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A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH CHALLENGED BY CHANGE
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ABSTRACT

A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH CHALLENGED BY CHANGE

By
JOSeph Nielson

The conservative church analyzed in this thesis is
the Church of the Nazarene. It is a holiness church that
has been "raised up" to conserve the doctrine of holiness
of the Wesley tradition. The thrust of the theme is directed
to the questions: Is the Church of the Nazarene relevant
to today's society and does the capacity for change permit
the Church to maintain relevance in a dynamic world society?

Elements of social system theory are used in the -
following manner:

Part I endeavors to analyze the structural-functional
categories of believing, norming, ranking, and sanctioning.
These categories are shown to be so interrelated that a
change in one creates a ramifying change in all of them.

Part II describes the processual dimensions of the
social system.‘ The concepts explored are communicating,
institutionalizing, systemic-linking, boundary maintaining,
socializing, and controlling. This part is designed to
show the intra-relationship of the church within its bound-

aries and the interrelationship of the church with other

Joseph Nielsen

systems. The processes indicate the sequenciality of inter-
action within and without the church.

Part III utilizes the conflict categories of changing
and relating. The resolution of conflict by changing to a
more relevant position in a society moving toward a social
ethic and maintaining a conservative commitment is the thrust
of this final section.

The conclusion drawn from the discussion is that if
a conservative church is to remain relevant in the midst
of change it will need to deve10p a functional-sectarianism
in conjunction with a structural denominationalism. In
order to do this the processual dimensions should be articu-
lated in such a way as to allow for a variety of behavior

patterns but keep the values sacred.

A CONSERVATIVE CHURCH CHALLENGED
BY CHANGE

Byfii
V‘H
Joseph.Nielson

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

College of Social Science

L DEDICATION

To my wife Esther who gave encouragement and
assisted in typing and discussion, and to Becky and Mark

our two children.

11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Having embarked on a doctoral program after fifteen
years in the ministry of the Church of the Nazarene, I wish
to thank the professors of Michigan State University who
patiently instructed me in the scientific method and
allowed for my lapses in the thought processes of the
religionist.

I wish to acknowledge the influences of Dr. Allan
Beagle, Dr. Charles Hoffer, Dr. James McKee, in guiding
my program fOr the Master of Arts degree.

I wish also to acknowledge the guidance of Dr. Allan
Beagle, Dr. Jay Artie, Dr. Charles Hughes, and Dr. Robert
Anderson who comprised my doctoral committee. Our relation-
ships have been meaningful to me as I have pursued my

doctoral degree.

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
PART I'- STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES . . . . . 16
l. BELIEVING . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2. NORMING . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2h

3. RANKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

h- SANCTIONING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C9
SUMMARY ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
PART II - PROCESSUAL DIMENSIONS . . . . . . . . . . 58
s. COMMUNICATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

6. SYSTEMIC LINKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

7. BOUNDARY MAINTAINING . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

8. SOCIALIZING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7S

9. INSTITUTIONALIZING . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

10. SOCIAL CONTROLLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
PART III‘- CONFLICT CATEGORIES . . . . . . . . . . . 93
ll. 'CHANGINC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Believing and Changing . . . . . . . . . . 99

Banking and Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Norming and Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Sanctioning and Changing . . . . . . . . . 10h

12. RELATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

iv

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BIuIOGmHYOOCO0.00COCOOOO
ArPENDIx.‘................

Page
120
122

INTRODUCTION

Something called religion, some organized system of
beliefs and behaviors oriented toward a reality different
from, and believed to be superior to that of the ordinary
life, is found in every society. From the beginning of time
mankind has stood in awe and wonder before the majesty of
nature. Mankind has pondered life and death. In all soci-
eties mankind has collectively shared a sense of awe before
something that seems to transcend the ordinary and mundane,
an ultimate that is beyond that which is human. No one has
defined this phenomenon to the satisfaction of everyone.

Yet the reality of the experience we call religious is not
to be doubted; for many peOple it is perhaps the ultimately
”real" experience of their lives.

The nature of that experience has been variously
described by theologians, sociologists, and anthrOpologists.
To Emile Durkheim, its core was the experience of the sacred,
a domain set apart from the commonplace attitudes and
activities of profane everyday life. To Paul Tillich,
religion was the domain of ultimate concerns, and the
encounter with God was an experience of the wholly other.

To Rudolf Otto, it was the encounter with the holy, a living
irreducible force. (32:311) It may be said that for the

believer religious experience involves the attainment of a
communion with those ultimate realities and powers that
underlie and give meaning to the perceptible realities of
everyday life, whether those realities be conceived in
personal terms as a God, in metaphysical terms as the ground
of being, or in social terms as society itself. Dispelling
the uncertainties of life is one of the major concerns of
religion everywhere. (lS:Romans 1:19-20) Some of the forms
religion takes may appear naive, others bizarre, and still
others quite sOphisticated, but religion beneath its external
dress is essentially much the same for all mankind. (l:h82)
Robert Bellah defines religion as a set of symbolic forms
and acts which relate man to the ultimate conditions of his
existence. (h:359)

The first great concern about religion by sociologists
was less with a problem and more with an assumption: that
religion was necessary for society, for it welded people
together by their sharing of a common conception of the
sacred. Thus, religion was socially unifying. (ZquIB)

This orientation gave rise to religion as a social institution
and emerged from extensive studies of primitive and ancient
religions, less by sociologists than by anthropologists and
other scholars. By bringing men into contact with a realm

of ultimate reality religion offers a haven of stability in
the face of uncertainty. Also, membership in a community

of believers provides the social and emotional ground for

the creation of a secure identity. Through doctrines and
teachings religion supplies authoritative reference points
to guide men through life. Religion also involves obligation
which may sanctify the norms of society. It also performs
identity functions. (32:3lh) These functional aspects are
all present in a culturally homogeneous society, such as
the primitive societies of anthropological studies. These
functional dimensions of religion serve to legitimate the
societal structure. It also becomes a cohesive force in
maintaining personal identity and social identification for
the individual and the society.

In a society like the United States religious identi-
fication as Protestants, Catholics, and Jews has become a
means for deveIOping group identification as well as group
participation in the larger society. Will Herberg in his
book Protestant, Catholic, and Jew shows the pluralistic
functioning of religion in America which becomes, in part,

a common mode of participation in a commonly shared American
way of life. (32:31h) In this sense religion can become
dysfunctional as well as functional since competition can
arise. People will kill and fight in the name of religion.

It may impede progress and change by providing consolation

and quietism. Thus, the equilibrium model in the primitive
society and in a pluralistic society like the United States
needs to be examined and analyzed for dysfunctional attributes

as well as functional dimensions.

h

With these thoughts in mind it is the purpose of this
thesis to analyze the Church of the Nazarene, a church having
roots deep in American society. The Church of the Nazarene
is a "conservative" denomination of protestantism. It is
conservative in both meanings of the term. First, it is
to the right in belief And ritual. Second, it is stated in
the Church.Manual that it has been "raised up" to conserve
the doctrine of holiness of the Wesley tradition.

One look at the Articles of Faith in the manual of
the churCh (7:27) makes it very evident that the Bible is
accepted as the only Canon of Scripture setting forth the
"rule of faith and conduct." The belief in the "plenary"
(7:35) interpretation of scripture is decidedly a conservative
characteristic of right wing protestantism. The Bible is the
final authority for belief and behavior.

The Church explicitly states (7:27) that its intention
is to preserve the faith once delivered to the saints and
especially the doctrine and experience of sanctification as
a second work of grace. This "conservative" stance in
preserving the past in belief and practice places the church
in the camp of conservative protestantism in America.

Although its roots are deep in American culture,
the Church of the Nazarene has become a world encompassing
organization through extensive missionary work and evange—
listic activity. This conservative stance in American society

has been institutionalized for all cultures both primitive

S

and advanced around the world. Not only has the Church
institutionalized these concepts in other cultures, it has
been obliged to come to grips with a dynamic technological
society in America. Technology, social organization, and

the American belief system of pluralism have thrust the Church
into interactive relationships that have threatened some of
the conservative characteristics of belief and behavior. In
such a dynamic world the position of the Church is under
constant pressure to change its moorings to accommodate the
acceleration of change in the world society.

The following pages will be an attempt to analyze
the Church of the Nazarene from the standpoint of such obser-
vations: its conservatism in a changing world and the
interaction of these two variables. In the process of
analysis anthropological, sociological, and religious concepts
will be applied in order to focus attention on the Church of
the Nazarene in a changing world society.

The first set of observations will center around
structural functional categories. The second set of obser-
vations will center around processes that serve to articulate
the structural-functional relationships. The structural-
functional categories will include the believing process of
cognitive mapping. Another category for analysis will be
the category of norming with the process of evaluation. A
third category under consideration will be ranking with

emphasis on status-role and social structure of the Church.

The fourth category is sanctioning and the application of
sanctions.

These structural-functional categories are articulated
by processes which pervade each category. The processes most
pertinent for this study are socialization with an emphasis
on the Church's educational system; institutionalization with
an emphasis on predictable and patterned behavior; communi-
cation with emphasis on publications and preaching; printed
and spoken word; recruitment with emphasis on conversion and
missionary activity; social control with emphasis on con-
straint of the deviant, and systemic linkage with emphasis
on interaction with other social systems.

After these considerations there will be a discussion
of the capacity for change within the Church of the Nazarene
as related to the rural-urban dichotomy. Finally, an
evaluation will be made of the fundamental questions: Is
the Church of the Nazarene relevant to today‘s society, and
does the capacity for change permit the ChurCh to maintain
relevance in a dynamic world society? With increasing
secularization a constant threat to the metaphysical input
of conservative religion is evident.

Each of the major dimensions just outlined is loaded
with socio-cultural dimensions. The Church in its missionary
efforts brings about change in primitive societies from
homogeneous socio-religious orientations. The very nature

of conversion to Christianity from the indigenous religion

has more implications than the conversion of one individual.
It is the beginning of an entirely new socio-religio cultural
system within that society. The repercussions of such an
invasion into a society can have far-reaching results. It
is not always clear whether a missionary church is aware of
these ramifications. When one element of a social system
is changed, all the elements are affected by that change.
When one person embraces the Christian religion, he becomes
a potential change agent in that social system. When this
occurs, conflict becomes a possibility. Conflict theory
becomes a viable reference point for analyzing the impact
of input of a pluralistic religious concept in a hitherto
homogeneous indigenous socio-religio-culture.

