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Our Story
Mission
To follow Christ together and take His life-changing message to others.
Core Values
- Evangelism - Our mission compels us to share the Gospel,
leading people to accept Christ and enter into a personal relationship with Him as Savior and Lord.
- Spiritual Growth - We continually pursue Christlikeness,
seeking to live holy lives as we study the Scriptures and learn to depend upon the Holy Spirit.
- Worship - We are a people in awe of the greatness of God, giving honor to Him through thanksgiving, praise,
faithful stewardship, and holy living.
- Prayer - Recognizing our need for God in and over all we do, we humbly and confidently seek the heart and mind of
God, embracing His fellowship and daily surrendering our will to His.
- Participation - We actively engage people in the life and ministry of our church, encouraging all to use their
God-given gifts for service in response to the needs of others.
- Global Mission - We joyfully participate in the worldwide mission of the Church of the Nazarene through its ministries
both locally and globally.
- Teamwork - Embracing the opportunity to partner together in dynamic ministry, we value the leadership gifts of both
pastoral staff and laity while affirming the leadership role of the pastor.
- Community - We are committed to one another in loving, honest relationships
as we serve Christ together, creating a safe and healing environment for all, permeated with unconditional love.
Heritage
On March 15, 1911, Rev. A.S. Cochran and a congregation of 26 members voted to unite with the newly
formed denomination called The Church of the Nazarene (so named to embrace Jesus Christ’s humble beginnings in the town of Nazareth).
The new church met in a small rented facility at Walrond and 19th Streets at first, but soon relocated to 24th and Troost where they made
their home until 1936. Three additional locations served as home for the church until 1980 when we held our first service at our
current location of State Line Road at Minor Drive (119th Street) in south Kansas City.
The story of the First Church of the Nazarene of Kansas City cannot be told without mention of its vital connection
across the years with several nearby hubs of denominational ministry—the International Headquarters of the Church of the Nazarene,
Nazarene Publishing House, and Nazarene Theological Seminary. Our ministry and mission today focus on both the needs of our neighbors
and of our world as our people are challenged “to follow Christ together and take His life-changing message to others.”
Beliefs
The Church of the Nazarene has 16 Articles of Faith, which are summarized below:
- We believe in one God, the creator of all things. He makes Himself known to us as Father, Son, and Spirit.
(Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
- We believe in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man. He became like us to show us what God is like and to teach us how we might have
eternal life.
(Matthew 1:20-25, 16:15-16; John 1:1-18)
- We believe in the Holy Spirit and that He is active in the world today.
(John 14:15-18, 16:7-15; Romans 8:1-27)
- We believe the Bible is the Word of God and tells us all we need to know about how to have eternal life and how to live with integrity.
(2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2Peter 1:20-21)
- We believe that we are all sinners by both nature and act and need God's forgiveness and cleansing.
(Genesis 3; Romans 3:23, 5:12-14, 6:15-23)
- We believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross and that by trusting in His death and resurrection we can be restored to a right relationship
with God.
(Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:14-17)
- We believe that God enables us to turn from sin, but that He does not force us to do so.
(Genesis 2:16-17; John 1:12; Galatians 6:7-8)
- We believe that when we turn from sin and trust in Christ, we are forgiven for the acts of sin.
(Isaiah 55:6-7; Acts 2:38)
- We believe that when we trust in Christ and are forgiven, we become part of the family of God.
(Acts 13:39; Titus 3:4-7; Galatians 4:47)
- We believe that God's Spirit desires to cleanse His people from the nature of sin enabling them to live consistently above reproach.
Our strength for living with integrity and love comes from His presence in us.
(Matthew 3:11, 22:37-40; 1 John 4:1-18)
- We believe that God uses the Church to fulfill His plans for the world until Christ returns.
(Matthew 28:1-20; Acts 2:37-41)
- We believe in baptism and urge people to be baptized to publicly affirm their faith.
(Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 2:37-41)
- We believe in the Lord's Suppser (Holy Communion).
(Matthew 26:26-29)
- We believe God can heal and we pray for healing. We also believe that God can work through medical science.
(2 Corinthians 12:7-10; James 5:13-16)
- We believe that Jesus is coming again.
(John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
- We believe that everyone will face the judgment of God with its rewards and punishments.
(Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15)
A complete explanation of the Articles of Faith is available
here.
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