The Church of the Nazarene believes in the sanctity of
human life and strives to protect against abortion, embryonic
stem cell research, euthanasia, and the withholding of
reasonable medical care to handicapped or elderly.

Induced Abortion. The Church of the Nazarene
affirms the sanctity of human life as established by God the
Creator and believes that such sanctity extends to the child
not yet born. Life is a gift from God. All human life, including
life developing in the womb, is created by God in His image
and is, therefore, to be nurtured, supported, and protected.
From the moment of conception, a child is a human being with
all of the developing characteristics of human life, and this life
is dependent on the mother for its continued development.
Therefore, we believe that human life must be respected
and protected from the moment of conception. We oppose
induced abortion by any means, when used for either personal
convenience or population control. We oppose laws that
allow abortion. Realizing that there are rare, but real medical
conditions wherein the mother or the unborn child, or both,
could not survive the pregnancy, termination of the pregnancy
should only be made after sound medical and Christian
counseling.
Responsible opposition to abortion requires our commitment
to the initiation and support of programs designed to provide
care for mothers and children. The crisis of an unwanted
pregnancy calls for the community of believers (represented
only by those for whom knowledge of the crisis is appropriate)
to provide a context of love, prayer, and counsel. In such
instances, support can take the form of counseling centers,
homes for expectant mothers, and the creation or utilization
of Christian adoption services.
The Church of the Nazarene recognizes that consideration
of abortion as a means of ending an unwanted pregnancy often
occurs because Christian standards of sexual responsibility
have been ignored. Therefore the church calls for persons
to practice the ethic of the New Testament as it bears upon
human sexuality and to deal with the issue of abortion by
placing it within the larger framework of biblical principles
that provide guidance for moral decision making.
(Genesis 2:7, 9:6; Exodus 20:13; 21:12-16, 22-25; Leviticus 18:21; Job 31:15;
Psalms 22:9; 139:3-16; Isaiah 44:2, 24; 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:15, 23-25,
36-45; Acts 17:25; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:16; 7:1ff.; 1 Thessalonians
4:3-6)

The Church of the Nazarene also recognizes that many
have been affected by the tragedy of abortion. Each local
congregation and individual believer is urged to offer the
message of forgiveness by God for each person who has
experienced abortion. Our local congregations are to be
communities of redemption and hope to all who suffer
physical, emotional, and spiritual pain as a result of the willful
termination of a pregnancy.
(Romans 3:22-24; Galatians 6:1)