What on earth is happening out there, in
those 320,000 churches across the land? Instead
of rejoicing at the altars of the richest, most
powerful religious organizations in history, they
come to a funeral. Hurry-—change the neon from
Jesus Saves to God Is Dead. "All the church is
in ferment" said POpe Paul VI, who might have been
speaking to any major American denomination or
creed. But there is no agreement on the nature of
the brew. Some people declare that the churches
are posed on the brink of a New Reformation, even
in a world which has been called non-Christian,
post-ideological, post just about everything.
Others think the churches will mutter through,
but within the churches themselves today also
flourish small, highly vocal bands of latter-day
Jeremiahs who predict for organized religion that
ultimate of tragedies, decay and death with no
hope for an after-life. (lhghhl)

So states the Opening paragraph of the article by
Arthur Herzog, "The Church Trap." This article is not an

effort to alert peOple to a church trap that is about to be

sprung and clutch them in the jaws of the establishment.
Rather it is an effort to show that the church establishment
is caught in the jaws of the trap of ferment, unrest, revolu-
tion, and upheaval from which they are unable to extricate
themselves. There is no place for the church to hide. All
the alternatives of counter-attack lead to disillusionment
and unanswered questions. The dilemma of the church is a
religious question because it deals with the unanswered
ultimate question, "What of religion?" The question of
religion is a religious question because it deals with the
unconditioned in life. The unrest in religious circles

today is being fed by the input of secularization, technology,
advances in the behavioral sciences, and the question of
relevancy is the cry of youth and old alike. The old doc-
trines of original sin, absolute ethics, and regimented
rituals are being challenged. The protestant ethic of the
Reformation is being challenged by the social ethic of the
man on the street.

Many voices are being heard and many beckoning fingers
are calling for allegiance. Some voices of the past such as
Weber and Durkheim and some of the present, such as Yinger,
Niebuhr, and Buber are calling man to a point of relevance.
They are reviewed here in order to show the broad functional
categories of religion.

Anthropologists and sociologists have analyzed

religion from many and varied perspectives. Max Weber studied

religion from the anthropological-functional approach with
emphasis on the latent influence of religion on society.

His approach to religion is functional in that he notes the
various substructures or parts in the larger system of
society,noting how each influences the others, how the larger
system is maintained, how change comes about in one part, how
this influences the_other parts, and how society is then an
ongoing dynamic, complex process (18:82). According to Weber
religion functions as the focal pOint of social change.
Sometimes it is a conservative barrier to change, sometimes

a stabilizer for a society undergoing rapid change, and
sometimes a planter of the seeds of change. The role that
religion plays in change in any particular situation depends
on certain social characteristics of the believers. These
characteristics are referred to as asceticism and mysticism.
Asceticism involves a dissatisfaction with the social
structure coupled with a realisation that religion is a part
of that structure and a belief that salvation comes through

a rational endeavor to change these situations. Mysticism

is a renunciation of this world and of sensual contact with
it. Christianity, in its history, has been marked by several
periods of both mysticism and asceticism; whereas Judaism
since the first century A. D. has been characterized by

a "this-worldly" approach. Many historians see the asceticism
of Judaism as the prime mover in western man's scientific

evolution (18:85). The latent function of

10

religion is expressed in Weber's book, The Protestant Ethic
and the Spirit offiCgpitalism. Weber notes that modern
industrial capitalism seems to have arisen first in Protestant
countries, and he argues that one of the reasons was that
certain teachings of the early Protestants, especially those
of Calvin, created an ethic particularly useful for the
development of modern capitalism. The Protestant ethic was
not the only ethic to have taught the importance of work,

but it was peculiarly intense in its devotion to the idea
(332215).

Durkheim emphasized the sociological phenomenon of
collective behavior in religion. Durkheim wondered how
primitive man arrived at a concept of the divine--something
possessing supernatural powers, upon which man is dependent
andto which he owes absolute obedience. According to
Durkheim, the answer may be that to imagine divine beings,
man must experience something in his everyday life that has
the characteristics men attribute to their gods. Society
itself leads men to the idea of the divine. Like a god,
society has absolute moral authority over the individual;
it has its own ends which often override the desires of the
individual; it demands sacrifice and obedience; it seems to
exist over and above the individual and to be more powerful
than the individual. Society gives to man greater powers
than he would possess without it. Like a god, society is

both master and helper to man. Durkheim pointed to a special

11

relation between collective behavior and the origin of reli-
gious concepts and feelings. In collective behavior situations
the individual has the sense of being carried away by an
outside force.

For Durkheim society in its collective behavioral
characteristic becomes the god of man. A study of Totemism,
with its emphasis on nature objects representing the society,
is a source for Durkheim's ideas about religion. Societal
influence is so strong that the obedience and sacrifice
demanded by the society become answers to the ultimate ques-
tions of life embodied in divine beings as projections of
society. Durkheim defined religion, ”as a unified system of
beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, uniting into
a single moral community all those who adhere to those beliefs
and practices." (10:hl9) The religious group in many instances
is coextensive with the community.

Another approach to religion is the sociological-
functional approach of Milton Yinger, Louis Schneider and
Gearhard Lenski. Yinger's work represents not only an
analysis but also an assessment of the relative ability of
religion to function in the modern complex, urban society
of the twentieth century. Yinger paints a profile of the
conditions of twentieth century America while depicting the
institution of religion within it. He then indicates some
fruitful areas of research in the area of religion. In

essence, he asks how does religion function in our society?

12

Yinger makes observations about an increase in secularism
combined with an increase in church memberships and religious
consciousness. Also, he observes an increasing heterogeneity
of faith coupled with an increase in the homogeneity of
American values (18:88)-
In his book, Religion, Society, and the Individual,
Yinger writes,
Once again I must remark that those who define

religion solely in terms of individual salvation

are likely to dismiss this as an irrelevant state-

ment. Economic and political questions are no

concern to religion, they will argue; the growth

of slums at the heart of our metropolitan areas is

doubtless an unhappy event, but this has no bearing

on the problem of man's salvation. For my part, I

doubt if one can separate the functions in this way.

In search for some ultimate meaning to existence,

some system of belief that lends dignity to life

and makes its suffering less poignant, few men are

likely to be persuaded by a religion that disregards

the conflicts and institutions that make life harsh

and meaningless for many (38i36).

LLenski falls into the pattern of Yinger as a socio-
logical-functionalist in the study of religion. His studies
concerning class and religion and autonomy demonstrate his
interest in the ex-post facto behavior of religious belief
and affiliation. His book, The Religious Factor, relates
the results of many studies designed to show the influence
of religion.

Louis Schneider also leans in this direction. In
his book, Problems in the Sociology of Religion, he addresses
the instrumental value of religion. It is not that it works

that way but that the rational mind recognizes its function.

13

What was latent now becomes manifest. Religion is deliber-
ately utilized to serve us in this life for our earthly
aspirations and goals (2hs518).
Another overview of religion is represented by
Reinhold Niebuhr. His approach is concerned with ethics.
In his book, Moral Man and Immoral Society, the collective
society is a magnification of all the vices and egoisms of
the individuals involved. It is impossible to right social
wrongs at the conferenCe table because individuals themselves
behave morally only in the face of coercion. The same is
true with collectives of individuals. An industrial elite
in America does not pay income tax and good wages because
this is the good and moral thing to do. It is done because
the workers as a counter-collective have matched their will
and power and have used coercion. Niebuhr writes,
If the recognition of selfishness is pre-

requisite to the mitigation of its force and the

diminution of its anti-social consequences in

society, religion should be a dominant influence

in the socialization (moral attainment) of man,

for religion is fruitful of the spirit of contri-

tion (26i51).
Feeling himself under the scrutiny of an omniscient eye, and
setting his puny will into juxtaposition.with an holy and
omnipotent will, the religious man is filled with a sense of
shame for the impertinence of his self-centered life (18:82).
Niebuhr implies that every one should feel morally responsible

for an evil society. There is a sense of collective guilt

implied in Niebuhr's remarks. Niebuhr is concerned with

1h

ethics, man's action or behavior in an immoral society.

The final approach is the existential-personalistic
emphasis of Martin Buber. Buber asserts that, "religion is
the dialogic life in history." He speaks of two dialogues,
the "I-it" relationship of the self relating to the world
as a collective of objects which the self uses for its
purposes--primarily for the purpose of orientation; the
"I-thou" relationship, a cognizance of the other selves,
other souls, other I's and the attitude is one of actualiz-
ing--finding the ultimate reality, although a reality which
is not empirically verifiable as was the it.

The Bible is the age-old record of this dialogue
between God and man--address and answer, revelation and
response. Buber writes

Man is called by the world and by his fellow-

men and he must give answers. Nature, beauty,
neighbor, God--everything speaks to him, crying
for release, for the right word. God speaks and
the world answers, the world is created. God
speaks and man answers and he becomes a person, a
self. (27t85)

The preceding analyses describe the environment of
the Church of the Nazarene. This conservative church with
500,000 members is in the boiling caldron of the religious
brew of our society; committed to the "old time religion"
with its emphasis on conversion, metaphysical revelation,

and original sin. It is struggling with all others to main-

tain its commitment. Pressures are mounting through the

15

behavioral sciences to change its stance about man and God.
The following analysis of the Church of the Nazarene flows
in and out of these broad ideological categories explicitly
and implicitly. Thus, the reader can relate to the voices

of the past and present in his contemporary setting.

PART I
STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES

The rationale for using structural—functional cate-
gories is that the Church of the Nazarene is a social system.
The use of such categories provides a way of looking at the
church as an organic whole, the parts of which are all
integrated into an ongoing enterprise. 0. P. Loomis in his
book, Modern Social Theories, selects nine structural-
functional categories characteristic of every social system.
In this analysis of the Church of the Nazarene I have chosen
to emphasize the elements of believing, norming, ranking,
and sanctioning. These have been chosen because they relate
very closely to the structural organization and the belief-
behavior patterns of the Church. These elements are so
interrelated that a change in one creates a ramifying change
in all of them.

1. BELIEVING

The first structural-functional category to be used
in the analysis is believing. It is significant to mention
the semantic connotation of the present participle, "believing."

The present tense signifies a continuing dynamic relationship

16

17

to society. The term ”belief” could be taken to denote a
static unchanging condition. The term "believing" is an
effort to show that in a society of accelerated technological
change which.constantly produces Changes in the perceptual
and conceptual environments, beliefs are being challenged

as never before.

