Month: June 2024

Should the Church of the Nazarene and the Global Methodist Church merge?

On By Rob Prince12 Comments

The United Methodist (UM) church is in the process of splitting. The largest number who have left the UM are those who have formed the Global Methodist (GM) Church. The main “dividing line” between the UM and GM is that the GM holds to a traditional view of marriage, like the Church of the Nazarene (CotN). In fact, many statements made about the new Global Methodist church could end with the phrase “like the Church of the Nazarene.” So the question becomes, if the Global Methodists and the Nazarenes are so much alike, should these two groups seek to merge into one bigger, stronger denomination?

The Global Methodists are still forming as not every church disaffiliating with the UM has done so. As such, the membership numbers are a little difficult to pin down. There are approximately, 4500+ GM churches and 4,417 CotN churches in the United States. When the dust has settled the CotN might not be able to claim to the be the “largest holiness church.” The GM may have those bragging rights (in a sanctified manner, of course) in the United States, at least.

The GM has some groups from outside the United States, the CotN is in 164 world areas. Globally, the CotN is positioned to welcome the GM churches and give structure, guidance to a  truly a worldwide mission effort.  

The educational institutions were a sticking point in the some of the merger discussions with the Wesleyan Church/Church of the Nazarene in years past. The close proximity between colleges raised questions of viability and sustainability. That would not be an issue with a GM/CotN merger. The GM has a few “recommended” colleges but none that are specifically “GM” universities. Again, the CotN has eight universities in the United States and Canada and over 50 educational institutions around the world. Instantly the GM would have colleges of its own and education points around the world.

Historically, the Church of the Nazarene is a church of mergers. Part of its DNA has been to find like-minded holiness people and come together for greater affectedness in reaching the world for Jesus. A GM/CotN merger would provide the greatest application of this mindset in its history. Instantly, the new church would have influence and a greater awareness across the United States and world.

The new church, a Nazarene/Methodist Church, would provide a freshness to the CotN that has been lacking in these challenging times. A Pilot-Point-like excitement could develop with new brothers and sisters coming together. With more voting delegates, it would eliminate the “good old boy” network of familiarity and nepotism that at times has plagued the CotN. Leaders from both groups, would rise to the top forging a fresh glory for a global outreach. It would provide more preaching points and greater opportunity for evangelism. A united holiness effort could infuse a Holy Spirit empowered energy and be exactly what is needed today.

Certainly there are obstacles to a Global Methodist/Nazarene merger. But what better time to discuss such a move than before the Global Methodists church is fully established and when the Church of the Nazarene could use a renewed vision. This might be the best time to form a new, united holiness church called to make Christ-like  disciples in the nations. 

Is it too late for Revival in the Church of the Nazarene (USA/Canada)?  

On By Rob Prince6 Comments

There is no question on the necessity of the church to be revived. A quick look at the numbers reveal that in-person attendance is plummeting. Churches are closing. New churches are not being started. Young people are not being called to pastoral ministries. The clergy along with the people in the pews are aging. The writing is on the wall. It’s only a matter of time before the funeral processional begins. Something needs to happen (read: REVIVAL) or the Church of the Nazarene will die!* But is it too late for her to turn around?

Luke writes of the revival following Pentecost. It can happen. The church was adding people every day (Acts 2:47). In a short period of time, the number of believing men grew to 5,000 (Acts 4:4). In spite of opposition from within (Ananias and Sapphira) and pressure on the outside, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number” (Acts 5:14). Revival was happening. It was the work of the Holy Spirit and the believers were in “one heart and one mind” (Acts 4:32). 

The Holy Spirit is still at work, but would anyone declare the Church of the Nazarene to be in “one heart and mind”? The church seems to be more divided than ever. There’s too much “us vs. them.” There are too many labels. There are too many sub-groups and factions. Social media loudly clamors for attention on all sides. There are too many separate entities fighting for their corner of the table. The U.S.S. Nazarene is sinking, does it matter who is sitting at the captain’s table?

It’s never too late for the Holy Spirit to right the ship. But it sure seems like the window of revival is closing for the Church of the Nazarene. There are those who say, “Let her die.” I’m not one of them. She can be revived. There is resurrection hope. 

The answer seems simple to write, but hard to obtain. Quit fighting. Quit dividing. Quit weaponizing social media. Quit demonizing those with a slightly different theological bent. Quit. Just quit. This is not a call that one side or the other needs to quit, every side must quit the chatter. Jesus highly priestly prayer calls all believers to be unified (see John 17:20-21). Can’t the church live into that prayer? Can the church be on one heart and mind?

