Church Relations

The Christian life is rarely a solitary journey. Most people are brought into a fellowship of believers by someone who cares for them. The church, as imperfect as it sometimes seems, helps us experience conversion, growth in grace, and a life of holiness. In 2001 more than 6,000 worshipers in a representative sample of congregations in the Church of the Nazarene responded to questions about the church.*

As would be true in most congregations, some of these worshipers were deeply committed, long-time members. Others were visitors. Some were elderly. Others were from generations sometimes described as uninterested in church. Among those who were new to the congregation some came from other churches and some had not been involved in any churches before. The charts below summarize their descriptions of their church experiences.

Sense of Belonging When asked, "Do you have a strong sense of belonging to this congregation," 88 percent said yes. Sixty percent felt that sense was strong and growing. For another 18 percent it was strong and stable. Click on graph to enlarge.

Friendships in the Congregation Most (80 percent) of those attending worship in the Church of the Nazarene say they have at least some close friends in the congregation. As this chart indicates, the longer people have been part of the church, the more likely they are to say most of their closest friends are in their congregation. Click on graph to enlarge.

Small Group Involvement Three-fourths of respondents are involved in church group activities. Click on graph to enlarge.

Willingness to Invite Friends and Relatives Just as an invitation to worship was important to us in our spiritual journey, inviting others continues the cycle as new people enter the faith family. Most worshipers answered yes to the question, "Would you invite to a worship service here any of your friends and relatives who do not now attend a congregation?" Click on graph to enlarge. *The U.S.

Congregational Life Survey conducted in April and May of 2001 involved several denominations, more than 2,000 congregations and 300,000 worshipers in the United States. In the Church of the Nazarene study more than 100 congregations and 6,000 worshipers participated. Further information is available at www.nazarene.org/research_center under "Occasional Papers" and at www.uscongregations.org.

Kenneth E. Crow served as Research Center Manager for the Church of the Nazarene.

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