A belief is any preposition about the universe which
is thought to be true (21:10). This definition implies two
elements. Every belief system.must provide answers to ques-
tions which are beyond proof on the basis of perception and/
or have no objective answers. Every belief system then
includes a cosmology which is concerned with the origins,
structure, and destiny of the universe; the relationship of
the universe to man; and a world view (5:372). Such questions
as,‘What is the world like? How did it get that way? What
is man's relationship to the world? have plagued man. The
technical knowledge of early man was not enough to explain,
for instance, why the hunt would be successful one day and
a failure the next, why some stars appeared to fall from
the sky, or why death could come suddenly to seemingly
healthy peeple. He interpreted such events on the basis
of whether they benefited or threatened him personally--an
anthropocentric view in which he considered himself the
center of the universe. As a further example, even within
the technologically advanced complex societies, which.among
them has an explanation for the origins of the solar system?

18

Astronomy, geology, and physics are included; there are limits
beyond which.existing bodies of knowledge fail (l:h82).

Every society has devised conceptions which are trans-
mitted to each generation through the enculturation process.
People accept the societal cosmology as they do its language
and technology (5:372). The content of a cosmology is
designed to answer the questions asked previously. Max
Weber has called this the problem of meaning. Man's gods,
witches, ghosts and devils are symbols that represent the
supernatural forces beyond the natural world.

Gearhard Lenski approaches this need for meaning by
asking the questions: What is really real in this world?
‘What are the forces that ultimately control the life of man?
These are questions science cannot and never will answer. .
The answers men give to these are based on faith. This is
not to say that reason plays no part in shaping them. Intel-
ligent men draw their inferences from observation and experi-
ence as carefully and as rationally as they can, but in the
last analysis they are forced to make a leap of faith and
say, ”I believe----." (20:hh). Science avoids explicit
pronodncements on the ultimate nature of reality. Science,
however, has involved a shift from categoric to variable
concepts, and from deterministic to probabilistic theoretical
formulations. The increasing use of variable concepts is
reflected in the growing concern with measurement, quantifi-

cation, and statistics in research (20:hh).

19

Since man has unanswered questions related to the
problem of meaning, he has devised religion with symbols to
represent the supernatural. The supernatural forces are
conceived in two forms, referred to by anthrOpologists as
personified and impersonal power.

Personified power is an attribute of supernatural
beings, Such as gods or demons, that operates at their will
or direction. They bring rain or good crOps. They socialize
with man and share his qualities of character. They are the
creation of man and are much like him. They may be benevolent
or malevolent like man. Since they represent powerful humans,
man approaches them with awe and respect as men would give to
kings or princes (l:h82).

Impersonal power is a force, usually invisible, that
may penetrate the entire universe or be found in only certain
objects and places. It may be possessed by gods, men, and
natural forces and substances or it may be called into Operation
by magic without the intervention of supernatural beings. It
is used to explain the meaning of life. Regardless of how it
is acquired, impersonal power may be manipulated like objects
to help or to harm (l:h82). The most familiar example of
impersonal power in anthrOpological writings is the "mans”
of Melanesia and Polynesia. In some cases it is both per-
sonified and impersonal.

The difference between personal and impersonal forms

of power affects the way people behave toward them. Man may

20

approach supernatural beings with force or threats or with
hospitable overtures. An impersonal power is respected but

not worshipped. The personal power is worshipped and elaborate
rituals are established. The way people behave toward these
forms of power Operationalize their quest for meaning. Their
behavior also enables them to rationalize the so-called
ultimate questions of life which approaches the problem of
meaning in everyday living. In the final analysis belief
becomes believing as living is dynamic and believing is
sustaining as man faces the many vicissitudes of life.

With reference to the preceding discussion, the Church
of the Nazarene has deveIOped a belief system that is designed
to solve the problem of meaning in life. The structural-
functional category of that belief system is "believing" in
a personal, good God. The Church is monotheiStic, thus
alleviating the anxiety of a pantheon of gods. The character
of this one god is always good. He is always on the side of
man, never against him. Also, he always loves and cares for
man. This concept of its god alleviates anxiety. The concept
of such a god is interpreted from the Bible. Even though,
in some instances, he is described as a god of vengeance and
justice who allows peOple to suffer eternal punishment in
hell, his most appealing attribute is his love for man.

One of the problems of interpreting this belief system
of god is that he is a self-revealing god through the Bible.

21

Therefore, proof of the truth of the Bible is proven by the
Bible itself. This is a paradox in logic which can only be
solved by intuition or faith, as Lenski refers to. Truth
is proven by faith and not by empirical data which makes the
belief system unscientific in the strict sense of the term.

The cosmology of the Church of the Nazarene is defined
by creationism. The god of the Bible as creator is sovereign
of the universe. ’Therefore, whatever technology is not able
to explain, the anxiety of unanswered questions is alleviated
by a faith in a god who is good and sovereign. Even when
untoward things occur, god is not bad, but is only trying to
help man in his predicament. This is directly related to
the Church's view of the nature of human nature. The Church
has a pessimistic view of human nature. Man is basically
evil or self-centered. When god punishes or allows malevolent
circumstances, he is only trying to "purify" man of his
selfishness. Lenski and Brock discuss this aspect of man's
nature. The Church of the Nazarene employs a "sweet lemon"
tactic to handle the problem of meaning.

AnthrOpology looks upon the gods as being in the
image of man. The Church of the Nazarene teaches that man
is in the image of God. Man has characteristics like God
rather than God having characteristics like men. There is
the meaning of idolatry in the Bible (lSzRomans l) to which
the Church of the Nazarene ascribes. The character of God

determines the attitude and behavior the Church of the

22

Nazarene demands of its members toward God. Respect and awe
are basic, but since God is sovereign and personal, the
concept of reverence is expressed.

The metaphysical input of revelation as expressed in
the Bible is the basic cornerstone of the belief system.
There is no place for the secular. All things are sacred.
Durkheim's sociological concepts of profane and sacred do
not find expression in the Church of the Nazarene. Robin
Williams' concept of secularization is also anathema. Since
God is sOvereign of all, then all things are sacred with a
careful distinction between animism and pantheism so as not
to make God all things. He is the creator of all things,
separate from Him, but nevertheless sacred unto Him.

The statements of belief in the Manual of the Church
of the Nazarene Clearly define this personal power in the
universe who made man in his own image and demands homage
and reverence. The statements also define the nature of
human nature and the remedy for any shortcomings. Finally,
they hold out to man a relief from existential anxieties and
segmented anxieties of everyday living by believing in this
personal power. The anthrOpology of the Church of the
Nazarene differs in content but functions the same as all
other religions in the world.

To sum up the problem of meaning there are three
elements involved. First, there is the problem of the natural

environment. Second, there is the problem of the socio-cultural

23

environment. Third, there is the problem of the inner self
for each individual. However, there is a dimension of inter-
relationship between these three elements.

‘ Technology is designed to COpe with the natural
environment. Social-psychology is designed to cope with
the socioecultural or interpersonal environment. Religion is
designed to handle the anxiety of the interrelationship of
these two elements plus the uniqueness of each individual self.
When questions are unanswered in these areas of life, a
religion is designed to enable a person to cope with the
anxieties generated by these relationships.

Some religions like mysticism deal only with the
inner self-life and have a tendency to underestimate the
natural and socio-cultural environmental influences.
Scientism has a tendency to lay emphasis only on the empirical
data of the natural and social environments. Marxism has a
tendency to emphasize the socio-cultural environment. The
Church of the Nazarene with its strong emphasis on a personal
monotheistic revelation embodied and personified in Jesus
Christ approaches the problem of meaning by believing Christ
to be sovereign of the natural environment; a person who
understands the socio-cultural environment; a savior who can
alleviate inner anxiety; and who continues to live even after
death. Believing these tenets covergthe whole problem of
meaning by faith in the ultimate unconditioned character of
Christ.

an

In order to implement the structural-functional
category of believing, the Church must constantly be in the
process of cognitive mapping. The process of ”thinking
through” the tenets of the Church is the interaction of two
variables--Biblical interpretation and a changing dynamic
society that constantly challenges the belief system of the
Church. Cognitive mapping is closed as far as the Biblical
statements are concerned but should be Open-ended as far as
interpretation of these beliefs is concerned in a changing
society. The Church would do well to anticipate change and
its interaCtive consequences rather than wait to be forced
into a change crisis situation. A "conservative" church
finds this difficult to do. The preservation ofthe past in

conservative thinking militates against change.
2. NORMING

The term norming connotes a continuing dynamic
structural-functional category. According to Loomis, norms
are the rules which prescribe what is acceptable or unaccept-
able of the social system (21:12). All social behavior is
normatively oriented; that is, given direction and definition
by norms, rules of conduct that specify the ”should" and
”ought" of behavior in social situations (2h:85). The author
Of the article in Society Today indicates that norms are pre-
scriptions for correct behavior, ordinarily couched in moral

terms (31:576). This definition would apply specifically

25

to the Church of the Nazarene. The same reference maintains
that normative group structures are the formal and informal
rules governing what is expected of peOple in situations,
what is required of them, and what is forbidden to them.
These two definitions have a direct bearing on the group
structure of the Church of the Nazarene. The Church‘s rules
are laden with moral implications in the institutional envir-
onment.

Robin Williams approaches institutional norms by
indicating that the sense of self-respect of each individual
is intimately tied to the observance of some norms more than
others just as is the individual's guilt, shame, and honor
differentially related to violation of these same norms.
Those norms which for him are "moral imperatives" are for
that individual institutional.‘ He further states that
institutional norms tend to be relatively permanent, enforced
through social structures, and mutually binding on the
occupants of social structures, and mutually binding on the
occupants of social positions. Institutional norms are not
random but related to one another in definite patterns (2l:h99).

The observations by Williams, McKee and Society Todgy
lead us into the institutional normative patterns of the
Church of the Nazarene. The Manual of the Church states that

. . . the ethical standards of the church are
well expressed in the General and Special Rules.
They should be followed carefully and conscien-

tiously as guides and helps to holy living.
Those who violate the conscience of the Church

26
do so at their own peril and to the hurt of the
witness and fellowship of the Church. (7:5)
The General Rules have to do with inter-personal relationships,
relationship to God, and conduct in the "world." The Special
Rules are concerned mainly with church regulations, including
support of the church, temperance and prohibition, marriage
and divorce, church offices, stewardship, and growth in
grace (See appendix). There is an explicit moral and ethical
connotation placed on the keeping of the rules. Sanctions
will be discussed in the next chapter. The norms as contained
in the Caneral and Special Rules have been institutionalized
as they, in Williams' terms, have become "moral imperatives,"
not only for membership in the institution but also for the
larger dimension of "salvation."
The sacred-secular continuum of Howard Becker (2:15h)
provides a way of looking at the church's normative standards.

