page_title: History of the Church of the Nazarene
section_title: International growth
hierarchical_section_title: History of the Church of the Nazarene / History / International growth
caption_attribution_description: English: Former headquarters of Church of Nazarenne in Kansas City
context_page_description: The history of the Church of the Nazarene has been divided into seven overlapping periods by the staff of the Nazarene archives in Lenexa, Kansas: Parent Denominations; Consolidation; Search for Solid Foundations; Persistence Amid Adversity; Mid-Century Crusade for Souls; Toward the Post-War Evangelical Mainstream; and Internationalization.
context_section_description: Even before the merger of October 1908, the parental bodies of the Church of the Nazarene had a vision to be an international  denomination. International expansion began in India in 1898 by missionaries sponsored by the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America. By 1908, there were churches in Canada and organized work in India, Swaziland, Cape Verde, and Japan, soon followed by work in central Africa, Mexico, and China. The 1915 mergers added congregations in the British Isles and work in Cuba, Central America, and South America. There were congregations in Syria and Palestine by 1922. General Superintendent Reynolds advocated "a mission to the world," and support for world evangelization became a distinguishing characteristic of Nazarene life.  Taking advantage of new technologies, the church began producing the Showers of Blessing radio program in the 1940s, followed by the Spanish broadcast La Hora Nazarena and later by broadcasts in other languages. From the 1940s through the 1980s, indigenous holiness churches in other countries continued to join the church.
  At the time of the 50th anniversary of the denomination in October 1958, a total of 19.8% of all Nazarenes lived outside the continental United States. In 1981 the figure was 28.3%. In late 1991 there were one million members of the denomination globally, with 43% living outside the USA. By 2000 the church's membership was just under 1.4 million, with the church's membership outside the USA doubling in the previous decade, and now comprising 53% of total global church membership. In June 2009, 64 percent of Nazarene members and 80 percent of the church's 429 districts are outside the United States. More than 20% Nazarenes are from Africa, and more than 20% Nazarenes speak Spanish as their first language.
  In 2009, the church is located in 155 "world areas" (approximately equivalent to nations). At the 2009 annual meeting of the General Board, it was decided that the denomination would enter the following new nations: Guinea-Conakry (Africa Region), Niger (Africa Region); Moldova (Eurasia Region), and Norway (Eurasia Region). Each week Nazarenes  worship in more than 212 languages or tribal languages, with literature produced  in 90 of these. The Church of the Nazarene reaches out to persons around the globe through the Internet, radio broadcasts in 33 languages, and video and printed materials in 95 languages. In 2008, there were 794 General Board-funded missionaries (active, retired, regional, Mission Corps volunteers, and "tentmakers") for the Church of the Nazarene. These missionaries originate from 26 world areas. In 2008, 508 Mission Corps (formerly Nazarenes in Volunteer Service) volunteers, including 23 "tentmakers," ministered in 51 world areas.
caption: Former International Headquarters of the Church of the Nazarene, Kansas City
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