2009 General Secretary/GMC Operations Officer report

Global Ministry Center

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Highlights of the 2009 General Secretary/Global Ministries Center Operations Officer report, presented to the General Board during its 87th Session, February 19-22, 2010:

David Wilson, General Secretary/GMC Operations Officer

In his third report as general secretary, David Wilson lists the following:

2009 Highlights:

The most significant event in 2009 was the 27th General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando, Florida. The spirit of these meetings was extraordinary due to an unusual prayer effort, unprecedented cooperation among Global Ministry Center personnel, and a willingness to work on the part of the delegates. Many have said to me that the worship during convention week and on Sunday was the best they could remember, and set the tone beautifully for business. The first moments of the initial plenary meeting were spent in corporate prayer and God honored us with His presence every time we gathered. We had some surprises throughout the week and some challenges, but God had His hand on the whole experience.

I will never forget the joy on the faces of the African delegates when Dr. Eugenio Duarte was elected general superintendent and the emotions that stirred in my heart as I escorted him to the platform - our first non-North American general superintendent! I will always remember the affirmation I felt as Dr. David Graves and Dr. Stan Toler were elected to the Board of General Superintendents. God has blessed us with an outstanding group of men to lead our denomination in these early days of our second century.

Another highlight in 2009 was the work of the General Board on legislation stemming from the "white paper" and approval of a new apportionment plan for the denomination. The General Secretary's Office has cooperated with the Board of General Superintendents and others to implement these changes. The General Board bylaws recommendations reflect the efforts made to execute the Board's decisions.

A third highlight of the year was the initial effort in globalizing the General Secretary's office. A new Annual Pastors Report (APR) was developed for implementation in the spring of 2010. This report will be used by all pastors around the world. 

I had the privilege of traveling to the Asia-Pacific Region to meet with regional leaders to discuss ways for the General Secretary's Office to interface more with regional personnel. My visit coincided with a leaders' conference in Malaysia that enabled me to meet nearly every district superintendent, field strategy coordinator, and regional program coordinator for Asia-Pacific. Regional Director Verne Ward and his wife Natalie were outstanding hosts. Regional visits are currently scheduled in 2010 for Eurasia and Africa.

The outstanding team in the General Secretary's Office is determined to serve the church well and to be a source of blessing and vital information for all who contact us.


Statistics

Statistics are important because they are one measurement of progress for an organization.  For the year 2009 the Church of the Nazarene reports the following:

• 17,277 organized churches - 6.59 % net gain
• 1,945,542 members (1,749,223 full and 196,319 associate members); 5.89 % gain
• 165,661 new Nazarenes
• $938,972,000 was paid for all purposes
• $482.63 is worldwide per capita giving
• 712 new ministers credentialed
• 31 additional ministers' credentials recognized
• 34 new deacons ordained

There are 438 districts of the Church of the Nazarene around the world. Of these, 183 are Phase 3; 101 are Phase 2; and 129 are Phase 1. There are also 25 pioneer areas. Our office provided most of these districts with services, supplies, and assistance in organizing for their annual assemblies and in reporting their work. The accompanying chart shows additional statistics (pdf): click here.

 

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