Q: How many people, in total, have been members of the Church of the Nazarene since it began? 

Best answer: Through the 2008 assembly year, 3.7 million people worldwide have been reported as new Nazarenes since the Pilot Point merger in 1908. 

Behind the numbers: For most of its existence, the Church of the Nazarene has asked each local church to report an annual membership figure. Since the early 1930s, most Churches of the Nazarene have also reported how the new members were received. Some were received by transfer from other Churches of the Nazarene, some were received by transfer from other Christian groups, and some were accepted by profession of faith. 

Those who were not received from other Churches of the Nazarene are considered "new Nazarenes." Most people only join the Church of the Nazarene once as new Nazarenes, either by profession of faith or by transferring from another denomination. A few exceptions exist. 

For instance, in my own recent pastorate, we had a person join us who had been part of other Churches of the Nazarene in the past. Since those churches had dropped her as a member many years ago, we could only report her as a new Nazarene. 

Recognizing that there is some overlap, the annual new Nazarene count is still the best indication of how many different members the denomination has had over the years. 

The Research Center checked out the information reported by the General Secretary's office since 1933. Since reports for world areas were rarely included before the early 1970s, the Center also checked out any available journals from other world areas to determine that 3.7 million people have been reported as new Nazarenes. 

What about those who joined the church before 1933? 

We are in the process of analyzing earlier journals. When the analysis is complete, probably by summer of 2009, we hope to have a clearer picture. Our expectation is that the total will still be less than 4 million. But that will involve several assumptions about transfers, so the best answer will remain, through the 2008 assembly year, 3.7 million people worldwide have been reported as new Nazarenes since the Pilot Point merger in 1908. 

Dale Jones is director of research services for the Church of the Nazarene

Holiness Today, March/April 2009

Please note: This article was originally published in 2009. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.