Why do we worship as we do? What are the forgotten practices once central to many early Nazarene congregations? Because historical events and other factors have shaped and molded the various worship patterns found in local congregations, the way in which contemporary Nazarenes worship is no accident. Like other descendants of the American holiness movement, Nazarene worship is influenced by events predating our denominational forebears. This text explores the history behind current worship trends for a crucial reason: the very act of worship shapes and forms worshipers. Beliefs and attitudes are forged not merely by what is heard from the pulpit, but also by what is done bodily in the pew. Ellis examines the liturgical concerns and practice of John Wesley as well as those of early Nazarene pioneers in an attempt to address these issues. In so doing, the book provides a historical resource for denominational leaders, pastors, and congregations. At the same time, it aims to help congregations both to appreciate our rich ecclesial history and to critically evaluate current worship practices in order that they may truly be transformational.

The Church of the Nazarene embraces American attachments to democratic rule, individual initiative, efficiency, and a strong sense of responsibility as "a city on a hill." It is also present in more than 150 world areas. These attributes are reflected in the astounding story of one of the founders of the denomination, H. F. Reynolds, who has been long hidden in the shadow of his early colleague, Phineas Bresee. While the church points to Bresee as its founding father, Reynolds lived and served for an additional two decades following Bresee's death, shaping the role of the General Superintendency, clarifying and expanding the church's Manual to meet the needs of the growing denomination, and establishing mission policies and practices that took it from a US church to a global presence. Reynolds maintained a lively devotion to Christ as he survived train wrecks, war, dread disease, and the sheer volume of meetings, correspondence, and explosive scandal that came with the nurturing of a new church. His vision and methods have profoundly influenced a denomination that does not know his name. This volume is designed to make the introduction.

From the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for the Clergy.

Contains the testimonials of ministers who left their different denominations for a relationship with Christ.

John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life is a six-week study on John Wesley, the major themes of his theology, the spread of Wesleyanism to North America, and renewal in the Wesleyan tradition. Chapters include reflection questions. The Study Guide offers step-by-step plans for each session.

Those labeled as "evangelicals" commonly are assumed to constitute a large and fairly homogeneous segment of American Protestantism. This volume suggests that, in fact, evangelicalism is better understood as a set of distinct subtraditions, each with its own history, organizations, and priorities. The differences among groups are so important that the question arises: Is the term "evangelical" useful at all?

Listened to by huge congregations in Britain, and perhaps the most recognizable British Methodist voice in the mid-twentieth century, W. E. Sangster was, in anyone's estimation, a giant of Methodism. "A preacher without peer in the world," "a prince of preachers," are just two of the labels attached to this preacher/theologian of the Methodist tradition. This volume captures the preaching of Sangster in his prime, on the occasion of the 1956 World Methodist Conference in Junaluska, North Carolina. Cheatle's research brings into the public domain ten sermons, nine previously unpublished in this form, delivered by Sangster at that great gathering of World Methodism. These sermons, being transcripts from recordings, picked up Sangster "in the raw," at his most powerful, engaging with his listeners. This book is a resource, therefore, that aids students of homiletics and pastors in encountering a master at work, without the editorial polish of his extant sermons. The sermons on aspects of Christian holiness would be Sangster's first and last sequential series on the subject, placing before the reader some of his most mature thought on holiness and its application in daily life.

There is today a dramatic reexamination of structure, authority, dogma -- indeed, every aspect of the life of the Church is held up to scrutiny. Welcoming this as a sign of vitality, Avery Dulles has carefully studied the writings of contemporary Protestant and Catholic ecclesiologists and sifted out six major approaches, or "models," through which the Church's character can be understood: as Institution, Mystical Communion, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and, in a recent addition to the book, as Community of Disciples. A balanced theology, he concludes, must incorporate the major affirmations of each. "The method of models or types," observes Cardinal Dulles, "can have great value in helping people to get beyond the limitations of their own particular outlook and to enter into fruitful conversation with others... Such conversation is obviously essential if ecumenism is to get beyond its present impasses." This new edition includes a new Appendix and Preface by the author.