NER: Anyone know about church of Nazarens? (long)

TCsbride · July 2009

This is probably totally off topic for this board, but nothing else really fits either and I consider you all my "friends."

Anyway, I grew up Catholic, but only went to church 2 times a year (you know C&E) and went to CCD, but that was it. I never really got more than the basics, but overall try to be a good person. Haven't been to church in at least 10 years.

DH grew up with no church whatsoever, but his parents just told him being a good person is good enough. He's come across some "bad" church people through the years and the whole church thing just gives him a bad taste (he either thinks that church people are the worst sinners of all and that is why they are there or he thinks they are cults or out to make money).

We tried a non-denominal church by us that I liked, but it was just too big. We got lost in the crowd and all they wanted was more money to build their new church. So we haven't been in about 3 years.

We don't have a lot of friends anymore.....and DH doesn't really have any place where he can meet good guy friends. So I'm now looking at churches in the area. I know I don't like any of the catholic churches, and the only non-denominal one I know is pretty big too, so I feel like we'll get lost in the crowd again.

Long story short, I found a seller on Etsy today that lives in my area. She invited us to attend church with them sometime if we would like. But it's the church of nazarene which I know nothing about. I read their website and "what they believe" and I don't really see how it's any different from just general christianity or even catholisism.

So, just curious if anyone knows. Most of my family is pretty religious (I'm the first generation to not attend catholic schooling) so they freaked out enough when we started going to a non-denomial church. So just want to kind of know the "facts" before they find out we may try out this church. Thanks!

andrealynn0707 · July 2009

I went to a church of the Nazarene a little while in HS. I think it is like most denominations. Less "Catholic" than Lutherans (ie no rules on communion and they don't do it every service). I enjoyed it while I was attending there.

hamilton.ja · July 2009

Don't know much about the Church of Nazarene but it can't hurt to go one and see.

Do you have a specific reason for picking non-denominational or would you be willing to try some other Protestant churches? I always rec. the UCC to people - very open, usually very family friendly congregations with a lot going on, not preachy or anything like that at all. Not sure how popular it is outside of the N.E. though so may be harder to find. Not sure. We have TONS up here and this is the church I was raised in and my mom is an ordained minister.

TCsbride · July 2009

I'm really open to anything, but our beliefs are pretty general.....we believe in the 10 commandments and just to be good people.....pretty general huh?

I just grew up in church HATING to go on Sundays b/c it was so boring. These old men would talk and all I'd hear was blah, blah, blah (think the teacher in Charlie Brown). I hated the songs and I hated going to CCD and actually got kicked out of three churches just because I would act up so I could go home. I ended up going to a Catholic college where I did learn some of the basics, but really I don't know too much about religion except the basics.

But I just feel like I'm being called to find a church. Maybe it's the fact that we can meet nice people, maybe its the fact that we live in such a terrible world that I want our kids to grow up to be good people and this will help, not really sure. It's just sometimes I feel like I need to talk to someone "higher" than me and he'll help me out and I think DH could benefit from having a "friend" to talk to to and something higher to believe in.

But growing up in a religion I hated so much, I don't want to do the same thing for my kids. I want them to have fun at church and I want to have fun. I did really like that aspect of the non-denominal church.....they had a live band that sung I guess it was christian rock songs and they did skits to help you understand the scripture and then they'd challenge you to live that scripture that week. Almost like "dumed it down" for me. And the kids were just running back to sunday school b/c they loved it so much. And they had avticities to join in on at night or on the weekends so you could meet other people.

Just at the time, the church was growing and they didn't have much for young couples without families. So DH and I got ticked off that they kept asking for more and more money when the pastor lived in a $1M home the church provided for him (and we live in a LCOL area). Just rubbed us the wrong way and we left after several months.

triumphantreturnofplanningbug · July 2009

One thing that's huge to me is that individual churches are just that--largely individual. I identify as Methodist, but my church's community focused, social-justice-oriented, all-means-all Methodism is very different from the biblically literalist, individually focused, and anti-gay Methodism of many others who claim the same denomination. So a huge part of finding the right church is finding the right literal building and group of people who attend there.

I looked through the nazarene.org webpage, and a few things stand out that may make it different to places you've attended before (and again, this will totally depend on the group you're experiencing worship with, but they're strong maybes from my pov).

When they say "Church of the Nazarene is also a holiness church. We believe that Christians can experience a deeper level of life in which there is victory over sin, power to witness and serve, and a richer fellowship with God, all through the infilling of the Holy Spirit," there's a (strong) chance this may mean the group believes in and participates in activities like spontaneous worship, speaking in tongues, literal healing by laying on of hands, etc. No guarantee, but when I've attended places that call themselves "holiness churches," those activities have been present.