Becker's continuum can be applied to the Church. The Church

Proverbial Prescriptive Principle Pronormless

aomomm
HDHCO¢Q

of the Nazarene has moved away from the proverbial stage of
development. The Church is no longer a proverbial institution
based on non-rational, traditional beliefs. However, if
believing in Christ or God is non-rational, then it would

qualify in this category. In accord with an individual point

27

of view the Church may or may not be proverbial. However,
the Church is definitely not pronormless. The normative
restrictions preclude the secular dimension of the continuum.
The position of the church is a norming position. This means
that the church must integrate its traditional non-empirical
beliefs which are constantly under pressure by both natural
and social science with prescriptions that are being
challenged by principles. This integration is not easy.

In fact, it probably is an impossible task to hold to
traditional beliefs with accommodating normative restrictions
in a changing technological world with increasing behavior
options which can only be interpreted ethically by principles.
This definition of the church's position leads the church
into a cultural trap not only in the developed societies but
also in developing nations with missionary activity. The
potential for change within the framework of these variables
is doubtful.

In the early years of the church the proverbial state-
ments of belief were supported by prescriptive norms. These
norms have become ethical imperatives to reinforce the
proverbial statements. As peOple mature in knowledge and
experience, they move from prescriptive behavior into principled
behavior. Thus, there is a tendency to weaken the proverbial
belief system when the normative restrictions are no longer
practiced. When the norms become sacred like the belief

system there is a reluctance to give them up. They are

28

retained officially but not practiced actually. ‘When prin-
cipled behavior prevails in the group, then homogeneity is
lost. The homogeneity of behavior patterns which is the
result of institutionalization becomes heterogeneous when
everyone lives within his understanding of the principle
involved. Therefore, many peOple ignore the existing stated
norm and behave by principle instead of prescription in
relation to the proverbial belief system. These interrela-
tionships are crucial to the cohesiveness of the church and
its image in the world. The Roman Catholic Church is now
in this position as evidenced by its Opposition to birth
control. The prescriptive norm was based on the position
that sexual intercourse was only for the purposes of pro-
creation. In our changing society with contraceptive methods
and the widespread knowledge of the population explosion,
the people are ignoring the prescription of cOpulation for
procreation only. Contraceptives and societal sex norms
emphasize behavior according to principle, not by prescription.
The Church of the Nazarene is facing this same problem.
In a recent survey of one of the church‘s midwest colleges,
questions with normative restrictive denotations were asked
(see Appendix). The questionnaire was designed to seek
responses concerning some of the norms stated in the General
rules and Special Rules of the Church Manual. The questions
concerned attendance at the movies, dress of the women,

segregation of churches, use of alcoholic beverages, smoking,

29

church attendance, divorce, and the hair code. The results
of this questionnaire are in the appendix. These students
were from a four-state area of’Hichigan, Illinois, Indiana,
and Wisconsin. No effort was made to determine from which
state the students came. The main thrust of the questionnaire
was to determine the size church from which the students came
and their major field of study. The independent variable was
their Nazarene background. Forty percent of the on-campus
students, or h89, participated in the survey. A study of the
raw data shows what I would consider to be a trend away from
the normative restriCtions stated in the Manual of the Church.
It is interesting to note that 310 of the respondents attend
Church regularly. This may indicate that the Church is not
communicating the prescriptions of behavior in relation to
the proverbial statements of belief, or that the students

are moving into principled behavior as defined by Becker as
expedient rationality. These students come from what has
been traditionally termed the more "conservative" area of

the church.

If these trends are valid among the students of Olivet
Nazarene College, then it will be interesting to see if the
church changes its theological stance or attitude to conform
with the behavior patterns. In studies it has been shown that
behavior patterns are effective in influencing attitudes (39:
30-32). Is it possible that the youth of the Church will bring
about changes in attitudinal statements in the Manual by

30

their persistence in behavior patterns that do not reinforce
the attitudinal statements? In another section, the rural-
urban dichotomy in relation to technological change will be
discussed. It is conceivable, however, that the hierarchy

of the Church will wish to maintain the "cliches" and orthodox
statements regardless of the behavior patterns. The Catholic
and some older protestant churches are in this dilemma today.
As cited previously, the Pope has enunciated the orthodox
stand on birth control, but many church communicants practice
their own conscience.

A very important aspect of the relationship of the
variables, prescriptive and principle, is their relationship
to maturity and culture. Every organization needs prescriptions
or norms of behavior in order to define its position opera-
tionally. However, as a person matures, he may move from the
prescriptive connotation to the principle connotation. This
is seen on college campuses.. Many colleges have restrictive
norms for the freshmen and sophomores, such as car ownership,
and housing regulations. As the students mature, these
restrictions are lifted. However, for the sake of immature
students who are not able to live by principle yet, many
restrictions apply the four years of college. The juniors
and seniors who have matured and see the principles of living
a college life-style are still forced to live by the normative
restrictions of the freshmen and SOphomores. This may be one

reason for the change in social patterns on college campuses.

31

The normative restrictions have been relaxed but many immature
students who need firm guidelines do not know how to handle
the freedom responsibly. They Often become academic and/Or
moral casualties in the campus community. The same applies

to the church. The church has restrictions in behavior which
apply only to the immature or new grOUp member. But as

people mature they no longer need the strict guidelines and
live by principle. Deviation becomes noticeable when a
sufficient number of peOple no longer live by prescription

but by principle.

The second and third generations, institutionalized
groups that have been socialized in the group and have adopted
the church's life style without having to change their life
style to cOnform to the group, could become catalysts for
changing attitudes because they need not conform to gain
acceptance. The behavior of the college students could be
this catalyst as they live by principles rather than prescrip-
tions.

On the cross-cultural plane Of interaction the Church
Manual has not been specially adapted to all cultures. There
is no effort to interpret the 53223; in view of cultural
differences. There are some norms that are related only to
American culture. For instance, marriage customs, drinking
of intoxicants in cOuntries without central water systems of
safe drinking water, and cultural definitions of terms. The
experience of missionaries indicates the difficulty of

32

= operationalizing the Manual in other countries. The statement
on marriage and divorce is difficult to reconcile with poly-
_gmmy or the levirate system tn some societies. This also
involves church membership as stated in the'Msnual. A person
in another culture who has been divorced before the Nazarene
Church arrived on the scene is automatically excluded from
Church membership regardless of his belief in the tenets or
experience taught by the Church.

Norming is a dynamic category that demands constant
revision according to changing cultural environments. The
Church of the Nazarene is on the threshold of change if the
survey results are valid. The students surveyed will comprise
a generation of churchmen having different values and norms.
‘Will the church change? Can it change and still maintain its
Original attitudinal stance of Biblical interpretation? More
of this discussion will take place in the final chapter.

The process of evaluation is a dynmmic process. When
norms need to be revised, evaluation of what to maintain and
of‘what to discard is always prevalent. The Church of the
Nazarene needs to be careful not to throw the baby out with

\

the bath water and not to alienate those who are dependenthilzf” r
. (C, ,g- M I)?" '-
on the Church's value system for their own value systemy/‘;*sz} I

‘ . .
.)~"-“‘-{J ‘_e’

The process of evaluation is directly related to the hierar-,”~..
chical or ranking category as leadership enters the evaluation

process within the norming category. ,» *SJ

' '. gay»- v."

‘
.“ I-
.
i h" _'I}.~ .e

J. .
’ t" ’-"' .../f,

,f

33

3. RANKING

Status-role represents the position an actor has for
a social system and includes the organizational patterns of
the system (21:13). It is necessary to keep in mind that the
discussion relates to the system of positions, not to the
individuals occupying those positions. It is one thing to
ask why different positions carry different degrees of pres-
tige, and quite another to ask how certain individuals get
into those positions (12:h96). This raises the whole question
of creating motivation to fill roles in the social systmm. JHax
Weber described this concept as an "imperatively-coordinated
group.” ‘Wherever man live together and lay foundations of
forms Of social organization, there are positions whose occu-
pantn have powers of command in certain contexts and certain
other positions whose occupants are subject to such commands.
The distinction between "up and down" is one of the funda-
mental experiences of most men in soCiety (8:17h-l79). The
concepts of the superordinate and subordinate is not so much
a question of a definition but rather a question of an opera-
tional definition: a method which allows for identification
of the state of affairs.

The Manual of the Church states that the government
of the Church of the Nazarene is representative, and thus
avoids the extremes of episCOpacy on the one hand, and un-
limited congregationalism on the other (7:55). The two

extremes, episcopacy and congregationalism, imply that

3h

authority is vested in the highest and lowest hierarchical
positions. This means that the highest elected official, a
General Superintendent, can be challenged by the member of
lowest rank in the church. It is well for us to remember that
membership in a church is voluntary, so coercive practices by
the higher officials are tempered by the membership's rights
to withdraw from the organization. Perhaps this one variable
has not been studied in depth in religious organizations.
They are different in that all membership and responsibility
are voluntary and can be terminated at any time. This variable
could be a fruitful tepic for study in relation to subordina-
tion and superordination. The threat of withdrawal is always
present and perhaps a tool unconsciously used by the membership.

The ChurCh of the Nazarene has a system of government
that contains the seeds of ambivalence and dissonance. This
can work to the benefit of the elected officials. There are
times when it is expedient for them to be episcopal oriented
in their decision-making. It is to their advantage to have
the legitimized authority of the episcOpal concept to perpet-
uate themselves in office. In other situations to ”get off
the hook" they can legitimately go to the people for decision
making. lAn astute Official could discern these situations
and respond accordingly in order to preserve his position.
This form of interaction can lead to frustration and ambiva-
lence on the part of both officials and laymen. There are
guidelines for the duties of elected officials and the

35
congregations but there are many situations that cannot be
anticipated and are only solved by a meeting of minds for the
occasion. The major part of the Church.Manual is given over
to government. Even though the Manual may spell out whose
responsibility is whose, there is always the possibility of
decision-making ambivalence.

The Church governmental model of episcopacy and con-
gregationalism contains three levels, local, district, and
general. The local level consists of the local congregations.
These are groups of people who have affirmed their faith in
the doctrines of the Church of the Nazarene and profess to
have had a religious experience of conversion to Jesus Christ.
Each congregation elects its own officers such as Sunday
School superintendent, youth president, missionary president,
trustees, and stewards. Also, a Sunday School board and
Officers for the missionary and youth groups. These are
elected at an annual meeting (7:60). The church board, composed
of trustees and stewards, is the official representative body
of the church. Its duties are described in the Manual as for
all officers. The local level is the "grass-roots" dimension
of the church. If the church does not function at this level
in recruitment and growth.the church does not fulfill its
hission. The status-role of local members is very well
defined. They comprise the congregation, the "believers."
They are the local representatives of the church who pay the
bills, care for the buildings, recruit new members, fill the

36

offices and positions of the church. They select the pastor
(7:7h) and relate the church to the community. Their status-
role is well defined and it is similar in most protestant
denominations.

