Historical Statement

Life Spring Community Church is a member of the Church of the Nazarene denomination, an orthodox Protestant church in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition. The beliefs of the Church of the Nazarene are traced back to the 1700's when John Wesley and his followers rediscovered the biblical understanding of holiness that had been overlooked by the Protestant Reformation. The Methodists (the Church formed from Wesley's teachings), brought the doctrine of Entire Sanctification to American soil and it spread across the frontier. Much later, it even spread to other denominations.

The Methodists slowly lost their zeal for the doctrine until it was no longer a distinction of that denomination. Around that time, several small independent groups sprang up for the purpose of carrying on the holiness tradition.

The Church of the Nazarene, as a denomination, was born in 1908 at Pilot Point, Texas. The birth was more accurately a merger of several of these smaller denominations that held to the distinction of Entire Sanctification. They all believed that any Christian who consecrated him/herself to God, would receive from the Holy Spirit the empowerment to live a holy life this side of Heaven. This was called a second work of grace in the believer's life, justification being the first. The initial merger in 1907 was followed by more mergers as other smaller groups, who held this same distinctive, also joined the Church of the Nazarene. We proudly maintain that same position today.

Today, the Church of the Nazarene is an international church: "in 140 world areas," with an international membership of over 1.3 million, and "is committed to higher education with
- Nine colleges or universities in the US and Canada
- A bible college and a seminary in the US
- 43 bible colleges and seminaries around the world"

There are several denominations today that have a nearly identical doctrine the doctrine of Entire Sanctification that is held by the Church of the Nazarene. A few are listed below:
~ Free Methodists
~ The Salvation Army
~ Wesleyans
~ Church of God (Andersen, not Pentecostal)

Some well known Christians have come from denominations that teach sanctification as a second work of grace are John Maxwell (gifted conference speaker on leadership), James Dobson (Founder and host of Focus On The Family), Crystal Lewis (Christian pop singer), Steve Green (Inspirational singer), the Darians (Christian pop group), and more.