Who we are?
A Nazarene Church in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition. Simply put, we are a people who love Jesus and love others as Christ Jesus did. Christlikeness is what we teach and strive for in individual lives as well as the life of this community of believers. Our mission follows that of the Nazarene denomination of making Christlike disciples in the nations. We believe that Jesus taught and led by example, and it is the example we attempt to teach and preach and live out here in our community that it may spread throughout the world. We welcome all and love all just as Christ does. (1 John 3:16, NIV)
We have been a part of the Warrensburg community for nearly 60 years. We think this is an awesome place to live and raise children and grandchildren. The university (UCM) and the base (WAFB) bring so much flavor and adventure to all of Johnson County. If you desire to know what is the essence of Life Nazarene Church in general, the following three areas of explanation will give you the basic foundations of what you need to know...
We are “Christian!” We are “Evangelical!” and We are "Wesleyan!"
We are Christian
We are a group of down-to-earth people, endeavoring to follow Jesus. Some of us are beginners at this. Some are contemplating that decision. Some have given their entire lives to discovering what it means to live His kind of life in today’s world. Jesus Christ’s life, death, resurrection and ascension is the centerpiece of our faith. Following Jesus is a journey of self-sacrificing, others-center, unconditional love. To love as Jesus did is to love all; our neighbors and our enemies. We admit this is neither easy nor natural. But with the power of the Holy Spirit living in us each day, we can grow to be a faithful presence in our part of life here in the Mid-west.
We are Evangelical
We believe Jesus gave His followers a mission to go into all the world and make disciples. We take this mission seriously. We have a simple 5-word mission statement for our church. It is “INVITING OTHERS TO FOLLOW JESUS.” The good news of the gospel is an invitation to fashion one’s life on a completely different set of values than what is portrayed in our world today. We find this to be a fascinating invitation and want to get the word out to as many people as possible. Our tribe or denomination is in 163 world areas with churches, schools, clinics and hospitals. We are both grateful and supportive of this evangelical emphasis.
We are Wesleyan
Our theological roots go back to the protestant reformation but our branch is significantly unique. We have been labeled as the “theology of grace.” In other words, we believe the primary motivation of God creating, sustaining and redeeming humanity is LOVE. As Wesleyans, we believe that God’s love is why He desires to work in two beautiful ways in our lives; 1) To show us His love and forgiveness of sin through Jesus, and 2) To set us free from the power of sin, that we might love the world like He does. According to our specific theology, God’s first work in us is called “initial salvation.” His second work in us is called “full-salvation.” The evidence of this first work in us is believer baptism. The evidence of this second work in us is the fullness of the Holy Spirit as expressed in love for all.
What we Believe
To see the 16 Articles of Faith of the International Church of the Nazarene, click on this link:
