By Scott Armstrong
General Secretary David P. Wilson and Nazarene Research Services recently released the annual Church of the Nazarene statistical reports for 2017. These detailed reports documenting the missional activities of the denomination on a global scale show growth for the Church of the Nazarene over the statistical year, as well as continued growth over the past decade.
“We have seen some significant increases in several areas and we’re grateful for the leadership of the Spirit and the hard work of God’s people around the world,” Wilson said.
Next week I will share my observations on the Mesoamerica Region specifically. However, for now let’s focus on our denomination at large. Here are my initial observations:
- The denomination is growing and has steadily grown during the past 10 years. In 2007, 20,958 churches were reported, and in 2017, 30,875 were reported. Total membership has risen from around 1.73 million to more than 2.55 million in that same time. Plus, in no year did we see a decline in membership worldwide in the last decade. This is encouraging growth – nearly 50% growth in only 10 years!
- We are not receiving as many new Nazarenes as we were ten years ago. Although our membership is steadily increasing, the number of new Nazarenes joining the church per year has declined 14% (from around 170,045 to 146,577). In addition, every one of the previous four years (2014-2017) has produced fewer new Nazarenes than any of the first four years of this report (2007-2011). Could this be attributed to a lack of evangelism? Is there less emphasis in some contexts placed on membership, and more on attendance?
- Every region has shown significant growth except one: the USA and Canada. It is common to hear some evangelical leaders proclaim that “the Church is dying” in the USA and Canada. I would not go that far, especially since we presumably call ourselves Wesleyan optimists. Saying the Church is dying means at some point (soon?) it will be dead. How can a passionate Christ-follower throw out that maxim as a truth, without factoring in that the Church has proven itself to be historically adaptable and resilient? Nevertheless, an honest look at our current reality is mandatory. In ten years the membership of our denomination has decreased in these two nations by -3.5%? It’s jarring. Pastors and leaders in the USA and Canada must change their methods drastically if they do not want to become an afterthought in the American and Canadian cultural landscape.
- The region with the most Nazarenes is now Africa, followed by USA/Canada and Mesoamerica. This is a seismic shift. In only one decade, African Nazarene membership has nearly doubled, from 364,698 to 674,414. Put another way, one in every four Nazarenes worldwide is from Africa. It is significant to note that two of our six General Superintendents are from that continent. I fully expect that our leadership on all levels will continue to greater reflect the momentous reality of the growing African Church.
- Some of the places deemed most difficult or even hostile to the Christian faith are growing: Eurasia and Asia-Pacific. Remember also that many of our brothers and sisters from what we call “Creative Access Countries” in these regions cannot be reported officially due to governmental restrictions and persecution.
- Total Church membership has increased in the last decade by 816,602 (47%), while attendance at weekly worship services has increased by 288,799 (24%). What the USA and Canada have seen for many years now could possibly be occurring in other regions: the average church member is attending worship services less frequently than a generation ago.
- Membership in Nazarene Youth International has increased only 7% in 10 years. This concerns me, especially since I have seen greater ineffectiveness in many of our local churches recently with regards to their youth ministries. All of our churches want youth to come and be a part (or so we say). However, are we willing to have them lead and – gasp! – change our methods and strategies when the standard operating procedure has proven stagnant? We must be more creative, and we must intentionally invest our time, resources, and love into children and youth.
- With drastically more members and churches globally, we see that giving has actually decreased by -8% in the last decade. This has to be attributed to the majority of giving coming from the one region that is not growing: USA/Canada. There is a misunderstanding in many of our churches regarding the World Evangelism Fund (WEF) and why it is important. I have recently had conversations with local and district leaders from three different regions that all have expressed confusion regarding this “pillar” of our denominational missions’ system. This leads us to #9…
- WEF giving is far from universal. Bright and colorful on the first page of the report, the facts are stunning, if not sickening. Only 26.8% of global congregations gave the full 5.5% of WEF last year (almost all from USA/Canada). 29% of our churches did not give a single cent or peso or rand to WEF. How can this be?! We have to do better than this as Nazarenes. I realize that there are many great methods to give missionally to a variety of excellent organizations. It could be that many people are just choosing to do that, right? Well, diving deeper, it appears that globally our maturing financially has not kept up with our growing evangelistically. Sure, the Gross National Product (GNP) of Nicaragua or Nepal is way lower than that of the USA. But our current model of churches multiplying around the world while neglecting to give to the primary denominational missions sending fund is unsustainable. As the General Superintendents have been fond of saying in the past five years, “We do not seek equal amounts of giving; we seek equal sacrifice.”
- Discipleship attendance is up 60% in 10 years. This is significant and remarkable. I recall how in the last decade our Global Church has placed much emphasis on holistic discipleship – ie. not just Sunday School being the only way to disciple. I have seen much more creativity in reaching and teaching children, youth, and adults through small groups, Sunday School, and even – as in our local church’s case in Dominican Republic – Houses of Prayer. May this renewed focus on discipleship be a calling card of Nazarene congregations in the coming decade as well.
There are undoubtedly many nuances and other points to be gleaned from these statistics. What did I miss? What jumps out at you, or what of my observations encourages or alarms you the most?
Transform the Globe 
I grew up in the Nazarene church. I’m amazed how fast the global membership has changed from predominately white (when I joined) to super-majority non-white 25 years later. Its hard to get excited about the overall numbers going up when there is a marked decline in my own demographic. Maybe I’m overly cynical but it seems like the vast majority of these converts aren’t as much embracing the tenets of the Christian Faith as they are looking for handouts and assistance from comparatively wealthy white people. I would be very curious to see what percentages of our members in Central and South America and Africa are forming traditional biblical households, waiting until marriage to have sex, tithing, and otherwise living by the standards we hold our members to in our local churches.
