NMI Mission Statement:

To mobilize the church in mission through praying, discipling, giving, and educating.

NMI Objectives:

To encourage people to pray for all efforts of world evangelization
To inform people of the world’s needs and what the church is doing to meet those needs
To challenge children and youth to learn about and participate in the mission of the church
To raise funds for mission outreach

Fast Facts

  • The Church of the Nazarene ministers in 162 world areas. The 2017 General Board approved the following world areas entered: Mesoamerica Region—Curaçao; Asia-Pacific Region—Singapore and Mongolia.*
  • In 2016, there were 700 missionaries originating from 50 world areas (including 253 long-term volunteers). Last year, 160 new missionaries were added. Of the missionary families, there are 309 missionary kids.*
  • 9,746 volunteers participated in missions in 2016. In addition to Global Serve, there were 285 short-term volunteers, 253 long-term volunteers, and 9,208 Work & Witness team members.
  • Churches in global mission areas numbered 30,574 churches (increase of 2.1 percent) with 2.47 million members (increase of 1.24 percent) in those areas.*
  • 471 districts have been established around the world with 28,674 clergy.*
  • 5 graduate seminaries, 30 undergraduate Bible/theological colleges, 14 liberal arts institutions, 2 nurses training colleges, and 1 teacher training college had a 2016 combined enrollment of 51,555 students globally.*
  • People were treated at community-based clinics and health care centers all over the world with concentrated efforts in India, Papua New Guinea, and Swaziland.*
  • 409 retired missionaries received pensions.*
  • NMI and JESUS Film Harvest Partners collaborated through WEF, which helped provide infrastructure for 710 Nazarene JESUS Film teams to share God’s love. In 2015–2016, the teams reported 3,338,852 evangelistic contacts. Of these contacts, 777,525 (23 percent of contacts) indicated decisions for Christ with 540,456 (70 percent of decisions) initial discipleship follow-ups. The teams started 8,756 preaching points in 2016.
  • NMI partnered with pastors, church boards, Global Mission, and Stewardship to help churches raise funds for the World Evangelism Fund during the 2016 fiscal year (FY): US $38.15 million.*
  • In 2016, 89 districts gave 5.5 percent of their income and beyond to the World Evangelism Fund. WEF giving beyond 5.5 percent invests in new world areas and in new works in the USA and Canada.
  • Missionary Health Care provided approximately US $442,850 in medical assistance for Nazarene missionaries (up 11 percent from FY 2015).
  • NMI partnered with World Mission Broadcast (WMB), giving approximately US $397,637 to provide radio, television, and Internet programs to share the gospel globally.
  • Nazarenes gave US $3.19 million in deputation offerings for missionaries, up 19.4 percent from FY 2015.
  • NMI generated approximately US $241,420 through Links, a vital personalized connection between churches and missionaries around the world.
  • Nazarenes gave US $2.46 million for Alabaster to fund construction projects in 2016. The Alabaster Offering is used in all six global regions. No Alabaster funds are used for administrative costs.
  • International Student Scholarship Fund (NMI 80th Anniversary project) provided 54 scholarships for students to attend Nazarene theological institutions globally.
  • NMI partnered with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to give more than US $8.67 million for disaster response and compassion projects around the world and to support 11,819 children through Child Development Centers and Pastor’s Kid programs. Churches sent 36,744 Crisis Care Kits and 7,200 School Pal-Paks.
  • NMI assisted Work & Witness in raising approximately US $2.14 million (up 5.8 percent from FY 2015) to deploy 702 teams, an average of 13 teams per week. 9,208 people participated in Work & Witness in 2016, donating 357 years of labor.
  • Nazarene churches around the world operated 1,318 pre-school, primary, and secondary schools with a total enrollment of 147,581 students.

* Supported either directly or indirectly by World Evangelism Fund (WEF).

Denominational statistics for 2016