At the other end of the hierarchical continuum there
are the General Superintendents. These are the highest
elected officials in the church. They are elected by the
General Assembly which convenes every four years (7:69).
Their duties are spelled out in the Manual. They are, how-
ever, balanced by a General Board which is composed of an
equal number of laymen and ministerial members. This serves
as a check and balance system (7:160). The General Super-
intendents represent the episcopal form Of government.

With the General Superintendents on the General level
are the various general officers such as secretary, treasurer,
Sunday School executive secretary, missionary executive
secretary, youth executive secretary, and the staff of each
department. The officers of the church at the local level
have their counterparts at the General levels. The general
level is a structured hierarchy of roles and statuses that
are well defined by the government of the Church. These
people are geographically located in Kansas City, Missouri,
where the headquarters of the Church is located.

The General and local levels become poles of a con-
tinuum defined also in terms of episcopal and congregational.
The authority of each is legitimized by the constitution of

37

the Church. Their status-roles never interact directly, only
representatively through channels of election by delegates.
These two levels of social interaction in the Church.have
little ambivalence in behavior except when a General Superin-
tendent is asked to intervene in a local situation that is
under his Jurisdiction during a particular year. Even then
there is the intermediary role of the District Superintendent.

The third level of organisation is the District level.
The Church of the Nazarene is divided into seventy-six dis-
tricts (7:285). These are geographically defined with a
district superintendent and district officers and boards to
correlate with the local church officers and boards. Most
of the members of the district boards are pastors of local
congregations. It is the district superintendent and the
pastor who are in status-role positions that create ambiguity
and ambivalence in function. The structure of the positions
andlroles are well defined. The roles of these positions
have subjective undertones that oftentimes create anxiety and
neurosis.

In order to put these positional roles in perspective
the theoretical framework of Robert Merton has much to tell
us. These positions are between extreme poles of episcopacy'
and congregationalism. In fact they are dynamic in that they
are not in a fixed position on the continuum but move toward
one pole or the other under given circumstances. Let me

pause to say that the church has not given attention to this

38

particular_status-role dimension of the hierarchy. This could
be the cause for heart attacks, neuroses, and frustration.

5 position without fixed boundaries and wgziiconflicting-
loyalties can be the cause of friction within the hierarchical
structure as well as the individual in the position.

Robert.Merton's concept of role set and status set
provides a theoretical framework fram'which to discuss the
structured dimensions of the district superintendent and the
pastor. For the role or functional aspect Merton speaks of
status-set and role-set. By role-set, he means that complement
of role which persons have by virtue of occupying a particular
social status (21:281). The sum of various role-sets comprises
the statusaset. Status-sets are the linking structural units
between institutions and the subsystems of a society (21:281).
Because of the interaction of greater or lesser ammunts of
involvement with role incumbents differently situated in the
social structure with respect to status, the potential for
conflicting goals and norms is great (21:283).

These concepts of Merton as seen by Loomis give an
approach to what this writer considers to be one of the deep-
seated social-psychological problems of the organisational
pattern of the Church of the Nasarene. The status-role sets
for the General Superintendents are coherent in that the sets
are oriented from the superordinate position to the subordinate
positions. The status-role sets of the peOple are likewise
coherent in that they are oriented from the subordinate

39
positions to the superordinate positions. The positions in
the middle, district superintendent and pastor, are freighted
with conflict potential both personally subjective and organ-
isationally objectiVe.
A continuum.with status-role placements shows the
relative positions of each status-role set.
District Supts. Members

General Supts. . Pastors Congre-
Episcopal. gation

It can be seen from the continuum that the pastor is
in a position of having to interact in two directions. In the
direction toward the members there is one status-role set.
He is ex-officio president of the church organization in the
local church and must fulfill all the duties outlined in the
Manual of the Church. This status-role set is complicated
by the fact that he is not only the leader of the local church
but his family is a member of the local church. His status-
role set includes both objective leadership dimensions plus
subjective family dimensions that include his wife and children.
Conflict involvement over organisational patterns and conflict
involvement over interpersonal relationships involving his
wife and children can play havoc with the question of loyalties
and emotional responses.

The pastor is also caught with the pressure of the
status-role of the members who can be seen as a threat to
his security because of their voting power as a congregation.

There is also the consideration of the role involvement of

no
the members of the local congregation. They are voluntary
participants that can drop out any time. Thus, the pastor
is constantly threatened, explicitly or implicitly by the
intensity of role involvement in the status-role set as a
member of the Church. The balance of power in the status-role
set depends on the entrenchment of the power structure of the
local congregation as to how much autonomy the pastors can
exercise. A power structure within the institutional setting
of the Church that has persisted over the years can effectively
block change that a pastor may wish to initiate. Likewise,
a power structure in the church could be too progressive for
the pastor and may create change beyond the pastor‘s pace
of accommodation of change. The problem of communication,
whether by word or observability, between the status-role
set of the pastor and the status-role set of the congregation
is a viable source of conflict. Observability of the roles
each is filling is a cause for conflict when the observability
may be diminished by a lack of tools, skills, or concepts to
cmmmunicate the interactive relationships necessary to maintain
equilibrium. If conflict does occur, the conflicting role
sets of the pastor and people look for support by others in
the organisational hierarchy. Thus, the membership role
by-passes the pastor role set and transfers to the role of
the district superintendent to ameliorate the situation. In
turn, the pastor's role-set also turns to the district

A

superintendent's role to judicate between the two. If this

hl

does not resolve the conflict, then the General Superintendent
roleeset can be appealed to for decision-making. Many times
the disruption or abridgment of the role-sets of the pastor
and membership takes place as the pastor is asked to move to
a new location or is voted out by the membership (21:28h).

'These role-set relationships have much to do with the
capacity for change in the local church. The best situation
for change is when both role-sets link together and coOperate
in task-oriented behavior. The two status-role sets or
systems create a systemic linkage for action. ‘Hhen conflict
arises, progress can be stymied and a stalemate occurs.
Perhaps the most powerful weapon for combat in this relation-
ship is in the hands of the members. They either can withhold
support, withdraw, or vote out the pastor (7:6h). The pastor
has no recourse when his stated tenure of service is recon-
sidered by the membership. The power is all in the hands of
the membership. Consequently, the pastor is reluctant to
initiate change that he feels would abridge the role-set
linkage. Many problems of social and organisational dimensions
can exist for years in a church leading to stunted growth and
the entrenchment of traditional patterns of behavior by
influential members of the congregation. The pastor is
conscious of his role relationships in the eyes of his
colleagues, but also of the effects his role relationships
have on his family. There are delicate emotional sentiments

to manage. The church organizational pattern on the local

h2

level leaves the role-set of the pastor vulnerable while the
member role-set has all the trumps.

At the same time the pastor role-set is interacting
with the member role-set, the pastor is interacting with the
district superintendent role-set. The pastor is obligated
to look in both directions at the same time. The district
superintendent role-set includes the placement of pastors
(7:68). Consequently, it is imperative for the pastor to
reduce conflict and support the district superintendent for
the sake of job security. The dual status-role set of super-
ordinate in the local church and subordinate in the hierarchy
of the church organization is quite a balancing act when all
the variables are considered. The pastor's subordinates have
the power of the ballot or withdrawing, and the pastor's
superordinate, the district superintendent, has the power of
pastoral placement. This is a unique set-up. It does not
occur in industry or any other place because the subordinates
are dependent for their livelihood on the superordinates.

The subordinates in the church are voluntary members apart
from their livelihood, therefore, there is no risk on their
part. All of the risk for the initiation of change is on the
part of the pastor. The only pastors who are successful are
astute leaders who know how to handle their status-role set
with finesse or perhaps may have charisma (293199). The
capacity for change is stifled by the organisational pattern

of the combination of episcopal and congregational type

1&3

government. In the episcopal form of government the hierarchy
takes sole responsibility for decision-making. The peOple
know this and settle down to an equilibrium of an imperatively
coordinated group. In the congregational form, the sole
responsibility for decision-making is in the hands of the
congregation. Here again the equilibrium of an imperatively
organized group occurs. In the Church of the Nazarene the
responsibility is decentralized theoretically but the members
in the long run are the superordinates in role but not in
status. The pastor is superordinate in status but not in
role because his power can be neutralized by the peOple and
the district superintendent. Incongruity is a distinct
possibility when the status and role of a position do not
coincide. Perhaps this is why good men are leaving the
ministry. The frustration of status position without commen-
surate role behavior is too much to bear. ‘Uhen these two
status-role sets are juxtaposed in a daily confrontation,
the social-psychological repercussions can be enormous.
Personality disorders can become prevalent. A pastor in
confrontation with a congregation in the Church of the Nazarene
has the recourse for help in the district superintendent.

However, another look at the continuum indicates that
the district superintendent status-role set is in the same
position as the pastor role-set. The difference is the
location between the general superintendent status-role and

the pastor status-role set. He is in the center of the

uh

episcopal hierarchical framework. Although he is elected by
the pastors and representatives of the local congregations,
his work is with and through the pastors. He does not work
directly with the congregations. The programs that he
initiates are implemented by pastors in the local churches.
His status-role set is bounded by the general superintendent
role set in the higher echelon. When a pastor turns to the
district superintendent for help he finds a man in a status-
role set that is also struggling to find a meaningful systemic
linkage between his immediate role-set adjacent to him on the
continuum. His emotional involvement in his own jurisdictional
alignment interferes with his superintending the pastor's
problems. Thus, the pastor finds it difficult to secure
adequate attention and help with his congregation.

‘ The superordination of the district superintendent
status-role set is defined in the Manual (7:116). His status
as being one step higher than the pastor and one step lower
than the general superintendent is accepted by all the people
involved. He, too, is in the position of subordinate at the
same time he is a superordinate. His role is defined by the
Manual (7:116). His authority over the pastors is legitimized
but there is really no power that he can exercise to bring
about confommity to his programs, except a tacit threat of
not recommending a pastor for a vertical move or even a
horizontal move when it is needed. The exercise of sanctions

at this point is not legitimized by the constitution of the

hS
church. It is a sanction that can bring about conformity and
loyalty to the status-role set of the district superintendent
and his programming. This has implications for change. If
a pastor is not allowed to express himself for fear of
negative sanctions, then the programming becomes the brain
child of one man or a select few in his inner circle. The
free flow of ideas from subordinate to superordinate can be
blocked. There are some superordinates, however, who have the
emotional maturity to allow a free exchange of ideas and even
opposition to the program. The organization of the Church of
the Nazarene can be a deterrent to change. The status-role
structure can be defined, but in its functional dimensions
psychological involvement can disrupt the well-defined
structures.