The Church of the Nazarene views human sexuality as
one expression of the holiness and beauty that God the Creator
intended. Because all humans are beings created in the image
of God, they are of inestimable value and worth. As a result
we believe that human sexuality is meant to include more
than the sensual experience, and is a gift of God designed to
reflect the whole of our physical and relational createdness.
As a holiness people, the Church of the Nazarene affirms
that the human body matters to God. Christians are both
called and enabled by the transforming and sanctifying work
of the Holy Spirit to glorify God in and with our bodies. Our
senses, our sexual appetites, our ability to experience pleasure,
and our desire for connection to another are shaped out of the
very character of God. Our bodies are good, very good.
We affirm belief in a God whose creation is an act of love.
Having experienced God as holy love, we understand the
Trinity to be a unity of love among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Therefore, we are made with a yearning for connection with
others at the core of our being. That yearning is ultimately
fulfilled as we live in covenanted relationship with God, the
creation, and loving one’s neighbor as one’s self. Our creation as
social beings is both good and beautiful. We reflect the image
of God in our capacity to relate and our desire to do so. The
people of God are formed as one in Christ, a rich community
of love and grace.
Within this community, believers are called to live as
faithful members of the body of Christ. Singleness among
the people of God is to be valued and sustained by the rich
fellowship of the church and the communion of the saints. To
live as a single person is to engage, as Jesus did, in the intimacy
of community, surrounded by friends, welcoming and being
welcomed to tables, and expressing faithful witness.
Also within this community, we affirm that some believers
are called to be married. As defined in Genesis, “a man leaves
his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become
one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) The marriage covenant, a reflection
of the covenant between God and the people of God, is one of
exclusive sexual fidelity, unselfish service, and social witness.
A woman and a man publicly devote themselves to one another
as a witness to the way God loves. Marital intimacy is intended
to reflect the union of Christ and the Church, a mystery of
grace. It is also God’s intention that in this sacramental union
the man and woman may experience the joy and pleasure of
sexual intimacy and from this act of intimate love new life may
enter the world and into a covenantal community of care. The
Christ-centered home ought to serve as a primary location for
spiritual formation. The church is to take great care in the
formation of marriage through premarital counseling and
teaching that denotes the sacredness of marriage.
The Scriptural story, however, also includes the sad chapter
of the fracturing of human desire in the Fall, resulting in
behaviors that elevate self-sovereignty, damage and objectify
the other, and darken the path of human desire. As fallen
beings, we have experienced this evil on every level—personal
and corporate. The principalities and powers of a fallen
world have saturated us with lies about our sexuality. Our
desires have been twisted by sin and we are turned inward on
ourselves. We have also contributed to the fracturing of the
creation by our willful choice to violate the love of God and
live on our own terms apart from God.
Our brokenness in the areas of sexuality takes many forms,
some due to our own choosing and some brought into our lives
via a broken world. However, God’s grace is sufficient in our
weaknesses, enough to bring conviction, transformation, and
sanctification in our lives. Therefore, in order to resist adding
to the brokenness of sin and to be able to witness to the beauty
and uniqueness of God’s holy purposes for our bodies, we
believe members of the body of Christ, enabled by the Spirit,
can and should refrain from:
• Unmarried sexual intercourse and other forms of
inappropriate sexual bonding. Because we believe that it
is God’s intention for our sexuality to be lived out in the
covenantal union between one woman and one man, we
believe that these practices often lead to the objectification
of the other in a relationship. In all its forms, it also
potentially harms our ability to enter into the beauty and
holiness of Christian marriage with our whole selves.
• Sexual activity between people of the same sex. Because
we believe that it is God’s intention for our sexuality to
be lived out in the covenantal union between one woman
and one man, we believe the practice of same-sex sexual
intimacy is contrary to God’s will for human sexuality.
While a person’s homosexual or bi-sexual attraction may
have complex and differing origins, and the implication of
this call to sexual purity is costly, we believe the grace of
God is sufficient for such a calling. We recognize the shared
responsibility of the body of Christ to be a welcoming,
forgiving, and loving community where hospitality,
encouragement, transformation, and accountability are
available to all.
• Extra-marital sexual relations. Because we believe this
behavior is a violation of the vows that we made before
God and within the body of Christ, adultery is a selfish
act, a family-destroying choice, and an offense to the God
who has loved us purely and devotedly.
• Divorce. Because marriage is intended to be a life-long
commitment, the fracturing of the covenant of marriage,
whether initiated personally, or by the choice of a spouse,
falls short of God’s best intentions. The church must take
care in preserving the marriage bond where wise and
possible, and offering counsel and grace to those wounded
by divorce.
• Practices such as polygamy or polyandry. Because we
believe that the covenantal faithfulness of God is reflected
in the monogamous commitment of husband and wife,
these practices take away from the unique and exclusive
fidelity intended in marriage.
Sexual sin and brokenness is not only personal but pervades
the systems and structures of the world. Therefore, as
the church bears witness to the reality of the beauty and
uniqueness of God’s holy purposes we also believe the church
should refrain from and advocate against:
• Pornography in all its forms, which is desire gone awry. It is
the objectification of people for selfish sexual gratification.
This habit destroys our capacity to love unselfishly.
• Sexual violence in any form, including rape, sexual
assault, sexual bullying, hateful speech, marital abuse,
incest, sex trafficking, forced marriage, female genital
mutilation, bestiality, sexual harassment, and the abuse
of minors and other vulnerable populations. All people
and systems that perpetrate sexual violence transgress the
command to love and to protect our neighbor. The body
of Christ should always be a place of justice, protection,
and healing for those who are, who have been, and who
continue to be affected by sexual violence. A minor is
defined as any human being under the age of 18, unless the
age of majority is attained later under a state’s or country’s
own domestic legislation.
Therefore we affirm that:
• Where sin abounds grace abounds all the more. Although
the effects of sin are universal and holistic, the efficacy
of grace is also universal and holistic. In Christ, through
the Holy Spirit, we are renewed in the image of God. The
old is gone and the new comes. Although the forming
of our lives as a new creation may be a gradual process,
God’s healing is effective in dealing with the brokenness
of humanity in the areas of sexuality.
• The human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. We
affirm the need for our sexuality to be conformed to God’s
will. Our bodies are not our own but have been bought
with a price. Therefore, we are called to glorify God in our
bodies through a life of yielded obedience.
• The people of God are marked by holy love. We affirm
that, above all the virtues, the people of God are to
clothe themselves with love. The people of God have
always welcomed broken people into our gathering. Such
Christian hospitality is neither an excusing of individual
disobedience nor a refusal to participate redemptively
in discerning the roots of brokenness. Restoring humans
to the likeness of Jesus requires confession, forgiveness,
formative practices, sanctification, and godly counsel – but
most of all, it includes the welcome of love which invites
the broken person into the circle of grace known as the
church. If we fail to honestly confront sin and brokenness,
we have not loved. If we fail to love, we cannot participate
in God’s healing of brokenness.
As the global church receives and ministers to the people
of our world, the faithful outworking of these statements as
congregations is complex and must be navigated with care,
humility, courage, and discernment.
(Genesis 1:27; 19:1-25; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-
11, 15-20; 1 Timothy 1:8-10)

