What and Who are the Nazarenes?
First, what and who is the Petoskey Church of the Nazarene?
Petoskey
Church of the Nazarene is a "New
Start" church, reaching out to the greater Petoskey area
in Northwest Michigan and it is very new. So new, that the growing congregation
meets at 10am
Sundays in the music room at Concord Academy, 2468 Atkins Road
on the southeast edge of the village. (See the Directions link on
the home page.) A church building and educational facilities will
come along in due time.
What about the greater Nazarne Church?
Briefly,
the Nazarene Church evolved from the Methodist Church in the earlier years
of the 20th century. As with any offshoot or split, there was a specific
issue that initiated the movement. The issue was "holiness" and still makes
for a lively discussion between Nazarenes and United Methodists who
know their respective church's history.
Below
are Eight Agreed Statements that form the basis of the International Church of
the Nazarene.
These are the beliefs Nazarenes hold to be true. They are common to Christians world–wide: |
||||
1. |
We believe | in one God-the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. | ||
2. |
We believe |
that the Old and New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living. | ||
3. |
We believe | that man is born with a fallen nature, and is, therefore, inclined to evil, and that continually. | ||
4. |
We believe | that the finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost. | ||
5. |
We believe |
that the atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race; and that whosoever repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin. | ||
6. |
We believe | that believers are to be sanctified wholly, subsequent to regeneration, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. | ||
7. |
We believe | that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the new birth, and also to the entire sanctification of believers. | ||
8. |
We believe | that our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place. | ||
For more information about the Nazarene Church, please set your browser to http://www.nazarene.org.