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The '''Church of the Nazarene''' is the largest Protestant church to emerge from the [[Holiness Movement]] in the [[United Methodist Church|Methodist church]], during the [[Third Great Awakening]]. It is the result of a merger, finalized in 1907 and 1908 at [[Pilot Point, Texas]], of several holiness sects which had sprung up in various parts of the United States beginning in 1886.<ref>The original name was the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene, but the word "Pentecostal" was dropped in 1919.</ref>

The '''Church of the Nazarene''' is the largest Protestant church to emerge from the [[Holiness Movement]] in the [[United Methodist Church|Methodist church]], during the [[Third Great Awakening]]. It is the result of several mergers (the majority of which took place during 1907-1908, with the final one at [[Pilot Point, Texas]] which is considered the official beginning of the denomination) of several holiness sects which had sprung up in various parts of the United States beginning in 1886.<ref>The original name was the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene, but the word "Pentecostal" was dropped in 1919.</ref>

Nearly all of these groups grew out of the National Holiness Movement which swept the country, and particularly the Methodist churches, after the Civil War. This movement was a protest against the decline in Methodism of emphasis on the Wesleyan doctrine of holiness or Christian perfection, and most of the persons drawn into the numerous groups formed as a result of the movement were Methodists. The holiness sects in the United States therefore share the Methodist tradition and genius and many of them retain parts of the Methodist polity.

Nearly all of these groups grew out of the National Holiness Movement which swept the country, and particularly the Methodist churches, after the Civil War. This movement was a protest against the decline in Methodism of emphasis on the Wesleyan doctrine of holiness or Christian perfection, and most of the persons drawn into the numerous groups formed as a result of the movement were Methodists. The holiness sects in the United States therefore share the Methodist tradition and genius and many of them retain parts of the Methodist polity.