GENERAL ASSEMBLY ISSUE T'l& tv C Jvw tc/ie4' “At times it felt as if we were in a high- f f i i y t V '' wire act with no safety nets! Our family left everything we had known in the e k e * t t \ Midwest—selling the only home we had ever owned and leaving all our family— ^e e i to o ta /rfr to go to an area where we knew no one to start a new congregation. We really a r \ e w cJ vm /I cJ v felt like missionaries. Even though it was only 2,000 miles, it seemed like 20,000!” The Family Church of the Nazarene was launched on Easter Sunday, April 19, with Rev. Jim Dorsey as founding pastor. The new church had 178 for its first public worship service. On its fourth anniversary of ministry, the church met in the new junior high school gymnasium in Rancho Santa Margarita. There were 473 present for the worship service. The church’s total enrollment has now climbed to over 2,000. For more information on NewStart, call toll free for a COMPLIMENTARY copy of Starting Strong New Churches— 1-888-697-8278 (N-W-S-T-A-R-T) Rev. Jim Dorsey with wife, Rhonda, and two daughters —Rachel (14) and Lydia (10). GENERAL ASSEMBLY EDITION, JUNE 1997 VOLUME 86, NO. 6 T h e Church Reflects on the Past, the Present, and Its Possibilities 14 The Way We Were . THEY SHARED A DREAM In spite of the chaos of a century in which "farmers became theologians, offbeat village youth became bishops, and odd girls became prophets,” the Church of the Nazarene emerged with a God-sent dream of a “believers’” church that preached and lived scriptural holiness. STAN INGERSOL 20 The Way We Are . WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR DREAM? What if those intrepid dreamers who put the Church of the Nazarene together at Pilot Point returned to ask you what today’s Nazarenes have done with their dream? What would you say? NEIL B. WISEMAN 26 The Way We Hope to Be . COME SHARE THE DREAM If you long to be part of something bigger than yourself, come share our dream. Help us make it happen. HOWARD CULBERTSON Wisdom from Retiring Leaders 8 Treasures and Promises JERALD D. JOHNSON 10 We Live in Privileged Times DONALD D. OWENS 20 Holiness Feature 34 The Secret of Holy Living WILLIAM M. GREATHOUSE Departments 3 Signs, MICHAEL R. ESTEP 4 Editor’s Choice, w esley d. tracy 29 Creative Brooding, dean nelson 30 General Superintendent’s Viewpoint, iames h. diehl 32 In a Woman’s Voice, rebecca laird 39 Evangelists’ Slates 26 43 Into the Word, roger l. hahn 44 The Unheralded, i. w e s l e y e b y COVER PHOTO: 46 Words of Faith, rob l. staples SIS/Rafal Olbinski henever youth sing, this is the source! I III FEATURES INCLUDE: I Song Selection— 102 of the best songs, with artist favorites, praise songs, choruses, and great new songs. The artists and writers include Audio Adrenaline, Rich Mullins, Newsboys, Al Denson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Clay Crosse, Twila Paris, Michael W. Smith, and many more. ■ Lots of Uses!— Group singing, youth choir, solos ... anytime youth sing. H Companion Products— Here is everything you’ll need to use these songs in your program: S0NGB00K— melody, lyrics, keyboard accompaniment, and chord symbol . HHMB-748 $9.99 WORDS-ONLY EDITION— lyrics for all 102 songs in a convenient, value-priced book .................................................................................................................... HHMB-748A $2.99 SPLIT-CHANNEL CASSETTES, 3-pack, or SPLIT-CHANNEL CDs, 4-pack All 102 songs on three cassettes or four discs. The split-channel format is useful for listening, sing-along, or accompaniment. CASSETTES (3-pack)....................................................................................HHTA-9214S $34.99 CDS (4-pack) ..................................................................................................HHDC-9214S $49.99 RHYTHM CHARTS.................................................................................................... HHOR-9214 $100.00 H 25 BEST OF THE BEST Cassette or CD— The 25 hottest songs on a single stereo cassette or CD. Great listening! CASSETTE ......................................................................................................HHTA-9214C $10.99 CD .......................................................................................................................HHDC-9214 $15.99 Above All Else I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE Praise Him, Praise Him All That I Need TO THE LAMB SEEK FIRST ASK, SEEK, KNOCK I WAITED PATIENTLY Seek Ye First Awesome God I Want to Be a History Maker SHINE Be Bold, Be Strong I Will Call upon the Lord Shine, Jesus, Shine Get a Be the One I Will Lift High Shine Out the Light BIG HOUSE I Will Stand Shoes COMPLETE