The Church of the
Nazarene supports the right of women to use their God-given
spiritual gifts within the church and affirms the historic right
of women to be elected and appointed to places of leadership
within the Church of the Nazarene, including the offices of
both elder and deacon.
The purpose of Christ’s redemptive work is to set God’s
creation free from the curse of the Fall. Those who are “in
Christ” are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this
redemptive community, no human being is to be regarded as
inferior on the basis of social status, race, or gender (Galatians
3:26-28). Acknowledging the apparent paradox created by
Paul’s instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:11-12) and to
the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:33-34), we believe
interpreting these passages as limiting the role of women in
ministry presents serious conflicts with specific passages of
Scripture that commend female participation in spiritual
leadership roles (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18; 21:8-9; Romans
16:1, 3, 7; Philippians 4:2-3), and violates the spirit and practice
of the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. Finally, it is incompatible
with the character of God presented throughout Scripture,
especially as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.

Theology of Ordination. While affirming the scriptural
tenet of the universal priesthood and ministry of all believers,
ordination reflects the biblical belief that God calls and
gifts certain men and women for ministerial leadership in
the church. Ordination is the authenticating, authorizing
act of the Church, which recognizes and confirms God’s
call to ministerial leadership as stewards and proclaimers of
the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ. Consequently,
ordination bears witness to the Church universal and the
world at large that this candidate evidences an exemplary life
of holiness, possesses gifts and graces for public ministry, and
has a thirst for knowledge, especially for the Word of God, and
has the capacity to communicate sound doctrine.
(Acts 13:1-3; 20:28; Romans 1:1-2; 1 Timothy 4:11-16; 5:22; 2 Timothy 1:6-7)

I. The Triune God

We believe in one eternally existent, infinite

God, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe; that He only is God, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose. The God who is holy love and light is Triune in essential being, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

(Genesis 1; Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Isaiah 5:16; 6:1-7; 40:18-31;

Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19-20; John 14:6-27; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians

13:14; Galatians 4:4-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; 1 John 1:5; 4:8)

II. Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead; that He was eternally one with the Father; that He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary, so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say the Godhead and manhood, are thus united in one Person very God and very man, the God-man. We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that He truly arose from the dead and took again His body, together with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature, wherewith He ascended into heaven and is there engaged in intercession for us.

(Matthew 1:20-25; 16:15-16; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-18; Acts 2:22-36;

Romans 8:3, 32-34; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:12-22;

1 Timothy 6:14-16; Hebrews 1:1-5; 7:22-28; 9:24-28; 1 John 1:1-3; 4:2-3, 15)

III. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Triune Godhead, that He is ever present and efficiently active in and with the Church of Christ, convincing the world of sin, regenerating those who repent and believe, sanctifying believers, and guiding into all truth as it is in Jesus.

(John 7:39; 14:15-18, 26; 16:7-15; Acts 2:33; 15:8-9; Romans 8:1-27; Galatians 3:1-14; 4:6; Ephesians 3:14-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 3:24; 4:13)

IV. The Holy Scriptures

We believe in the plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, by which we understand the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, inerrantly revealing the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation, so that whatever is not contained therein is not to be enjoined as an article of faith.

