Church Of The Nazarene

The spontaneity permitted in Nazarene worship, along with the warm evangelistic thrust of the corporate gathering, has helped to create an openness to the integration of worship with other facets of congregational life such as pastoral care and women's ministries. On a recent Sunday in a Nazarene church in a midwestern city, a young man home from college sang a solo. Just as he finished and the pastor approached the pulpit to preach, a woman in the choir asked,"Could he sing it again?" So, after the soundtrack was rewound, the song was repeated. About two dozen gathered at the altar for prayer. This was followed by forty-five minutes of testimonies. Dismissal was a half hour later than usual. Spontaneity has long been accepted in the Nazarene worship format. While an incident like the one described is not routine, neither is it unusual. The essence and spirit of Nazarene worship stems from revivalism and the life of the camp meetings that flourished during the nineteenth century. …