BUILD A BRIDGE I'M NOT ASHAMED Sing, Shout, Clap Carry the Light I'm Yours Sing unto the Lord Youth Music Carry the Torch I've Got Something to Say Spring Up, O Well Celebrate Jesus If God Is for Us Stand Up and Shout Program in CHANGE MY HEART, In the Presence Step by Step OGOD JESUS IS A RIVER OF LOVE STUFF OF HEAVEN One Convenient Your Hands Jesus Is Lord of the Way I Feel The Kingdom of Our God Are Facts Jesus Is the Rock Has Come For the Sake of the Call Package! JESUS. YOU ALONE THERE IS POWER IN Friends ARE W ORTHY From the Rising of the Sun THE BLOOD Joy! EACH PACKAGE God Is Gonna Finish Just Thy Word King Jesus Is All What He Started TRUST IN THE LORD CONTAINS Lean on Me God Is in Control Victory Chant Leaning on the Everlasting 2 songbooks, 20 God Still Moves We Are Standing Arms God Will Make a Way We Are the Light words-only editions, and Let Me Love You God’s Not Dead What a Mighty God We Serve Let Me See a complete split-channel Great Is the Lord WHATEVER HE WANTS He Will Carry You Let My Life Be the Praise recording (cassettes Lifting Up My Voice WILLING HEART HERE IS MY HEART WORSHIP YOU IN SPIRIT or CDs). Hidden Treasure Lord, Be Glorified YOU ARE MY ALL IN ALL Higher Ground LORD, I LIFT YOUR You Are the One ■ ALL THE BEST HIS LOVE IS STRONG NAME ON HIGH You're the Reason We Sing His Strength Is Perfect May Your Presence Purify Cassette Youthpack Hosanna My Heart Hosanna, You're My Turn Now HHM0-87 (a $114.77 value) the King No Fear SONGS ONLY $99.99 I AM SOMEBODY NOT ASHAMED I BELIEVE NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD INCLUDED ■ ALL THE BEST I BELIEVE IN JESUS O Lord, My Rock I Build My Life on You O THE BLOOD OF JESUS ON CD Youthpack I Give All to You Only You HHMD-88 (a $129.77 value) I Humble Myself Before You Open Our Eyes 2 5 B E S T O F I Love You, Lord PASS IT ON ONLY $114.99 I Love You, 0 My Lord Pharaoh, Pharaoh TH E BEST. S fr x t ® To order call 1-800-877-0700 Signs June 1997 • Whole No. 3561 • Vol. 86, No. 6 Editor, Wesley D. Tracy Managing Editor, J. Wesley Eby Administrative Secretary Mrs. Duncan Carolyn S. Hampton them, prays for them, and encourages Director MICHAEL R. ESTEP them even when life takes them far Division of Communications Michael R. Estep away from their home church. One such family ended up with four General Superintendents children being in ministry for the Jerald D. Johnson Church of the Nazarene. Each one of John A. Knight them has been influenced by Mrs. William J. Prince Duncan. The three sons, each one liv­ Donald D. Owens ing in different communities across James H. Diehl middle America, pastor growing Paul G. Cunningham Michael R. Estep is director of the Com­ churches. They are blessed, because munications Division, Church o f the for years Mrs. Duncan prayed for Bible quotations in this issue: Nazarene. Unidentified quotations are from the KJV. Quota­ them, encouraged them, and prodded tions from the following translations are used by them to be all God wanted them to be. permission: The daughter ended up serving the (n a s b ) From the New American Standard Bible, © 1960,1962.1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975, church for 12 years, handling diverse 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. responsibilities at the International (n iv ) From the Holy Bible. New International Center. In every one of her assign­ Versiorf (n iv ® ). Copyright © 1973,1978,1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of ments, she has had the privilege of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. W onder what Mrs. Duncan would creating and working on numerous ( n k jv ) From the New King James Version. Copyright think? A very good question. teams to develop programs that have © 1979,1980,1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. It is not often one person can epito­ ( n r s v ) From the New Revised Standard Version of been used in Nazarene churches the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Chris­ mize all that is good and around the world. tian Education of the National Council of the holy in a single moment As the programs are Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. to impact a decision in developed and discussed, (Phillips) From The New Testament in Modern En­ Sh e and her glish, Revised Student Edition, by J. B. Phillips, the Church of the one person comes to translator. Copyright 1958,1960,1972 by J. B. Nazarene. But in a little Phillips. Reprinted with the permission of the mind, and the final ques­ Macmillan Publishing Company. northern West Virginia husband have tion to be answered is: ( r s v ) From the Revised Standard Version of the town, a small but ener­ “What would Mrs.