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Thanks for your comment, Joe! I think you’d be surprised. In the vast majority of African and Latin American evangelical churches, their practical living-out of their faith is much more conservative than in the United States or Europe. And their faith and sacrifice in the midst of suffering and need is an example to us all. Some might inwardly wonder if it is possible that the converts in the affluent West are truly “embracing the tenets of the Christian faith.” 🙂
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Is there any data to support the assertion that the membership in African and Latin American evangelical churches is “much more conservative” than in the United States? For example, are these churches having lower incidences of single motherhood?
It seems like if these people were actually practicing their faith they wouldn’t be so poor. In Uganda, for example, roughly 90% of the population identifies as Christian which is substantially higher than in the West. If Ugandans were waiting until marriage to have sex, forming families, and responsibly raising their children it seems like there would not be such widespread poverty and an AIDs epidemic.
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Great article. Very insightful.
How does the fact that essentially 60% of Africa are youth and children (under the age of 24 years) many young adults and adults are without gainful employment- impact the regional giving?
The fact that life expectancy in Africa is below 50 years may also play a vital role when crunching the numbers to present the narrative.
We’re praying and standing in the gap.
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Very good question, Gabriel. I am unsure if those are factors, but they well could be. Again, I think the issue with Africa or any other non-USA/Canada region is not the overall amount of WEF giving, but rather the fact that everyone anywhere can give 5.5% of their little or much.
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It is encouraging to see that the church continues to grow. It is not at all surprising that the growth is outside the United States. This follows the larger trends as the gospel makes its way into regions of the world where freedoms of religion have opened up greatly over the past decade. The church of the Nazarene had some historical decades in the USA where growth was extraordinary.
However, as a former Nazarene missionary, I am concerned that if we are not careful, the DNA of spiritual decline that is rocking the North American church could be inadvertently passed on to the mission fields where the church is now growing. This DNA could come via inhibitors within our Nazarene polity and practices which could lead to a similar and ultimate decline. Remaining true to the Word of God, including practices of basic, biblical discipleship and continuous evangelism, is the only way to sustain health and growth. Many of the areas of rapid growth in the church are directly attributable to genuine moves of the Holy Spirit coming in power and purity within the culture of the local people. We must emphasize the biblical practices that allow and encourage ordinary people to be engaged in natural ministry opportunities with friends and family members. We must encourage discipleship based on biblical obedience and spiritual experience more than on academic or theological knowledge.
We must constantly ask ourselves if the “kind” of Nazarene church we are practicing and exporting is biblical and sustainable within the cultural context where we are taking it. Thankfully, the Lord continues to raise up some outstanding leaders for the churches outside the USA and I pray that He will give us insight into stopping the decline here in the USA and begin to re-engage our culture with the timeless message of Jesus that will transform America again in each generation. We should rejoice in the victories of this report and heed the warning signs. The preferable alternative to an autopsy is a revival.
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Well said, Earnie! Thanks for your reflective response and your many years of effective service. We both long to see renewal in our Church and in our world.
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I do not find it at all encouraging that the “growth” of the church is coming from outside the United States. The decline in the developed world is a catastrophe. It is too easy to pad the statistics growing the membership with easily-influenced, highly superstitious, poor, and desperate Third World people. They aren’t going to sustain the church going forward. They can’t. The real challenge is sustaining and growing the faith here in the West where people are increasingly coming to believe they don’t need their faith. Churches should stop all missionary work in foreign countries until the domestic situation has been stabilized. To do otherwise is suicide.
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Wow, Joe, “pad the statistics…with easily-influenced, highly superstitious, poor, and desperate Third World people”? That’s massively offensive and myopic. Yes, I will call it out on this platform. And stopping all missionary work in foreign lands is the real suicide. A church without a global vision will gradually become a local nonentity.
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It is encouraging to see that the church continues to grow. It is not at all surprising that the growth is outside the United States. This follows the larger trends as the gospel makes its way into regions of the world where freedoms of religion have opened up greatly over the past decade. The church of the Nazarene had some historical decades in the USA where growth was extraordinary.
However, as a former Nazarene missionary, I am concerned that if we are not careful, the DNA of spiritual decline that is rocking the North American church could be inadvertently passed on to the mission fields where the church is now growing. This DNA could come via inhibitors within our Nazarene polity and practices which could lead to a similar and ultimate decline. Remaining true to the Word of God, including practices of basic, biblical discipleship and continuous evangelism, which is the only way to sustain health and growth. Many of the areas of rapid growth in the church are directly attributable to genuine moves of the Holy Spirit coming in power and purity within the culture of the local people. We must emphasize the biblical practices that allow and encourage ordinary people to be engaged in natural ministry opportunities with friends and family members. We must encourage discipleship based on biblical obedience and spiritual experience more than on academic or theological knowledge.
We must constantly ask ourselves if the “kind” of Nazarene church we are practicing and exporting is biblical and sustainable within the cultural context where we are taking it. Thankfully, the Lord continues to raise up some outstanding leaders for the churches outside the USA and I pray that He will give us insight into stopping the decline here in the USA and begin to re-engage our culture with the timeless message of Jesus that will transform America again in each generation. We should rejoice in the victories of this report and heed the warning signs. The preferable alternative to an autopsy is a revival.
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