(Luke 24:44-47; John 10:35; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

V. Sin, Original and Personal

We believe that sin came into the world through the disobedience of our first parents, and death by sin. We believe that sin is of two kinds: original sin or depravity, and actual or personal sin.
5.1.We believe that original sin, or depravity, is that corruption of the nature of all the offspring of Adam by reason of which everyone is very far gone from original righteousness or the pure state of our first parents at the time of their creation, is averse to God, is without spiritual life, and inclined to evil, and that continually. We further believe that original sin continues to exist with the new life of the regenerate, until the heart is fully cleansed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

5.2.We believe that original sin differs from actual sin in that it constitutes an inherited propensity to actual sin for which no one is accountable until its divinely provided remedy is neglected or rejected.
5.3.We believe that actual or personal sin is a voluntary violation of a known law of God by a morally responsible person. It is therefore not to be confused with involuntary and inescapable shortcomings, infirmities, faults, mistakes, failures, or other deviations from a standard of perfect conduct that are the residual effects of the Fall. However, such innocent effects do not include attitudes or responses contrary to the spirit of Christ, which may properly be called sins of the spirit. We believe that personal sin is primarily and essentially a violation of the law of love; and that in relation to Christ sin may be defined as unbelief.

(Original sin: Genesis 3; 6:5; Job 15:14; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 7:21-23; Romans 1:18-25; 5:12-14; 7:1-8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Galatians 5:16-25; 1 John 1:7-8 Personal sin: Matthew 22:36-40 {with 1 John 3:4}; John 8:34-36; 16:8-9; Romans 3:23; 6:15-23; 8:18-24; 14:23; 1 John 1:9-2:4; 3:7-10)

VI. Atonement

We believe that Jesus Christ, by His sufferings, by the shedding of His own blood, and by His death on the Cross, made a full atonement for all human sin, and that this Atonement is the only ground of salvation, and that it is sufficient for every individual of Adam’s race. The Atonement is graciously efficacious for the salvation of those incapable of moral responsibility and for the children in innocency but is efficacious for the salvation of those who reach the age of responsibility only when they repent and believe.

(Isaiah 53:5-6, 11; Mark 10:45; Luke 24:46-48; John 1:29; 3:14-17; Acts 4:10-12; Romans 3:21-26; 4:17-25; 5:6-21; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Galatians 1:3-4; 3:13-14; Colossians 1:19-23; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:9; 9:11-14; 13:12; 1 Peter 1:18-21; 2:19-25; 1 John 2:1-2)

VII. Prevenient Grace

We believe that the grace of God through Jesus Christ is freely bestowed upon all people, enabling all who will to turn from sin to righteousness, believe on Jesus Christ for pardon and cleansing from sin, and follow good works pleasing and acceptable in His sight. We also believe that the human race’s creation in Godlikeness included the ability to choose between right and wrong, and that thus human beings were made morally responsible; that through the fall of Adam they became depraved so that they cannot now turn and prepare themselves by their own natural strength and works to faith and calling upon God.

(Godlikeness and moral responsibility: Genesis 1:26-27; 2:16-17; Deuteronomy 28:1-2; 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Psalm 8:3-5; Isaiah 1:8-10; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Ezekiel 18:1-4; Micah 6:8; Romans 1:19-20; 2:1-16; 14:7-12; Galatians 6:7-8 Natural inability: Job 14:4; 15:14; Psalms 14:1-4; 51:5; John 3:6a; Romans 3:10-12; 5:12-14, 20a; 7:14-25 Free grace and works of faith: Ezekiel 18:25-26; John 1:12-13; 3:6b; Acts 5:31; Romans 5:6-8, 18; 6:15-16, 23; 10:6-8; 11:22; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14;10:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Timothy 4:10a; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 3:12-15; 6:4-6; 10:26-31; James 2:18-22; 2 Peter 1:10-11; 2:20-22)

VIII. Repentance

We believe the Spirit of God gives to all who will repent the gracious help of penitence of heart and hope of mercy, that they may believe unto pardon and spiritual life. Repentance, which is a sincere and thorough change of the mind in regard to sin, involving a sense of personal guilt and a voluntary turning away from sin, is demanded of all who have by act or purpose become sinners against God. We believe that all persons may fall from grace and apostatize and, unless they repent of their sins, be hopelessly and eternally lost. We believe that regenerate persons need not return to sin but may live in unbroken fellowship with God through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God.

