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Every church has its distinctives - practices or beliefs that set it apart from other groups.
Sometimes this is confusing to people. They say, "If the Bible is true and Jesus was who He
claimed to be, why are there so many different churches with so many different beliefs?"
We are optimistic enough to believe that with all the differences in beliefs and practices, most
Christians congregations still agree on 90-95% of Christian teachings, and that the other 5-10%
we do not agree on falls in this category of "distinctive".
While we get our name for Jesus of Nazareth, you might be asking what in the world is a
modern-day Nazarene? Well......
We are not Baptist, but like the Baptist, we believe in calling people to repentance and to
witnessing to their new life in Christ.
We are not Presbyterians, but like the Presbyterians, we believe in the power of the preaching
of the Word of God to bring about change in people's lives.
We are not Lutherans, but like the Lutherans, we believe salvation through Jesus Christ on the
authority of Scripture alone, in salvation by faith alone and in salvation as gift of God's grace
alone.
We are not Charismatic - no, we do not "speak in tongues" in our services - but like the
Charismatic we believe in the gifts of the Spirit, who gives people the power to live a Christlike
life and to make a real difference in their world.
We are not Episcopalians - although John Wesley was a lifelong Anglican - but like the
Episcopalians we take worship seriously (we just choose to be a little less "formal" in our
worship services).
We are not Quakers or Moravians, but like these pietistic groups, we believe in living a careful
life that testifies to the watching world that we belong to the family of God.
And we are not United Methodist, although we have our roots in the Methodist tradition that
grew out of John Wesley's revival movement in the 1700s. We have good fellowship with our
United Methodist "cousins", but we are organizationally separate for historical reasons.
We are a warm and friendly group of people who desire, with God's help, to live holy lives that
bring honor and glory to Him. In three words our theology is "JESUS IS LORD!" We look to the
Bible as our primary source for direction in our worship and our lifestyles.
We are life-centered in our teaching and sensitive to the needs and concerns of others.
We give people opportunities to put their faith into action through various avenues of service.
We are honored to take our place among the many who are called Christians.
We laugh and cry together, rejoice and grieve together, grow together, and walk in faith together.
We aim to be a family for all who love Jesus, the Nazarene.
We want you to know there is room for you in the Portsmouth Church of the Nazarene. Our
mission is to help people "meet God, know God and love God."
We need you to be part of this growing congregation and fulfill God's plans for our family.
If you have any questions about our beliefs, mission, or ministry, please feel free to contact us.
Sometimes this is confusing to people. They say, "If the Bible is true and Jesus was who He
claimed to be, why are there so many different churches with so many different beliefs?"
We are optimistic enough to believe that with all the differences in beliefs and practices, most
Christians congregations still agree on 90-95% of Christian teachings, and that the other 5-10%
we do not agree on falls in this category of "distinctive".
While we get our name for Jesus of Nazareth, you might be asking what in the world is a
modern-day Nazarene? Well......
We are not Baptist, but like the Baptist, we believe in calling people to repentance and to
witnessing to their new life in Christ.
We are not Presbyterians, but like the Presbyterians, we believe in the power of the preaching
of the Word of God to bring about change in people's lives.
We are not Lutherans, but like the Lutherans, we believe salvation through Jesus Christ on the
authority of Scripture alone, in salvation by faith alone and in salvation as gift of God's grace
alone.
We are not Charismatic - no, we do not "speak in tongues" in our services - but like the
Charismatic we believe in the gifts of the Spirit, who gives people the power to live a Christlike
life and to make a real difference in their world.
We are not Episcopalians - although John Wesley was a lifelong Anglican - but like the
Episcopalians we take worship seriously (we just choose to be a little less "formal" in our
worship services).
We are not Quakers or Moravians, but like these pietistic groups, we believe in living a careful
life that testifies to the watching world that we belong to the family of God.
And we are not United Methodist, although we have our roots in the Methodist tradition that
grew out of John Wesley's revival movement in the 1700s. We have good fellowship with our
United Methodist "cousins", but we are organizationally separate for historical reasons.
We are a warm and friendly group of people who desire, with God's help, to live holy lives that
bring honor and glory to Him. In three words our theology is "JESUS IS LORD!" We look to the
Bible as our primary source for direction in our worship and our lifestyles.
We are life-centered in our teaching and sensitive to the needs and concerns of others.
We give people opportunities to put their faith into action through various avenues of service.
We are honored to take our place among the many who are called Christians.
We laugh and cry together, rejoice and grieve together, grow together, and walk in faith together.
We aim to be a family for all who love Jesus, the Nazarene.
We want you to know there is room for you in the Portsmouth Church of the Nazarene. Our
mission is to help people "meet God, know God and love God."
We need you to be part of this growing congregation and fulfill God's plans for our family.
If you have any questions about our beliefs, mission, or ministry, please feel free to contact us.
Portsmouth First Church of the Nazarene
2512 Barclay Ave. Portsmouth, VA 23702 Phone: 757-393-2074
| Our Beliefs |