KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While many churches have been losing active members, empty pews are generally not a problem at the Church of the Nazarene, an evangelical denomination that has had its worldwide membership increase by one-third during the past decade, according to its recently released 2006 annual report.
The church has 1.6 million members, having gained nearly 700,000 members since 1999. "Each number represents an immensely valuable person, and we rejoice over each man, woman, student, boy and girl who is reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ," wrote Jerry D. Porter, the church’s general superintendent, in the 2006 report to the church’s General Board.
The church’s biggest increases have been outside the United States. Last year, the church grew by 5.7 percent overseas, while domestic growth was less than 1 percent.
There are nearly 19,000 Church of the Nazarene parishes across the world; about 700 new churches were added in the last year.
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