We seek the simplicity and power of the primitive New Testament church. The field of labor to which we feel called is the neglected quarters of the cities and wherever else may be found waste places and souls seeking pardon and cleansing from sin. This work we aim to do through the agency of city missions, evangelistic services, house to house visitation, caring for the poor, comforting the dying. To this end we strive personally to walk with God and invite others so to do.  (Meeting of The First Church of the Nazarene Los Angeles, Oct 30, 1895)

 

Nazarene Core Values

WE ARE A CHRISTIAN PEOPLE

Unity

We area Christ-centered community of faith united with all believers in proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We are committed to the unity of the faith, reconciliation, and the universal (catholic) nature of the Church.

Grace

We believe that God loves all people and through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit offers forgiveness of sins, restored relationship with God and reconciliation with one another. “But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:5 NIV)

Scripture

We believe the Bible, the inspired Word of God, to the primary witness to these divine truths. We believe in the full inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. We believe the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments inerrantly reveal the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation.

Orthodoxy

We are committed to orthodoxy of Christian belief. We stand with Christians everywhere in affirming the historic creeds of the Christians faith and we embrace our heritage in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition.

 

WE ARE A HOLINESS PEOPLE

Love

We believe that God, who is holy, calls to a life of holiness through Jesus Christ. We believe the essence of God’s holiness is love. And, the character of His love is holy. We believe love is the relational hallmark of holiness.

Cleansing

We believe in the cleansing, purifying work of God’s grace. As the “image of God” (Col. 1:15), Jesus came to renew God’s image in us, enabling us to become holy people. This renewal begins with conversion, progresses to a definite experience of entire sanctification, and continues throughout our maturing Christian life. The Holy Spirit convicts, cleanses, fills and transforms us, empowering us to love God with all our being, and our neighbors as ourselves.

Empowering

We believe in the filling, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to love God with our entire being and our neighbor as ourselves. By the in-dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, we are assured of our relationship with God and with the church, the Body of Christ.

Christlikeness

God’s desire for us is that we might be like Christ. To his end we commit ourselves fully and completely to God, believing that we can be “transformed in His likeness with ever-increasing glory.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

We believe the journey toward Christlikeness begins with our repentance and confession of sin, and our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior.

 

WE ARE A MISSIONAL PEOPLE

As a Christians, holiness people, we embrace the mission of God in the world. Through God’s grace, responding to Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, our Christian mission calls us to 1)worship 2) witness, and 3) and discipleship, as we extend God’s mission to our world.

Our Mission of Worship

We exist to bring glory to God.

The mission of the church begins in the adoration of God and the confession of Jesus Christ as Lord who redeems us in grace and mercy.

As the Body of Christ we gather before God, we hear the Word proclaimed, we participate in the sacraments, and we respond in gratitude, obedience and service. Through this divine encounter, the Holy Spirit continually transforms us into the likeness of Christ so that we may reflect the glory of God to the world.

Our Mission of Witness – Evangelism, Compassion and Justice

Embracing the mission of God in the world, we proclaim in word and deed the gospel of Jesus Christ. As people who are consecrated to God, we share God’s love for the lost and compassion for the poor and broken. The Great Commandment and the Great Commission move us to engage in the world of evangelism, compassion and justice. To this end we are committed to inviting people to faith in Christ, 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 welcoming into our fellowship all who seek the Lord.

 

Our Mission of Discipleship

To be Christian is to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus in everyday life. We are committed to becoming and making disciples who express their obedience to Jesus Christ in everyday life of the local church.

It is God’s desire for all disciples to grow in Christ-likeness. Therefore, we are committed to providing the means through which Christian disciples might grow together into communities marked by obedience to God and faithful witnesses

Our commitment to Christian maturity leads us to nurture Christian disciples and to teach them to love God with their heart, soul and mind and their neighbor as themselves. Through our seminaries and Bible colleges, university and colleges, schools and ministry training centers and publishing endeavors we aim to develop and shape servant leaders who will serve Christ through the church in the world.