Is it too late for revival? It’s never too late. The church willing to humbly settle its differences in an age of division and angst? Are its members willing to pray along with Jesus to be one? That’s the question. 

If it is too late for a revived Church of the Nazarene, don’t mourn too long. God will rise up new groups like in the late 1800’s when the Church of the Nazarene or the Holiness Church of Christ or the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America started. These new groups will do what the current version of the Church of the Nazarene is not always doing. A united people who will proclaim holiness of heart and life and offer good news to the least of these. God isn’t impressed with brand names. If the current version of Church of the Nazarene isn’t cutting it, God will raise up a church who will. 

Is it too late? No. But it is getting late…

*Obviously, there are exceptions. There are good churches doing good things. I am super biased but I think Flint Central Church is such an exception.

Imagining if my dad had not been Born Again

On By Rob PrinceLeave a comment

Like George Bailey, Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s a Wonderful Life, so much would be different if my dad had not been BORN AGAIN.

When my dad stumbled into a tiny Nazarene church 64 years ago and subsequently met Jesus, he was a high school dropout, auto-working, alcoholic and with three kids and a wife who wanted a divorce.

How would the world be different had my dad not met Jesus? Where do I begin?

  • My parents would have been divorced.
  • I never would have been born.
  • Karla would be married probably to some rich tycoon that she met when working in the airlines (she might have been richer, but not happier).
  • No Alex. No Ben. No Conrad.
  • None of the people that I have met and helped as a pastor would be at the same place. Jesus would have sent someone to those folks (He is faithful) but it would have been different.
  • Would my sisters have been as successful as they were? Probably not. They certainly wouldn’t have met their spouses. Pam met Lloyd in church. Beth met Jon at Olivet.
  • My brother, most certainly, would not have become a preacher; not met his wife, Teri, they met at Olivet too; and not have helped all the people he was able to aid throughout his ministry and life.
  • Same is true for all of my parents’ grandkids from my siblings (all went to Olivet).
  • Probably my dad would have died young because of his alcoholism—like his parents and grandparents and great grandparents before him.
  • My mom, with just a high school diploma and three little kids, would have had a difficult life as a single mom. She too didn’t know Jesus at the time, who knows what kind of career or job she might have been able to get.
  • We all know the tragedies of the unhealthy mix of poverty, fatherless homes, and alcoholism. My family would probably have landed square in the middle of that whole statistical mess.

It’s hard to imagine all that would be different had my dad not made the best decision of his life to follow Jesus after visiting that little Nazarene church.

As we recognize dads this weekend, I can’t help but appreciate the Holy Spirit’s prevenient grace extended to my dad that led him to a church on a Sunday night 64 years ago. I’m thankful that he looked at his life and knew changes needed to be made. I’m so glad for the prayer he mumbled out by his bedside that night (Remember: the power of prayer is in the One who hears the prayer, not the one who prays the prayer). I’m so incredibly thankful that Jesus saved my dad! Without that happening so many lives would be different today.

Dads, your decisions make a difference. They affect more than you. Like my dad so long ago, make godly, faithful choices. You will not regret it! Neither will your kids!

Happy Father’s Day!

The Toughest Job in the Church of the Nazarene is NOT General Superintendent

On By Rob Prince4 Comments

The toughest job in the Church of the Nazarene is NOT General Superintendent. It’s not regional director, district superintendent or pastoring a large church. By far the most difficult job is university (or college… I’m looking at you in Quincy, MA) president. The difficulty lies in the fact that so many groups think they have a right to tell the president how to do the job. The list is long: faculty, students, staff, board of trustees, parents, general superintendents, the accrediting associations, the government, athletic governing bodies, local church pastors, fringe Nazarene groups like The Holiness Partnership and Nazarene’s for Peace, and a multitude of groups from outside the Church of the Nazarene. Everybody believes they have a right to the university president’s ear.

These vested voices are coupled with the burden of educating a student body who endured the pandemic, deals with social media pressures and life in these turbulent times. Ask any college (not just Nazarene) and they will tell you that their mental health services are being used at an all time high. Students feel the weight and pressure of college life like never before. Along with such realities come the societal stress aftermath (drugs, alcohol, depression, suicide) that offer the opposite of help. The college presidents’ job is much more complicated than simply educating young adults.  

Moreover the colleges are becoming less and less “Nazarene.” One school’s Nazarene student body population is 7%. It’s hard to maintain Nazarene identity when less and less students know anything about the Church of the Nazarene. (Olivet’s attempt to address this issue by offering a free four year tuition to the NYC senior class participants was well received by students and their families, not so well received by the other colleges. The “Olivet Way” was seen as pushing the other colleges out of the way). 

