Bradford First Church of the Nazarene
AI summary — doctrinal positions on this page are inferred by AI from this church's own public statements and may be inaccurate.
Inherited from denomination
What Church of the Nazarene teaches
Positions bound by the denomination's confessional standards. This is what the tradition teaches; whether this specific congregation publicly holds each is a separate question — see Statements below.
Affirms
- Infant BaptismSTRONGWestminster XXVIII; Book of Concord SC IV; Council of Trent Session VII; Wesleyan Articles Art. XVII
- Marriage as one man and one womanSTRONGGenesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; historic universal Christian teaching.
- Permissibility of divorce and remarriagestandardMatthew 19:9 (adultery ground); 1 Corinthians 7:15 (abandonment ground). Practice varies.
- Women in pastoral / ordained officestandardVarious denominational actions (TEC 1976, ELCA 1970s, PC(USA) 1956, AG 1935, CofE 1994 priests / 2014 bishops, etc.)
Denies
- Apostolic SuccessionstandardCongregational and presbyterian polity reject the necessity of tactile episcopal succession.
- Assumption of MarystandardUniversal Protestant rejection — not attested in Scripture; not received as dogma.
- Homosexual practice and biblical sexual ethicsSTRONGRomans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; historic universal Christian teaching.
- Immaculate ConceptionSTRONGUniversal Protestant + Orthodox rejection. Orthodox reject on the grounds that they hold prepurification at the Annunciation, not conception.
- Perpetual Virginity of MarystandardNatural reading of Matthew 13:55–56 (brothers of Jesus); typical modern Baptist / evangelical position.
- Real PresencestandardMemorialist / Zwinglian view; typical Baptist and Free Church position
- TransubstantiationSTRONGOrthodox reject the Aristotelian metaphysics; Lutherans use 'sacramental union'; 39 Articles Art. XXVIII rejects explicitly; Reformed/Baptist reject substance-change.
Wrestles with
- Believer's BaptismstandardPaedobaptist bodies practice adult baptism on credible profession where infant baptism was omitted, but do not consider it normative.
- Pacifism vs. just-warweakDefault just-war framework — usually unwritten. Inheriting at weak confidence.
In their own words
Statements
mission
<!DOCTYPE html> Mission | bradfordnaz top of page Church Center <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> Mission Not by force or by strength, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty... Zechariah 4:6 We desire to become.. a praying church to have intimacy with God and follow His voice We desire to become... a church that depends on God's strength to build things for the Kingdom not the world We desire to become... a church that hears the struggles of others to have a heart and brokeness for others We desire to become... a loving church to show others the heart of ChristSource ↗
about_us
<!DOCTYPE html> About Us | bradfordnaz top of page Church Center <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> WHO WE ARE Founded in 1904, Bradford First Church of the Nazarene was started by residents in the area to help make Christ-like disciples in Bradford, PA. Though there is not as much oil, there is still much life left in the city waiting to be revived! The goal is simple...Reach up to Reach Out. The plan is uncomplicated...be a church built on prayer, word, and worship so that we can be missionaries to our community. The method is challenging....live in surrender to Jesus Christ. ISource ↗
about
--> About Us | bradfordnaz top of page Church Center WHO WE ARE Founded in 1904, Bradford First Church of the Nazarene was started by residents in the area to help make Christ-like disciples in Bradford, PA. Though there is not as much oil, there is still much life left in the city waiting to be revived! The goal is simple...Reach up to Reach Out. The plan is uncomplicated...be a church built on prayer, word, and worship so that we can be missionaries to our community. The method is challenging....live in surrender to Jesus Christ. If you haven't visited, we invite you to see for yourself howSource ↗
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