Nazarene Church Headquarter to Relocate After 50 Years
''This decision clearly ranks as one of the top-five historic happenings in the history of the Church of the Nazarene'' -- Jesse C. Middendorf
In a move described as “one of the top-five historic happenings in the history of the Church of the Nazarene,” the denomination’s top global representatives voted to relocate the church’s headquarters, during a General Board meeting at Kansas City, Missouri, Feb. 28, 2005.
Talks to relocate, renovate or rebuild the 50-year-old Nazarene headquarters have been underway for over a year. According to Nazarene news, the “three aging buildings and escalating maintenance costs forced the Church to look for ways to upgrade.”
“We’re in an active mode to raise funds and to build, because our facilities need help,” General Secretary and Headquarters Operations Officer Jack Stone told the Kansas City Star one year ago. “The shelf life of our current buildings is up.”
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At the General Board meeting, the 42 global delegates voted on two ballots in regards to the headquarters.
In the first ballot, which asked the delegates to choose whether to renovate, rebuild or relocate the office, some 95% of the voting members decided on the last option.
Once the decision to relocate was finalized, the delegates were asked to vote on whether the denomination would relocate to the property owned by the General Church in Lenexa, Kansas.
The second ballot read “The Headquarters Relocation Study Committee of the General Board, in consultation with the Board of General Superintendents, recommends that Nazarene Headquarters be relocated to property presently owned by the Church at 95th and Renner in Lenexa, Kansas, under the direction of the Board of General Superintendents and the Executive Committee of the General Board.”
After some time of debate and discussion, the body voted 27 to 15 to support the recommendation.
Following the decision, the Nazarene General Superintendent Jesse C. Middendorf told Nazarene Church News that “this decision clearly ranks as one of the top-five historic happenings in the history of the Church of the Nazarene”
The General Board meeting was held from February 27 to March 2.