In the direction of the episcopal pole, the district
superintendent must relate himself to the status-role set of
the general superintendent. Here the role is one of subordi-
nation. He is obliged to carry out the programs of the church
as sent down from headquarters. His position, however, is
more secure in that traditionally district superintendents do
not need to move as often as pastors. Since the work is more
administrative than personal and also more scattered over a
larger area, a concentration of opposition is not easily
amassed. The general superintendents do not have the close
supervision of the districts as the district superintendents

have of the pastors. Each district is somewhat autonomous

h6
{and the general superintendents need not be consulted unless
the district superintendent decides to call for him.

.The status-set of the general superintendent is
probably more coherent than the other status-sets on the
continuum. .The positional dimension is the highest eschelon
of authority. The functional dimension is directed toward
men in status-role sets that are dependent on the church for
their livelihood, so loyalty and subordination can be more
highly regulated. The alternatives of leaving the church or
withdrawing support, which are Open to the members, are not
accomplished without frustration and social upheaval.

It appears to the writer that the most incoherent
status-role sets are the pastor and the member role sets.

Of the two, the pastor status-role set is more incongruent.
His structural position is well defined along with his func-
tional roles, but he has no real authority in implementing his
role if the peOple do not wish to cooperate. It would appear
that great frustration would arise out of this incongruency.

Such incongruency would affect the capacity of the
church for change. If the church is going to change in order
to keep pace in a dynamic society and world, it must change
on the local level. If the local level has the greatest
obstacle to change, then the programs passed down the line of
command do not become implemented or are only pursued in these
areas that create the least amount of friction for the pastor

status-role set.

(4-7

An interesting spin-off of this whole structural arrange-
ment on the continuum is that the higher the eschelon the less
involvement there is with peOple on the grass-roots level.
Consequently, statistical reports and programs that feed back
statistics become the criteria for progress. This also adds
to the frustration of the pastor. He is touching and inter-
acting with peOple. He councils, visits, preaches, and
ministers to needs. Much of his work may never become a part
of his statistics. His self-esteem, however, is being rein-
forced becauss of the progress he sees in people due to his
crisis-intervention in their lives. His status-role is
fulfilled at this dimension of service. But he is obliged
to report statistical gains yearly. This can be frustrating
because his work cannot always be statistically reported.

The district superintendents and general superintendents whose
work is largely administrative and removed from personal inter-
action with other people create pragrmms that feed back
statistics. jThe only way they can reinforce their self-esteem
and perhaps legitimize their positions is by a yearly comparison
of statistics. The church can become statistic-oriented like

a business can become dollar-oriented. The pastor is caught
once again in an incongruent role situation. The main thrust
of a church should be people-centered regardless of the
statistical results. Because of the pressure for statistics

to legitimize the status-role sets of superordinates, a

pastor‘s motivational attitudes can be threatened. Rather

hB

than helping people for people's sake, he can see every person
as a statistic to enhance his rank in the estimation of his
superiors. The imperatively coordinated group known as the
Church of the Nazarene is incoherent. The voluntary status

of the members erodes the eschelon of superordination and
reduces the capacity for change on the level of activity
where change must take place, namely in the relationship of
pastor and people.

One of the suggestions open to alleviate these problems
is to eliminate the status-role set of the district superin-
tendent. Other denominations such as the Southern Baptist and
Presbyterian operate successfully without the "middle man."
There are some advantages to accrue from this organizational
set-up. One advantage is that the local pastor would not need
to be accountable to both a district superintendent and a
general superintendent. His role would become less ambiguous
with respect to his superordinates. Secondly, the cost for
maintaining a district headquarters with a salary and parsonage
plus other benefits would release money for higher local
pastors' salaries and local church Operation. Another advan-
tage is that the local pastor would not depend on the attitude
of the district superintendent for promotion but have a
tendency to make his success on the local level and not on the
district level. Also, an advantage would be to enhance the
status of the pastor which may increase his role fulfilling

potential. There is only so much status to go around and the

#9

more men there are in status positions, the more subtraction
there is from each other. The pastor and peOple would be
closer to the highest status-role set, increasing their own
status-role sets.

These observations can become hypotheses for testing
in an imperatively coordinated organization such as the Church
of the Nazarene. To my knowledge, there is very little
literature available or studies about the unique ”voluntary”
association of members in an organization in relationship to
superordinates who prOphecy absolute eternal sanctions for
believers who seek to withdraw. This aspect of the status-
rols sets of the members cannot be changed, but the cohesive.
ness and coherence of position and function can be reinforced
by the elimination of a competing status-role set of the
district superintendent whose duties could be spread out

among the various local pastors.
h. SANCTIONING

, _ The structural-functional category, sanctioning,
relates to the rewards and penalties used to attain conformity
to ends and norms. (lelh). In order to motivate participants
in a social system to conformity, a sanction pattern is
established with rewards for conformity and punishments for
non-conformity. George Homans, in his book, The Human Group,

lays the foundation for the system of sanctions which is
expounded in detail in Social Behavior. In this book behavior

50
is the response to rewards and punishment (16:75). Homans
does not speak of a stimulus and response, but of an cperant
and a reinforcer (an activity and a reward) (16:75). Homans'
approach to sanctioning is a more accurate description of
religious behavior than the stimulus-response approach.
Religious sanctioning is based on activity (ASH, Vol. 35, 1970).
If.a person behaves in a prescribed manner, he will receive
‘definite rewards. If a person behaves in ways not prescribed
by the system, he will receive punishments.

The rewards and punishments in the religious context
can be analyzed in two dimensions. The first dimension and
perhaps most persuasive is in terms of eternal rewards and
punishments. The second dimension is sanctions exercised by
the religio-social system in the here and new context of social
interaction within the religio-social system.

Eternal sanctions not only influence behavior but have
a part to play in social control. The concepts of eternal
rewards and punishments are attached to the normative pre-
scriptive patterns of the religious system. The Church of the
Nazarene has defined rules of behavior and cautions people
that if they are not obeyed eternal damnation will be their
lot. The church manual states,

The ethical standards of our church are well

expressed in the General and Special Rules. They
should be followed carefully and conscientiously

as guides and helps to holy living. Those who
violate the conscience of the church do so at their

own peril and to the hurt of the witness and fellow-
ship of the church. (7:5)

51

This statement carries a strong sanction. The peril
referred to is not articulated but involves the conscience
of the church which is to be a guide and help to holy living.
If the rules are guides and helps, then deviation should not
bring peril.“ The negative sanction applied to a relative set
of-rulee.seems to be inconsistent. Rules that are guides and
helps imply that they are relative or situational. Also, since
the concept fperil" is not articulated explicitly, it could
be taken to mean eternal peril. The logical conclusion is that
a relative standard has absolute sanctions. This is reinforced
when it is noted that the general rules and special rules of
the Church of the Nazarene have not been changed since the
inception of the church. They have become restrictive norms
which are as binding today as sixty years ago. ‘Yet it is well
documented that in sixty years society has changed drastically.
For example, one of the sub—points of the first general rules,
”by avoiding evil of every kind, including profaning of the
Lord's day, either by unnecessary labor, or business, or by
the patronizing or reading of secular papers, or by holiday
diversions,” has not been changed even though urbanization and
industrialization have become an established way of life in
American culture.

The pastor who preaches against working on Sunday or
"the Lord's Day" fails to understand that we are no longer
living in a rural independent society where each family was

independent on a farm. Urbanization and industrialization have

52

brought about specialization with its division of labor, skill
sOphistication, and mass production, resulting in interdepend-
ency. The pastor holds to the old norm of not working on
Sunday but forgets that the electric lights he uses in church
require an employee at the electric company. The water he
uses requires an employee at the water works. The inter-
dependency requires employees in all phases of consumer
utilities.

The sanction of eternal peril is not consistent with
the changing society. If the sanction is absolute and the
behavior is relative, then change is imperiled. The absolute
sanction continues to be prophesied in a changing environment.
Thus, peOple are confused by the change of the level of
abstraction in dealing with the activity and the reinforcer.

Another way of saying the same thing is that if some-
thing is wrong in the past, it is always wrong. The norms of
the church can all be analyzed from this approach. Shifting
levels of abstraction in the course of discourse creates
confusion and inconsistency. If the norms or rules are
prudential as guides and helps, then they are merely prescrip-
tions to help the immature to arrive at explicit principles
upon which to base their behavior.

Only the negative sanction of peril has been observed.
There is also the positive sanction or eternal life, heaven,
or eternal bliss, if the norms of the church or conscience of

the church are obeyed. The reinforcer for conforming behavior

53
is heaven with all of its benefits based on the doctrine of
eternal life.

The second dimension in the application of sanctions
relates to the religio-social system in the present arena of
interaction. Sanctions are applied by legitimized methods
and leaders. The Manual reads,

The object of church discipline is not the

punishment of offenders, but vindication of the
truth, purification of the church, warning of the
careless, and reformation and salvation of the
guilty. Members who do violence to the General
or Special Rules, or who willfully and continu-
ously violate their membership vows, should be
dealt with kindly, yet faithfully, according to
the grievousness of their offenses (7:5).

In this statement the General and Special Rules are
the criteria for normative behavior. They evidently are not
all considered equal in valence since violators are to be
d°91§“31t?-9°9°’51n8 to the grievousness of their offenses.
Hho determines the relative valence of each rule? The church
has designed an elaborate procedure for discipline, both for
the layman and the minister (7:5). After the due process of
church discipline, a layman can be discharged or removed by
the local church board. This deprives the layman of partici-
pation in the church program. He is not disbarred from
attendance but is not allowed to be a voting member. It is
not the withdrawal of social support but it puts the layman
outside the legal membership of the social system. This is
not like the Murngin of Australia who withdraw all social

support (35:230). The layman may be reprimanded or suspended

Sh

for a stated time. The negative sanctions of suspension,
reprimand, or expulsion act as reinforcers for conforming
behavior (7:5). The minister who deviates from the norms

of the church can be defrocked and his credentials taken from
him. This can be due to doctrinal differences, immoral
behavior, or behavior unbecoming a minister, or direct viola-
tion of the General and Special Rules. He may be suspended,
reprimanded, or expelled by the church.

