wfn.org | Russian Church of the Nazarene Receives Official Status

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

October 1, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Russian Church of the Nazarene Receives Official Status

Moscow, Russia. (APD) Moscow First Church of the Nazarene 
has been able to re-register under the new Duma 
requirements, receiving official status in accordance with 
government guidelines, according to missionary Chuck 
Sunberg. This is the first Church of the Nazarene to receive 
such status in Russia. Each church must register individually. 
Previously, concern had been expressed that new laws would 
make it impossible to re-register the churches, possibly forcing 
the Church of the Nazarene and other denominations to leave 
the country.

Eurasia Regional Director of the Nazarene Church, R. Franklin 
Cook, reports, "We thank many who have prayed for this 
significant day in the development of our church in Russia. It 
has been a long and difficult process, but we know that God 
overrules human decisions that would hinder the progress of 
His kingdom."

The Church of the Nazarene resulted from the merger of three 
independent holiness groups. The denomination is Wesleyan 
Arminian in theology and representative in church 
government. Nazarenes express their faith through 
evangelism, compassionate ministries, and education.

The international denomination has 9 liberal art colleges, two 
graduate seminaries, 43 Bible colleges, three schools of 
nursing, a teacher's training college, and a junior college. The 
church maintains over 15 000 pastors and 600 missionaries in 
112 world areas. According to statistical reports from 1997 the 
Church of the Nazarene has world-wide over 10 000 local 
congregations with 1.3 million members.