Of course, the other main issue (maybe the biggest issue) pressing on college presidents is money. It’s expensive to maintain a Christian university these days. There are less traditional college-age people in the population. Less students are attending college Less tuition means less money, yet inflation doesn’t stop. The pressure of keeping everything afloat is enormous. A Christianity Today article from 2023 stated that 18 Christian colleges closed since the pandemic. You can read the article here. A few more are on the brink of closing (including a Nazarene school? Who knows). The economics of a Christian university is challenging. 

Added to all of this the Church of the Nazarene is currently going through a shakeup in its university presidents. Olivet’s president began in 2021, Ambrose, Mount Vernon and Eastern installed new presidents in the past year; Point Loma is in the process of electing a new president; Northwest’s president has announced he will retire next year. MidAmerica and Trevecca both have presidents who are in their 70’s and will likely retire in the next few years. This change in leadership may not be bad. It will be different for each campus. Bringing in the right person is paramount for the school (obviously) but also for the denomination. 

All this to say, we need to be in prayer for the universities and their presidents. Christian higher education leadership is the toughest job in the Church of the Nazarene. The second toughest job is youth pastor (that’s a blog for another day).

College and Seminary President Prayer List:
Ambrose University— Rev. Dr. Bryce Ashlin-Mayo 
Eastern Nazarene College – Rev. Dr. Colleen Derr
MidAmerica Nazarene University—Dr. David Spittal
Mount Vernon Nazarene University—Dr. Carson D. Castleman
Olivet Nazarene University—Rev. Dr. Gregg Chenoweth
Northwest Nazarene University—Dr. Joel K. Pearsall
Point Loma Nazarene University– TBD
Southern Nazarene University– Rev. Dr. Keith Newman
Trevecca Nazarene University—Rev. Dr. Dan Boone
Nazarene Bible College—Rev. Dr. Scott Sherwood
Nazarene Theological Seminary—Rev. Dr. Jeren Rowell

What if Pastors (including DSs) were Compensated Equally?

On By Rob Prince4 Comments

Could Acts 4:32-34 be applied to the way we operate our churches today? The plural use of “churches” is intentional because this passage and the one in 2 Corinthians is often applied to a “church” (singular). But what if the verse was applied to multiple churches on an entire Nazarene district or (or if I were really radical) across denominational lines.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. (Acts 4:32-34)

The Macedonian churches were applying the activity of Acts 4 way beyond their local setting. Paul wrote how the Macedonians responded to the financial crisis of the Jerusalem church: In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own,they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people (2 Corinthians 8:2-4). 

Have you seen any churches (not those in “extreme poverty” like the Macedonians, but any church, anywhere) welling up with rich generosity, not for their own wants and desires but, for a church down the road? Have you seen them giving “beyond their ability” to give to bless another church? Have you seen any church “pleading… for the privilege” to give to another church? Raising money not so that local church could build a nicer sanctuary, but raising monies so the church down the road could keep their sanctuary doors open or provide a living wage for its pastor. 

Radical Idea Alert: What if churches across a district or region pooled their monies and every pastor was compensated equally. What if we compensated faithfulness or years of service or academic achievement. What if size didn’t matter. While we are at it, what if District Superintendents were included in the same salary pool. They were likewise compensated on years of faithful service just like every other pastor on the district. No more. No less. 

Back-to-reality Alert: Who’s kidding who? In the first century preachers were not getting paid (don’t tell Karla) and there were no church mortgages or sound systems or denominations or… well… you get the idea. We all agree there are differences between the 1st and the 21st century. But what if we shared a little more than we do? Collaborated a little better. Prayed together more often. What if churches and pastors acted more like teammates rather than competitors. What if instead of becoming territorial if another church is planted in one’s area, we rejoiced. What if some churches had food pantries and other churches in the same area distributed baby supplies or helped out with utility bills. 

What if churches shared people resources too. What if musicians or singers or masons and carpenters would freely work at churches other than their own. What if pastors in stronger churches were willing to step in and help in creative ways with struggling churches. What if church folks stopped being/thinking like the rest of the world with a “me first,” “my family first,” “my church first,” or “my country first” selfish mindset and instead had a kingdom mindset of rich generosity to all. 

Maybe the New Testament church got some things right (minus the hot mess known as “Corinth First Church”). Maybe, just maybe, if churches today were blessing others, like the church in Acts 4 or the Macedonian churches, God’s grace would powerfully be at work in all our churches.