The International Church of the Nazarene was organized October 8, 1908, in Pilot Point, Texas. The church's International Center is located in Kansas City Missouri.

The Nazarene International Centre provides support services to more than 1.4 million members worshipping in more than 12,700 churches in the United States, Canada, and 153 other world areas. Services include maintaining ministerial credentials and church records, coordinating the support and sending of missionaries, developing Sunday School and discipleship curriculum, providing retirement support programs for pastors, encouraging the starting of new churches, developing satellite, Internet, and radio programs for outreach and education to all parts of the globe, and much more.

The Nazarene Future
The mission of the denomination is "To Make Christlike Disciples in the Nations." This mission statement expresses the pressing desire of the denomination to share the good news that Jesus Christ is the source of hope for our lives. This is also a call to live our lives fully committed to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

Education
Nazarenes support 11 liberal arts institutions in the United States, Canada, and Africa, as well as 2 graduate seminaries and 41 undergraduate Bible/theological colleges worldwide. The church operates 2 hospitals, 63 medical clinics, 2 nurses training colleges, 1 junior college, and more than 430 primary and secondary schools, serving 69,000 children, outside the United States and Canada.

World Outreach
Nazarenes are passionate about making a difference in the world by taking the good news of Jesus Christ to people everywhere. Today there are 794 missionaries and volunteers serving around the world. Each week, Nazarenes worship in more than 212 languages or tribal languages, with literature produced in 90 of these. The church operates 64 medical clinics and hospitals worldwide. This missionary enterprise is made possible by the contributions of the global Nazarene family. Nazarenes also engage in starting new churches and congregations by praying, giving, and supporting worldwide volunteers and contracted missionaries.

Theology
The Church of the Nazarene is the largest denomination in the Wesleyan-Armenian theological tradition. The doctrine that distinguishes the Church of the Nazarene and other Wesleyan denominations from most other Christian denominations is that of entire sanctification. Nazarenes believe that God calls Christians to a life of holy living that is marked by an act of God, cleansing the heart from original sin and filling the individual with love for God and humankind. This experience is marked by entire consecration of the believer to do God's will and is followed by a life of seeking to serve God through service to others. Like salvation, entire sanctification is an act of God's grace, not of works. Our pursuant service to God is an act of love whereby we show our appreciation for the grace that has been extended to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Government
The government of the Church of the Nazarene is a combination of episcopacy and congregationalism. Six elected representatives serve on the Board of General Superintendents. This board is charged with the responsibility of administering the worldwide work of the Church of the Nazarene. They also serve as the interpreters of the denomination's book of polity, the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene.

The General Assembly of the church serves as the supreme doctrine-formulating, lawmaking, and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene, subject to the provisions of the church constitution. Comprised of elected representatives from all of the denomination's regular districts, the General Assembly meets quadrennially.

Besides the responsibilities listed above, the General Assembly elects the members of the Board of General Superintendents. It also considers legislative proposals from the church's 433 districts. Topics under consideration may range from the method of calling a pastor to bioethics.

The General Assembly also elects representatives to the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene. The General Board carries out the corporate business of the denomination.

A Tradition of Service
Nazarenes are a compassionate people. We believe in serving others! This is expressed locally through the services of members to their communities. Contributions from Nazarenes make possible the administration of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries in the U.S. and around the world. This ministry provides assistance to persons in communities hard hit by disaster or famine. In recent years, Nazarenes have been instrumental in assisting hurting people in every part of the globe. From war and famine relief in Rwanda and Zaire, to health care training in India, to serving orphaned children in Guatemala, to rebuilding homes and churches in the Ohio River Valley-Nazarenes are there through more than 245 full-time compassionate ministry centres and various other special projects.

The worldwide network of Nazarene churches makes it possible for the denomination to serve as a conduit of assistance to hurting nations. Nazarenes provide money for food, medical supplies, clothing, and other items to persons in a number of countries where there are pressing needs. In addition, the denomination's missionary infrastructure is often used by World Relief and similar agencies when they need assistance in getting supplies to people of countries in remote or troubled areas.

Nazarenes also offer their time and services on volunteer Work and Witness teams and Youth In Mission teams to build churches, schools, clinics, and to reach others for Christ.

The Church of the Nazarene reaches out to persons around the globe through the power of technology. Through the Internet, radio broadcasts in 33 languages, and video and printed materials in 95 languages, we share the message of hope in Jesus Christ and educate constituents and interested parties about people, programs, news, and events of interest in the life of the church.

Quick Facts About the Church of the Nazarene
* Current Membership Worldwide: 2,150,883
* Number of organized churches: 20,041
* Number of districts: 455
* Ordained elders: 16,560
* NMI (Nazarene Missions International) membership: 1,024,206
* NYI (Nazarene Youth International) membership: 423,924
* Total giving for all purposes: $858,000,357

All figures based on 2012 statistics