The way they phrase their statements of belief makes me think they lean toward a literal reading of scripture, and probably hold to the idea that God is not male, but should be referred to as male because of things like authority, tradition, etc. It also seems likely that there would be a focus on some form of being "born again," and that this is a decision church members would likely see as a requisite part of salvation.

Really, though, I'd just go. It's a few hours for service, and the possibility of a conversation that's either fabulous or really uncomfortable, but also the chance that you'll find somewhere that fits Good luck!

TCsbride · July 2009

Okay, not gonna lie or not trying to be mean, but yeah, DH will probably burt out laughing if he sees people start standing up and yelling out loud and things like that. Maybe I should point blank ask this lady if they do that. I'd know right off the bat that we wouldn't feel comfortable at a place like that.

I just keep thinking that this next time we "try" it out, it needs to be a good fit or DH might give up. He's kind of just "going along for the ride" at this point and doing it for me. He's really against organized religion at this point. But maybe I'll go the first time just to see....

triumphantreturnofplanningbug:

One thing that's huge to me is that individual churches are just that--largely individual. I identify as Methodist, but my church's community focused, social-justice-oriented, all-means-all Methodism is very different from the biblically literalist, individually focused, and anti-gay Methodism of many others who claim the same denomination. So a huge part of finding the right church is finding the right literal building and group of people who attend there.

I looked through the nazarene.org webpage, and a few things stand out that may make it different to places you've attended before (and again, this will totally depend on the group you're experiencing worship with, but they're strong maybes from my pov).

When they say "Church of the Nazarene is also a holiness church. We believe that Christians can experience a deeper level of life in which there is victory over sin, power to witness and serve, and a richer fellowship with God, all through the infilling of the Holy Spirit," there's a (strong) chance this may mean the group believes in and participates in activities like spontaneous worship, speaking in tongues, literal healing by laying on of hands, etc. No guarantee, but when I've attended places that call themselves "holiness churches," those activities have been present.

The way they phrase their statements of belief makes me think they lean toward a literal reading of scripture, and probably hold to the idea that God is not male, but should be referred to as male because of things like authority, tradition, etc. It also seems likely that there would be a focus on some form of being "born again," and that this is a decision church members would likely see as a requisite part of salvation.

Really, though, I'd just go. It's a few hours for service, and the possibility of a conversation that's either fabulous or really uncomfortable, but also the chance that you'll find somewhere that fits Good luck!

OneSimpleMom · July 2009

triumphantreturnofplanningbug:
So a huge part of finding the right church is finding the right literal building and group of people who attend there.

I could not agree with this more. It's hard to get a feel for a church from a website, even though it can give you a general idea of their beliefs. A church is made up of the people who go there and the people who are in leadership. This may or may not match up with stereotypes or even official statements from the denomination itself.

andrealynn0707 · July 2009

triumphantreturnofplanningbug:

When they say "Church of the Nazarene is also a holiness church. We believe that Christians can experience a deeper level of life in which there is victory over sin, power to witness and serve, and a richer fellowship with God, all through the infilling of the Holy Spirit," there's a (strong) chance this may mean the group believes in and participates in activities like spontaneous worship, speaking in tongues, literal healing by laying on of hands, etc. No guarantee, but when I've attended places that call themselves "holiness churches," those activities have been present.

There was none of this at the church I went to.

triumphantreturnofplanningbug:

It also seems likely that there would be a focus on some form of being "born again," and that this is a decision church members would likely see as a requisite part of salvation.

This part is definitely true.

Of course, that is based on the one I went to. I have no idea what it would be like elsewhere.

KatiKM · July 2009

TCsbride:

Okay, not gonna lie or not trying to be mean, but yeah, DH will probably burt out laughing if he sees people start standing up and yelling out loud and things like that. Maybe I should point blank ask this lady if they do that. I'd know right off the bat that we wouldn't feel comfortable at a place like that.

I
triumphantreturnofplanningbug:

there's a (strong) chance this may mean the group believes in and participates in activities like spontaneous worship, speaking in tongues, literal healing by laying on of hands, etc. No guarantee, but when I've attended places that call themselves "holiness churches," those activities have been present.

I have attended a Nazarene Church my entire life, including a Nazarene University for part of my college. and these are not things that happen in the ones I have attended. Speaking in tongues is really more of something that is done in a "charasmatic" style church which is a different thing completely.

If you have any questions you can totally message me.

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NER: Anyone know about church of Nazarens? (long)

Re: NER: Anyone know about church of Nazarens? (long)

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