Eastern Nazarene College

Nazarene Higher Education

Because many people inquiring about Eastern Nazarene College are unfamiliar with our sponsoring denomination, this information is designed to provide a basic introduction to the Church of the Nazarene. It should be noted that students attending Eastern Nazarene College are not required to be Nazarenes or Protestants. Furthermore, it is not ENC’s purpose to transform non-Nazarene students into Nazarene students. But students attending ENC need to be aware of the college’s strong Christian orientation and atmosphere. Students also need to be sympathetic to the overall mission of ENC, which is “…to provide the resources for a liberal arts education and life-long learning in an environment which awakens and fosters truth, righteousness, justice, and holiness, as they reflect the life which has been transformed by God’s Grace through Jesus Christ…by equipping people for Christian leadership and service to humankind.”

What is a Nazarene?

The church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Protestant denomination with its roots in eighteenth century Methodism. Focusing on John Wesley’s doctrine of the Spirit-filled life, the Church of the Nazarene emerged at the turn of the twentieth century from numerous independent Wesleyan groups. Currently the denomination has a worldwide membership of approximately 1,073,000 (over 590,000 in the United States) with over 10,600 congregations worldwide (over 5,200 in the USA). The Church of the Nazarene sponsors eight fully accredited liberal arts colleges in the United States with a total enrollment of over 10,000 students.

What do Nazarenes Believe?

• In one God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• That the Old and New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living.
• That man is born with a fallen nature, and is, therefore, inclined to sin.
• That the finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost.
• That the atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race; and that whosoever repents and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is justified, regenerated, and saved from the dominion of sin.
• That the Holy Spirit of God can control our lives, will lead us to Christian maturity, and will work to make us perfect in love as we surrender to Him.
• That Jesus Christ will return for those who have experienced the new life in Him.