. . The social pressure of the religious social system
has a deep emotional effect on the minister and the layman.
Since membership in a religious organization is voluntary,

a natural conclusion would be that people would be willing to
change membership. But this is not the case. The social
pressure or social need of peOple who have been socialized

in the church motivates them to remain in and around the
church in spite of the application of sanctions. Perhaps this
is more noticeable among second, third, and fourth generation
Nazarenes whose social and emotional needs are almost entirely
fulfilled in association with the church. Also, the sociali-
zation process of eternal sanctions relating to heaven and
hell reinforces behavior dictated by the church.

The church, more so than any other social system, has
developed strong behavioral reinforcements. The combination
of absolute eternal sanctions with relative social sanctions
when strongly applied in the socialization process just about

precludes conformity or emotional dependency on the church

55

for salvation and emotional gratification. This militates
against change because the social system has found a way to
perpetuate itself by tangible restrictive normative behavior
patterns that ease the responsibilities of the leaders in
maintaining discipline, and brings security to the members by
obedience that brings both relative and absolute rewards by
conforming. Sanctioning is a dynamic, ever-present reality
in the minds and emotions of the minister and layman.

The incongruity of the church's position can be shown

‘

in the following diagram:

 

 

 

 

Behavior __Reinforcement
relative behavior relative sanctions
absolute behavior—— absolute sanctions
relative behavior absolute sanctions
absolute behavior__ relative sanctions

 

After analyzing the church's position, the church has
confused the levels of abstraction until all behavior is
reinforced by negative or positive absolute sanctions. If
the General and Special Rules are helps and guides, they are
relative. However, six of the Ten Commandments are included
in the General Rules. The Ten Commandments are absolute
behavior patterns traditionally in conservative Christian
thought; they are not considered only as guides and helps.
They are morally binding on all professing Christians. They
also carry with them the negative absolute punishment of

eternal hell in the Christian system. There are other rules

such as modesty in dress (7:5) and social activities that are
relevant rather than absolute. Yet they carry the same sanc-
tions as the_Ten Commandments. This confusion in the level
of abstraction creates ambiguity in behavior and creates a
strong hedge against change.t If all behavior is reinforced
by negative or positive absolute sanctions, then people will
not risk the maturing experience of moving from prescriptive

behavior to principled behavior.
SUMMARY

H The four structural-functional categories analyzed

in relationship to the Church of the Nazarene are interrelated.
Each category is so interrelated that a change in one category
necessitates a ramifying change in all of the variables. The
Church has succeeded in imperatively coordinating the cats-
gories in somewhat the same way the people constitute an
imperatively coordinated group. Believing, norming, and
sanctioning become status and role crystallization sets so
that the intensity of response to these categories creates a
status-role stratification system within the status-role sets
of General Superintendents, District Superintendents, pastors,
andmembers. The allocation of strata position is also
influenced by the intensity of deference given to superordinate
status-role sets by those in lower status position.

. Janice HOpper in The American Sociologist analyzes this
relationship by indicating that role systems crystallize at

57

three salient levels: technical, normative, and cognitive.
The normative level defines the components of role in terms

of the predominant norms and values and the legitimation and
sanctioning of the patterns of rights and obligations assigned.
The cognitive level refers to the actor's knowledge of the
components of the role and his image of the role (l7:h9).

This analysis of the role incumbent's understanding of his
role system is an input into the definition of the role system
by the church. The impact of a status-role set incumbent with
an infallible belief system based on the Bible, normative
restrictive behavior patterns reinforced by absolute sanctions
in an imperatively coordinated group, can militate against
change. The conceptualization of the "absolute” in belief,
behavior, and sanction can have a very deleterious effect

on change within the religious social system. This is compli-
cated by the incumbent's own search for spiritual security
while he is preaching and ministering to others in a rapidly
changing society. The selectivity of the absolute from the
relative is a very delicate balance of cognitive, normative,
and sanctioning activity. If the superordinates on the
continuum are insecure at this point, then this filters
through the system to the members. If the superordinates are
over-secure in their absolutes, this, too, filters through

the system to the subordinates. The management of tension

due to these strains absorbs the energy that should be used

for change to meet the demands of a changing society.

PART II
PROCESSUAL DIMENSIONS

The processual dimensions are related to the analysis
of the church as a system. These concepts show the relation-
ships of the church within its own boundaries and also show
the interrelationship of the church to other systems in
society. The processes indicate the sequentiality of inter-
action within and without the church.

5. COMMUNICATING

Communicating, the present participle, connotes an
ongoing process that is always in a state of flux. In a
rapidly changing society demanding the coining of new words,
communication is a dynamic process that pervades every dimen-
sion of society. According to Loomis, a basic definition of
communication is the process by which information, decisions,
and directives pass through the system, and by which knowledge
is transmitted and sentiment is formed or modified (21:15).
This definition is viable if the skills and tools for commu-
nicating are available. Also, if there are no deterrents in
the social system which may block the flow of communication.

This definition assumes an equilibrium model. However,

conflict and change are ubiquitous, so the flow of communication

58

59

needs to be related to the dysfunctional elements in the social
system and the symbols available to express the feelings and
sentiments of the system. Hhorf's hypothesis: Language is
not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but
rather is itself the shaper of ideas, the program and guide
for the individual's mental activity, for his analysis of
impressions, for his synthesis of his mental stock in trade
(9:175) is insightful at this point. If the language of a
system does not keep pace with the changing language of
society, than the system may not be able to communicate within
its boundaries or with other systems.

Symbolisation is one of the problems that confronts
a conservative religious group such as the Church of the
Nazarene. The conservative connotation of holding on to the
past negates the incorporation of new concepts in a changing
society. The conservative church also has a tendency to
equate terminology with belief so that a change in terms is
challenged as a change in the imperatively coordinated belief
and behavior systems. As an illustration: the Church of the
Nazarene has used such terms as responsibility, holiness,
sanctification, second blessing, original sin, and others.
These concepts at one time appeared frequently in print and
were used freely in conversation during the time of revivalism
in America. However, today they are seldom heard or read
outside the four walls of the church building. The behavioral

sciences have spawned a new vocabulary of social-psychological

-...

6O

terms that are now household terms. The language of the‘gggggl
of the Church of the Nazarene is still based on the King James
translation of theBible of 1611. The conservative position
of preserving the language in the Church.Manual could be a
deterrent to communicating the theological and behavioral
directives of the church. Youth today are steeped in behavior
science symbolism. _There could be some meaningful exchange
of symbols that would communicate to the modern generations.
Instead of "responsibility," "ego strength" could be used;
for "original sin," "self-centeredness” could be used: for
"holiness," Tcommitment” could be used. After sixty years
of existence, not one word in the Manual has been updated, nor
does the symbolism.connote modern behavioral science advance-
ment in the understanding of the nature of human nature. As
a result of this, communicating to youth the church's
anthrOpology--the origin, nature, and destiny of man in
contemporary cultural idiom, is obstructed. The linking of
symbols with belief can be a deterrent to the communicating
process in the church.

Gordon Hensie, in Society_Today, states that there
are four functions of communication. The first, and perhaps
the most common, is to convey information of a cognitive or
denotative character. The second function is to express atti-
tudes and feelings toward oneself and other people and the
world, including an attitude of diffuse solidarity or communion
with others. The third function is to produce action on the

61

part of other people, to persuade, manipulate, or control them.
The fourth major function is to establish or confirm a sense
of personal or group identity.

. In life these functions are often combined. It is
only analytically that they can be distinguished, for in
practice few interpersonal communications convey information
without at the same time expressing feelings, attempting to
induce some kind of action, or trying to establish a firmer
sense of the interpersonal bond itself. It is often the case
that the nonverbal aspects of the communication act are the
prime carriers of these extra-cognitive or extradenotative
meanings (31:398). Charles Morris uses the terms "designative,"
”prescriptive," and "formative" which correspond more or less
with the four functicns stated above (312398).

A social system like the Church of the Nazarene
coordinates these functions until each one is imperatively
related to the others. If there is a ramifying change in one,
there is a ramifying change in all of them. There is little
doubt that in the statements of belief, special rules, and
general rules of the Church.Hanggl the designative function
can be seen. There is a distinct effort to convey the cogni-
tive character of belief and behavior. Since they are impera-
tively coordinated, they are denotative or designative. The
church has stated its position precisely in what is considered
to be rational terms relating to belief.

62

The expressive function is clearly seen in the rituals
of the church. The concept "communion” is used in the Sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper. Also, the expressive term of
"being one" at the Lord'sTable emphasizes solidarity and
cohesion of the group (7:38). Likewise, in the Ritual of
Membership, such terms as ”hallowed fellowship” and "care of
Godly pastors" are used (7:38). These are expressive symbols
eliciting an attitude of communion and fellowship within the
group. These also serve to create an attitude toward the
world that is not a part of the communion of saints. Finally,
the expression is seen in the free type of worship which
includes praises, interjections of assent to the preaching
and praying in the church service. These expressions of
assent tend to create solidarity. The church has devised a
system of expressive symbols designed to communicate cohesion
and one's self among the members. PeOple learn to respond
expressively in the religious environment of the church.

The prescriptive function of communication designed
to produce action is explicitly observed in the symbolism
of sanctions. The norms of conduct expressed in the general
and special rules are coupled with absolute sanctions. The
concept of hell as eternal punishment (7:38) reinforces the
acceptable behavior patterns of the Church members.

Thus far, only the negative aspects of behavior have
been treated. There are also positive reinforcements in the

concepts of heaven and eternal'life. The positive admonitions

63

of doing 89°d.§° others are reinforced by heaven which is
described as worthy of anticipation for doing good. The
symbolism of the church is freighted and permeated with
prescriptive concepts.‘ .

. One of the weaknesses of this prescriptive reinforce-
ment model is that neplace does the Manual of the church
articulate or symbolize principles. Howard Becker makes an
insightful statement in comparing prescriptive behavior with
principle behavior. He states that in contrast to proverbs
and prescriptions which are so concrete that they are tightly
bound to their immediate manifestations in conduct, principles
are sufficiently abstract that their application to a wide
range of conduct is feasible without violation of the principle,
which is still viewed as sacred in that the values it embodies
are unalterable (21:50). This observation points up the
weakness of the position of the Church of the Nazarene. In
a society where Optional behavior is increasing due to urban-
ization, secularization, and mobility, the same concrete
prescriptive conduct is exacted of the adherents. These
normative restrictions were designed in an era when rural
values prevailed and Optional behavior was limited by the
lack of mobility, technology, and leisure time. Hith greater
optional behavior available, the principal behavior is more
rational than prescriptive behavior. The church appears not
to have become conscious of the interaction of prescriptive

and principal behavior in a changing society. Communicating

3!.
ceases tofunctionewhen_the prescribed conduct is not relevant
to the prevailing society.