(2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalms 32:5-6; 51:1-17; Isaiah 55:6-7; Jeremiah 3:12-14; Ezekiel 18:30-32; 33:14-16; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 3:1-14; 13:1-5; 18:9-14; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30-31; 26:16-18; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:8-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Peter 3:9)

IX. Justification, Regeneration, and Adoption

We believe that justification is the gracious and judicial act of God by which He grants full pardon of all guilt and complete release from the penalty of sins committed, and acceptance as righteous, to all who believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

9.1.We believe that regeneration, or the new birth, is that gracious work of God whereby the moral nature of the repentant believer is spiritually quickened and given a distinctively spiritual life, capable of faith, love, and obedience.

9.2. We believe that adoption is that gracious act of God by which the justified and regenerated believer is constituted a child of God.

9.3.We believe that justification, regeneration, and adoption are simultaneous in the experience of seekers after God and are received by faith, preceded by repentance; and that to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.

(Luke 18:14; John 1:12-13; 3:3-8; 5:24; Acts 13:39; Romans 1:17; 3:21-26, 28; 4:5-9, 17-25; 5:1, 16-19; 6:4; 7:6; 8:1, 15-17; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Galatians 2:16-21; 3:1-14, 26; 4:4-7; Ephesians 1:6-7; 2:1, 4-5; Philippians 3:3-9; Colossians 2:13; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 1:9; 3:1-2, 9; 4:7; 5:1, 9-13, 18)

X. Christian Holiness and Entire Sanctification

We believe that sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration (simultaneous with justification), entire sanctification, and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son. We believe that entire sanctification is that act of God, subsequent to regeneration, by which believers are made free from original sin, or depravity, and brought into a state of entire devotement to God, and the holy obedience of love made perfect. It is wrought by the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service. Entire sanctification is provided by the blood of Jesus, is wrought instantaneously by grace through faith, preceded by entire consecration; and to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness. This experience is also known by various terms representing its different phases, such as “Christian perfection,” “perfect love,” “heart purity,” “the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit,” “the fullness of the blessing,” and “Christian holiness.”

10.1.We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an instant, the result of entire sanctification; the latter is the result of growth in grace. We believe that the grace of entire sanctification includes the divine impulse to grow in grace as a Christlike disciple. However, this impulse must be consciously nurtured, and careful attention given to the requisites and processes of spiritual development and improvement in Christlikeness of character and personality. Without such purposeful endeavor, one’s witness may be impaired and the grace itself frustrated and ultimately lost. Participating in the means of grace, especially the fellowship, disciplines, and sacraments of the Church, believers grow in grace and in wholehearted love to God and neighbor.

(Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Malachi 3:2-3; Matthew 3:11-12; Luke 3:16-17; John 7:37-39; 14:15-23; 17:6-20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 15:8-9; Romans 6:11-13, 19; 8:1-4, 8-14; 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Galatians 2:20; 5:16-25; Ephesians 3:14-21; 5:17-18, 25-27; Philippians 3:10-15; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 4:9-11; 10:10-17; 12:1-2; 13:12; 1 John 1:7, 9) (“Christian perfection,” “perfect love”: Deuteronomy 30:6; Matthew 5:43-48; 22:37-40; Romans 12:9-21; 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 13; Philippians 3:10-15; Hebrews 6:1; 1 John 4:17-18 “Heart purity”: Matthew 5:8; Acts 15:8-9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:3 “Baptism with the Holy Spirit”: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Malachi 3:2-3; Matthew 3:11-12; Luke 3:16-17; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 15:8-9 “Fullness of the blessing”: Romans 15:29 “Christian holiness”: Matthew 5:1-7:29; John 15:1-11; Romans 12:1-15:3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 4:17-5:20; Philippians 1:9-11; 3:12-15; Colossians 2:20-3:17; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 4:7-8; 5:23; 2 Timothy 2:19-22; Hebrews 10:19-25; 12:14; 13:20-21; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2 Peter 1:1-11; 3:18; Jude 20-21)

Constitution