A look at the heritage of our story

Wesley’s preaching and organizational skills helped to create a mass movement of religious revival that transformed many people’s lives and had a significant impact on English society through personal devotion to God, spiritual growth, and social responsibility to care for others. Wesley and his followers established schools, hospitals, and orphanages. They also advocated for prison reform and the abolition of slavery, recognizing that these violated the principles of human dignity and equality. How would you like to see the church involved in making a difference in our community?

Wesley also wrote extensively, producing hymns, sermons, theological works, and personal journals that are still widely read and studied today, helping to shape the development of Protestant theology and spirituality.

John Wesley is considered to be the Father of the Lay Ministry Movement because he believed that all Christians are called to participate in the ministry of the Church, not just ordained clergy. This means you! Wesley’s emphasis on lay ministry was a radical departure from the traditional understanding of the clergy as the sole mediators of God’s grace and the primary leaders of the church. He encouraged laypeople to take an active role in preaching, teaching, and evangelism, and he organized groups called “lay societies” and classes to provide support and training for lay ministers. Wesley believed that this model of lay ministry was not only biblically sound, but also practical and effective in reaching people who might not otherwise be reached by ordained clergy. He also saw it as a way to mobilize the energy and talents of the laity in service to the church and the world.

Why do you think it’s important for people (not just the pastor) to be involved in ministry?

Phineas F. Bresee (1838-1915) served as an evangelist, pastor, and presiding elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) for thirty-seven years. He was called to pastor a congregation outside the MEC in Los Angeles in 1894, Pēniel Mission. But the MEC would not permit Bresee to accept that call while remaining in relationship with their conference. In accepting the call to Los Angeles, Bresee stopped being a minister in the MEC.

A year later in 1895, some of Bresee’s friends rented a store building as a venue for him to preach in association with another pastor “to carry on Christian work, especially
evangelistic and city mission work, and the spreading of the doctrine and experience of Christian holiness.” From the group that gathered there, eighty-six of them united to form the Church of the Nazarene. Note that from the start there was an ecumenical cooperation between two pastors with a joint focus on evangelism, service to the community, and the hallmark doctrine of the Church of the Nazarene, sanctification. These two pastors and the people gathered with them united so closely that they were able to form a church. They chose the name Nazarene from Matthew 2:23, in which Jesus, having grown up in Nazareth, was called a Nazarene.

Who do you know that needs Jesus? Who can you witness to?

Within the first year of organizing the new church, 350 members joined and many visitors to Los Angeles attended and had already begun to spread to other cities both domestic and foreign. Bresee proclaimed a vision that every town and city in North America would include a congregation of Christians who lived and promoted the holy mission of the church. The first church plant was 375 miles north in Berkeley, CA, just three years after the church was first organized. “Thus began the fruition of Dr. Bresee’s vision for spreading the work of holiness from key cities, as centers of holy fire, to outlying districts and hence throughout the nation.” He understood this to be the way of following the example of the apostles. In 1897, congregations were planted in Berkeley, Oakland, Elysian Heights (Los Angeles), and South Pasadena. It became evident that what began as a congregation was becoming a denomination… A year later in 1898, the Nazarene ministers, official members, and other people met for what was called the First Council during which articles of faith and general rules were adopted. These governing articles and rules were collected in a document called a Manual for the Church of the Nazarene.

An annual assembly followed thereafter. By 1900, almost 1,000 members had been received into the Nazarene Church. This nationwide mission soon became global in the 20th century. As of 1900, the position of the Church of the Nazarene on mission held that Jesus had commissioned his followers in all times to go and proclaim the gospel. They understood themselves as ambassadors and worked in full accord with societies who translated God’s Word into foreign languages. In addition to the translation and distribution of God’s Word to people who did not have it, the Church of the Nazarene also emphasized the importance of personal witness, calling the expression of their testimony vitally important.

In light of the Church of the Nazarene’s global mission to make Christlike disciples, how can you in your daily life actively participate in spreading the gospel and sharing your own faith experience, contributing to the broader mission of the Church in the world?