engaging people in their physical, emotional, and spiritual need.
The mission of the church in the world extends to all
humanity because Jesus Christ has come into the world to save all who call
upon His name. As the people of God, it is our privilege and responsibility
to share the good news of the gospel with all who will hear. Whether in
public services or in personal one-on-one witnessing, our passion is to
take every opportunity to invite people to faith in Jesus Christ.
The mission of the church in the world extends to all
people because the Holy Spirit, at Pentecost, was poured out on all humanity
(Acts 2). It is our mission to present the gospel of salvation
through Jesus Christ to every person on earth. We are empowered by the Holy
Spirit to go into the world proclaiming the Kingdom and participating with
God in the building of the Church.
It is with a spirit of hope and optimism that we engage
our God-given mission in the world. It is more than an expression of human
concern or human effort. Our mission is a response to God's call. It is our
participation with God in the Kingdom mission of reconciliation. It is the
church's faithful witness to and expression of the love of God in the world
-- in evangelism, compassion, and justice. It is our faith in the ability of
God's grace to transform the lives of people broken by sin and to restore
them in His own image |
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We are committed to being -- and inviting others to
become -- disciples of Jesus. With this in mind, we are committed to
providing the means (Sunday School, Bible studies, small accountability
groups, etc.) through which believers are encouraged to grow in their
understanding of the Christian faith and their relationship with each other
and with God. We understand discipleship to include submitting ourselves to
obeying God and to the disciplines of the faith. We believe we are to help
each other live the holy life through mutual support, Christian fellowship,
and loving accountability. Wesley said, " God has given us to each other to
strengthen each other's hands."
Christian discipleship is a way of life. It is the
process of learning how God would have us live in the world. As we learn to
live in obedience to the Word of God, in submission to the disciplines of
faith, and in accountability to one another, we begin to understand the true
joy of the disciplined life and the Christian meaning of freedom.
Discipleship is not merely human effort, submitting to rules and
regulations. It is the means through which the Holy Spirit gradually brings
us to maturity in Christ. It is through discipleship that we become people
of Christian character. The ultimate goal of discipleship is to be
transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).
By studying and meditating on the Scriptures, Christians
discover fountains of refreshment in every thirsty valley on their
discipleship journey. Invigorated by the washing of the Word, refined by
immersion in the Word, drinking deeply the truths of the Word, the disciples
discover to their happy surprise that they are being "transformed by the
renewing of [their] mind" (Romans 12:2). The Christian way opens
before them like a high and open road. Nerved by God, they proceed on a way
of life that eclipses mere human and cultural values. Refreshed by the
fountain of the Word, disciples give their life away in self-transcending
service.
We affirm the life-giving value of the classic spiritual
disciplines in the training of women and men as disciples of Christ. The
disciplines of prayer and fasting, worship, study, solitude, service, and
simplicity are at the same time natural expressions and intentional
commitments in the life of the believer.
Discipleship requires mutual support and loving
accountability. On our own, few of us will develop the spiritual disciplines
that lead to Christian maturity. We believe that we are to encourage the
mutual support provided through such means as Sunday School classes,
discipleship groups, Bible study groups, prayer meetings accountability
groups, and Christian mentoring as necessary to our spiritual formation and
maturity. Recognizing the role of accountability in the Wesleyan class
meetings encourages us to support its place within the contemporary
Christian congregation. |
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We are committed to Christian education, through which
men and women are equipped for lives of Christian service. In our
seminaries, Bible colleges, colleges, and universities, we are committed to
the pursuit of knowledge, the development of Christian character, and the
the equipping of leaders to accomplish our God-given calling of serving in
the church and in the world.
Christian higher education is a central part of the
mission of the Church of the Nazarene. In the early years of the Church of
the Nazarene, institutions of Christian higher education were organized for
the purpose of preparing men and women of God for leadership and Christian
service in the global spread of the Wesleyan-Holiness revival. Our continued
commitment to Christian higher education through the years has produced a
world-wide network of seminaries, Bible schools, colleges, and universities.
Our mission of Christian higher education comes directly
out of what it means to be God's people. We are to love God with our whole
"heart, soul, and mind." We are therefore to be good stewards in the
development of our minds, our academic resources, and in the application of
our knowledge. In this light, we are committed to the open and honest
pursuit of knowledge and truth coupled with the integrity of our Christian
faith. Christian higher education is an essential arena for the development
of the stewardship of our minds. It is intended to be an arena characterized
by the discussion and discovery of truth and knowledge about God and all of
God's creation.
In Christian higher education faith is not
compartmentalized, but wonderfully integrated with knowledge as faith and
learning are developed together. The whole person is cultivated with every
area of thought and life understood in relationship to the desire and design
of God. Christian character and the equipping of Christian leaders for
service in the church and the world are forged in the context of learning
about God, humanity, and the world. The commitment of Christian higher
education to the formation of the whole person is critical for the
development of Christian men and women for missional leadership in the
church and in the world.
As a redeemed people called to Christlikeness and sent as
agents of God's love in the world, we participate with God in the work of
redeeming humanity. Christian higher education contributes significantly to
our being such a missional people -- offering a broad range of knowledge --
and it is necessary for effective service to God in our various vocations.
Our faithful participation in God's redemptive work requires that we raise
up men and women of God who can take their place as Christian servant
leaders in the church and in the world.
The world in which we are called to serve is becoming
more closely connected and more profoundly complicated each day. As God's
work of redemption advances in present and future generations, our faithful
witness to the Lordship of Christ and effective participation with God in
the building of the church will continue to require a vital commitment to
Christian higher education. |