KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Church of the Nazarene reported a total worldwide membership of 1.9 million after adding more than 165,000 new members in 2009.
The denomination has 24,285 churches, including established and fledgling congregations. The number of “organized” churches, which are self-sustaining congregations, increased by 1,178 to 17,277. David Wilson, general secretary of the Church of the Nazarene, said the increasing totals reflect the ongoing missions initiatives led by Nazarene leaders.
“From the very beginning of our denomination, missions has been at the heart of it,” he said in an interview Dec. 21. “We’re making a strong effort in being a global church so that it’s not an us-and-them type of thing.”
Members of the Wesleyan-Holiness denomination elected the first non-North American to their six-member leadership team when they met during the summer for their quadrennial General Assembly.
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