Congregation

Our mission at The Nest is to be a community of grace and hospitality, helping all people feel welcome and accepted, and moving together toward wholeness through the love of Jesus Christ.  Part of that is hosting Middletown Church of the Nazarene.

The Church of the Nazarene

Both Ryan and Katelynn grew up (pastors' kids) in the Church of the Nazarene, a Wesleyan-Holiness denomination, with 2.5 million members in almost 200 countries around the world.  Ryan is an ordained minister in the denomination and The Nest is officially a "church-type mission," that operates directly under the authority of the Mid-Atlantic District Church of the Nazarene.  

If you want to learn more about the Church of the Nazarene, we'd love to talk to you, but there are no membership or belief requirements for participation with The Nest.

The Church of the Nazarene has Articles of Faith with more detailed theology, but, at its core, Nazarene theology is committed to the idea that human beings can have the kind of right relationships (with God, each other, and the world around us) we were created to have; that there is no depth of love, joy, peace, wisdom, or understanding that remains beyond our reach, because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and God’s active work in the world.

The Agreed Statement of Belief (basic affirmations for membership) are as follows:

-One God - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

-The Old and New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living.

-Human beings are born with a fallen nature, and are, therefore, inclined to evil, and that continually.

-The finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost.

-The atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race; and that whosoever repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and regenerated and saved from the

dominion of sin.

-That believers are to be sanctified wholly, subsequent to regeneration, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

-The Holy Spirit bears witness to the new birth, and also to the entire sanctification of believers.

-Our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place.

Don't worry if you've still got some questions about these - anyone, of any belief, is welcome to participate in worship and community life at The NEST!

Foundation and Purpose

At The Nest, we confess “Jesus Christ is Lord.” This is the only Christian creed contained in the Bible itself, and while not every Christian agrees with precisely what that means, we can be united by our shared commitment to follow Christ with our whole hearts.

Many of Jesus’ teachings can be found in other traditions and from other teachers, but one profoundly unique idea he brought into the world is the concept of loving our enemies. With that as a core foundation, we are driven to get along with each other. Starting with our family, friends, and neighbors, we seek to live in peace and enlarge the circle of community as much as we possibly can.

All are welcome here.

*The COVID experience has revealed to us how vulnerable some members of our community are to illness and disease - not just during a pandemic, but all the time.  We're committed to making the Nest a safe space for as many people as possible.  If there are medical or physical accommodations you require to participate, we'd consider it an honor to do whatever we can to make you feel welcome.*

LGBT+ Inclusion

Currently, the policy in the Church of the Nazarene is that LGBTQ+ members must be committed to celibacy in order to fully and officially participate in the ministry of the denomination; same sex marriages and relationships are not sanctioned. Ryan and Katelynn (and The Nest) disagree with this position and are committed to prayerfully and patiently work towards the inclusion of all people equally in the Church of the Nazarene.

This is a tricky issue, especially in the conservative, evangelical culture of our denomination, which encompasses congregations from almost 200 countries around the world. Recently, delegates to the international General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to remove much of the hateful, derogatory, and uncharitable language from our Manual with regards to the Queer community. While the policies are still not what we desire, this move shows how love is working within the Church of the Nazarene and that our members continue to respond to God’s guidance, even if things do not move as quickly as we’d like.

One of the great hallmarks of our denomination (which has been home to Ryan and Katelynn for many generations), is a commitment to unity and kindness towards one another. In that Spirit, we continue to participate in a denomination with which we disagree on this issue, largely because there is so much that unites us – namely a tireless call to live in imitation of the radical, sacrificial love of Christ.

Sexual orientation and gender identity are not mentioned anywhere in the Church of the Nazarene’s Articles of Faith or in the Agreed Statement of Belief required for membership. Ryan is not permitted to officiate same-sex unions, but there are no limits to full participation in what we do at The Nest.

All are welcome here, and we are committed to seeing all welcome everywhere as soon as possible.