ALABAMA  N. DISTRICT

The Alabama North District is a cooperating body of 70 multicultural Churches of the Nazarene joined together to glorify God.

The Birmingham and Tennessee Valley Mission Areas are primarily urban/suburban. The other four Mission Areas, (Central, Gadsden, Quad Cities, & Walker County) would be characterized as suburban/rural. Every Mission Area has its growth potential, especially in our African-American and Hispanic communities, which continue to grow in population throughout Alabama North. We are committed to starting 8 new churches by 2008-09. We are praying for God to send us and help us raise up these new pastors

We are on a skill-building journey into cross cultural relationships - working with persons of more than one cultural background - learning the connections we must make in order for our interactions to be healthy and meaningful. The approach is simple; connecting our heads (cognitive process), our hearts (emotional process), and hands (application process) to make disciples. This is not a new process for learning, but rather one that dates back to the earliest of recorded history. Deuteronomy 6 is a pivitol passage for both Jews & Christians. The fourth verse of the Shema, states, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one LORD; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your might." (RSV)

We believe that the purpose of every person is to bring glory to God by fulfilling the Great Commission mandate to “make disciples,” thus healthy churches are built.  We exist to influence, win and train as many people as possible for this redemptive purpose. Therefore, we schedule a number of leadership development (equipping and training) venues ministering to the total district family. Our district is committed to providing resources and counsel to our pastors and laity, encouraging them to discover what God is doing and joining Him there.

It's been almost two millennia since God chose twelve (12) ordinary men to revolutionize the concept of community.  This daring dozen put feet to faith and wings to prayer, turned the world upside down and introduced history to a new kind of community.

God had in mind a spiritual family, intimately connected with Him and with one another in an unstoppable  force partnering with the undeniable power of the Holy Spirit to engage the possibility of a transformed culture that was fully devoted to Christ.

God wants to weave each one of us into the fabric of this community and district; He wants us to explore the joy and the life that flows from partnering with the church and discover how God intended us to be a community that is to be an unstoppable, transforming force in every society on the planet.  It's church in a whole new light!

Finally, the Alabama North District seeks and desires pastors, who are passionate about their calling, results oriented and zealous about leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. We encourage every pastor to be on the front in their thinking, culturally relevant in their approach and compassionate about the Great Commission mandate to “make disciples.” A pastor who is willing to lead the way through humility, while being true to our denominational calling – “spreading Scriptural holiness”, seeking to see the lost saved, sanctified and sent forth, will function well on this district.

We assist churches in the accomplishment of their Biblical mission mandate; providing channels for cooperative ministry in North Alabama, the state, the S.E. Region and the world.

While we get our name from Jesus of Nazareth, you might be asking what in the world is a modern-day Nazarene? Well…

• We are not Baptists, but like the Baptists, we believe in calling people to repentance and to witnessing to their new life in Christ through public baptism.
• We are not Presbyterians, but like the Presbyterians we believe in the power of the preaching of the Word of God to bring about change in people’s lives. 
• We are not Lutherans, but like the Lutherans we believe in salvation through Jesus Christ on the authority of Scripture alone, in salvation by faith alone and in salvation as a gift of God’s grace alone. 
• We are not Charismatics, no, we do not “speak in tongues” in our services – but like the Charismatics we believe in the gifts of the Spirit, who gives people the power to live a Christ-like life and to make a real difference in their world.
• We are not Episcopalians,  although John Wesley was a lifelong Anglican – but like the Episcopalians we take worship seriously (we just choose to be a little less “formal” in our worship services).
• We are not Quakers or Moravians, but like these pietistic groups, we believe in living a careful life that testifies to the watching world that we belong to the Family of God.
•  And we are not United Methodists, although we have our roots in the Methodist tradition that grew out of John Wesley’s revival movement in the 1700’s. We have good fellowship with our United Methodist “cousins”, but we are organizationally separate for historical reasons.

WHO WE ARE

• Beliefs
• Churches
• Core Values
• District Assembly
• District Boards
• District Calendar
• District Officers
• D. S. Rickey's Itinerary
• D.S. Report - 2006 Assembly
• Historical Reflections
• Life Issues
• Ministers & Mates
• Our Online Community
• Prayer Concerns
• Teams