The formative function of communication appears to
have an all embracing effect. Communication is designed to
confirm a sense of personal or group identity. All the other
functions do this also but there is a sense in which the group
needs definition and the limits of boundary maintenance are
delineated for its members. (The Church of the Nazarene defines
its groupness very succinctly. Such Biblical phrases as
”come out from amOng them," "touch.not the unclean thing,"
ibe not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” "whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God,"
"for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness,”
“what communion has light with darkness?” ”be ye separate,
saith the Lord.” (7:38) These phrases ...... from the Bible
appear in the special rules of the church. They explicitly
define the church as a separate group with normative behavior.
These formative phrases create a symbolical image in the
minds of the peOple. The image of reality is an inside view
of the world and the role of the church in the world. This
image is internalized by a life of "separation from the world."
The image of the church can be so intensely internalized that
some peOple feel the Church of the Nazarene is the "only” true
church with the ”only" true beliefs. Group formation is
realized through the symbolical terms of separateness.

These four functional aspects of communication interact

constantly within the church structure. The communication

65

process is very evident when the symbols and their usage are
observed. Solidarity and group consciousness are perpetuated
through the repetition of these symbols in preaching, teach-
ing, and writing. Church leaders are aware of their role in
the repetition of the symbols.

There is another facet to communication which is not
related to the total church group but to the internal struc-
tural organisation. That is the flow of communication from
one status-role position to another status-role position in
the hierarchical framework of leadership. In a recent article
in the American Sociological Regigg, James Brewer analyzes the
I'I"low of Communications, Expert Qualifications and Organisa-
tional Authority Structures." Brewer makes the observation
that heavy downward communication is dysfunctional in important
respects where the subordinates are experts. To do this he
is compelled to reject the equally common assumption that
increased hierarchy implies greater downward communication
where experts are employed. He argues, instead, that an
operating staff with high expert qualifications creates an
organizational need for upward communication. The narrower
spans of control that are made possible by a high managerial
ratio increase the opportunities for supervisors to consult
‘with subordinates rather than to supervise closely. This is
important not alone because experts tend to be more alienated
by one-sided directives but because they make greater contri-

butions through feedback than persons with poorer qualifications.

66

There is little doubt that narrower spans of control increase
the volume of upward communication in an organisation (6:u76).
Some may wonder what these findings have to do with
the Church of the Nazarene. The hierarchical structure of
general superintendents, district superintendents, pastors
and congregation needs a flow of communications up and down
for the organizational structure to function. The first
problem arises in the flow of communication between the pastor
and the congregation. Many times there is a heavy flow of
downward communication from the pastor to the peOple. Tradi-
tionally the pastor was the most educated man in the church.
This perhaps is more true in the Church of the Nazarene since
the early church.members were of the lower socio-economic
levels of society. Today, however, increased education,
specialization and skill sophistication have altered the
pastors' image as the most highly trained in the church.
The heavy downward flow of communication does not .1149 for
the feedback or upward flow of communication from people who
have the tools and skills for symbolizing the needs and problems
of the church. The laity is knowledgeable in church business,
often beyond the pastor. They also are aware of the needs of
society. The pastor can become very circumscribed in his
duties unless he gets out into the changing world. But
there he is in an ambivalent situation since he is to be
separate from the world. The pastor needs to understand the

observations of Brewer. In this way he can respond to feedback

67

from expert subordinates.

On the higher level of communication flow between.the
pastor and the district superintendent the observations of
Brewer are very pertinent. Each pastor is an expert. Some
have a degree, but all must pass a prescribed course of
training qualifying them for ordination into the ministry.

The hypothesis of Brewer states that the presence of an
operating staff with high expert qualifications discourages
downward communication both by reducing the managerial need

to exercise close supervision and by increasing the operating
staff's need for autonomy. At the same time, expertness
encourages upward communication both by increasing the staff's
need to exercise influence over their work situation and by '
increasing the value of their contributions to management
(6:379). Brewer's findings substantiated the hypothesis.
Thus, the district superintendent who supervises expert
subordinates should be open to the upward flow of communication.
The choice of pastors in expertness would determine the upward
or downward flow of communication. The same is true with the
general superintendents in the selection of district superin-
tendents. In a congregational form of government, where the
people have the final vote in leadership selection, it is not
always easy for leadership to secure the election of the best
qualified personnel.

Communicating in the church social system.takes on

two dimensions: one is the communicating process that functions

68

to create a "we" or group feeling; the other is the process of
communication that flows upward and downward in the organiza-

tional structure hierarchy.
6. SYSTEMIC LINKING

Systemic linkage is the process whereby the elements
of at least two social systems come to be articulated so that
in some ways and on some occasions they may be viewed as a
single systom (21:16). This concept on some occasions is
applicable to the Church of the Nazarene and the family system.
Perhaps it is here more so than in any systemic relations that
the church and the family become one.

The ritual of the church as stated in the Manual
provides insights to the process of linkage. The institu-
tionalized behavioral norms in the rituals of the church
explicitly relate the family and church systems. The Sacra-
ment of Baptism and Dedication of infants by parents stress
the obligation of parents to socialize their children in
behavorial patterns that will produce motivation for conform-
ity to church norms. For example, the Ritual of Infant
Baptism or Dedication reads as follows:

. In presenting this child for dedication you
not only signify your faith in the Christian
religion, but also your desire that he may early
know and follow the will of God, may live and die
a Christian, and come unto everlasting blessedness.
In order to attain this holy and it will be your
duty as parents to teach him early the fear of the

Lord; to watch over his education, that he be not
led astray: to direct his youthful mind to the

69

Holy Scriptures, and his feet to the sanctuary:

to restrain him from evil associates and habits,

and, as much as in you lies, to bring him up in

the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (7:313)
This ritual places a great responsibility on parents. Implicit
in the entire ritual is the church's belief and behavior con-
cepts as the norms by which parents are to rear their children.
Coupled with this is the emphasis on absolute sanctions in
the statement relating to "everlasting blessedness." The
parents who do not fulfill the obligations expressed in the
socialization process sufficiently to motivate their children
to normative confommity in the church can conceivably be
responsible for their children not "coming unto everlasting
blessedness." In this way, the beliefs and behavior patterns
of the church are linked together so that the two systems
become one in child rearing. In fact, a Nazarene family that
supports the total program of the Church of the Nazarene
attends Sunday School, the Sunday worship service, a youth
hour, and Sunday evening service. This involves at least four
hours in church on Sundays. There is a Wednesday evening
service for an hour. At least twice a year there are special
week-long services for an hour or more each night. In addi-
tion the parents may be involved in leadership roles that
demand extra time. The family time schedule is usually geared
to the church progrmm.

Another area in which the church and family show

systemic linkage is the ritual of matrimony. The ceremony in

the'flanual of the church equates matrimony with the relationship

70

of Christ and His church. The ceremony reads as follows:
We are gathered together here in the sight of

God, and in the presence of these witnesses to

join together this man and this woman in holy

matrimony, which is an honorable estate, instituted

of God in the time of man's innocency, signifying

unto us the mystical union that exists between

Christ and His Church. This holy estate Christ

adorned and beautified with His presence and first

miracle that He wrought, in Cans of Galilee, and

St. Paul commended it to be honorable among all

men. It is, therefore, not to be entered into

unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly, and in

the fear of God (7: 305).
This ceremony legitimizes marriage for the church family. The
beginning of family life is linked with the church. The
ceremony is reinforced by pastoral counseling and the fear of
the Lord. The absoluteness of church legitimation and sanc-
tions create strong bonds between the family and church
systems.

These two rituals, marriage and infant dedication,
place strong obligations on the family to conform to the church
system. Also, the thrust of the rituals is at the formation
of the home in marriage and at the development of the family
in child rearing. The linkage is tightly knit when consider-
ation is given to the sanctions involved.

The church also links itself to the family economi-
cally. The concept of storehouse tithing whereby ten percent
of the income of each wage earner is given to the church
assures financial support of the church. The Manual statement
reads:

Storehouse tithing is clearly both the scrip-
tural and practical performance of faithfully and

71

regularly placing the title in that church to

which a member belongs. Upon careful reflection

the local church is the only storehouse properly

reco izable in'a scriptural sense. Therefore,

t6*w den the scape of the definition weakens its

A import and value (7:51).

The legitimation of the tithe and the storehouse is scriptural.
Having stated in previous rules that the Bible is the final
authority for belief and practice then the tithe has an
authoritative reflection. It is interesting to note that
absolute sanctions are not applied to tithing. In fact,
tithing is not a requisite for church.membership. ‘Hith such
strong legitimation, however, the economic structure of the
fmmily is linked with the economics of the church. It is
essential forthe church to imperatively coordinate itself
with the family. The church needs people and money. The
obvious source of both items is the grass roots of society
where peOple are born and money is earned. This imperative
linkage is essential to the perpetuation of the church. If
this linkage is not successful then the church cannot operate
and all other linkages are secondary to the linkage of the
family and church. This perhaps is one reason why the Church
of the Nazarene has not linked up with the various ecumenical
church groups of various types. Only in the last two years
has the church Joined the National Holiness Association. It
also may be one of the reasons why the church has not been

in the vanguard of social movements. The obligations entailed

by linking with the ecumenical groups and social action groups

72

would drain off energies which could better be spent in the
process of linking with families that supply the basic insti-
tutional needs of men and money. .

Social-cultural linkage or systemic linkage involves
three processes: initiation, legitimation, and execution.
Initiation is the process whereby the change system brings
the proposed or advocated change to the attention of the
target system. Legitimation is the process whereby the
proposed change is made "rightful" to the target system.-
Prestigeful sponsors, rituals, prayers, and other legitimizing
procedures are used in the strategy of change. Execution is
the process whereby the social-cultural linkage is put into
effect (3:19). The Church of the Nazarene initiates linkage
to an individual and thus to the family through evangelism.
The process of ”preaching the Gospel" with the purpose of
persuasion to conversion is the initial impact of the church
on an individual. .This is legitimized by what the churchmen
call "the Great Commission" of Christ which says, ”go ye
therefore and teach all nations, baptising thmm tn the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,
and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
(15:Hatthew 28:19-20)

The legitimation is based on the authority of the
‘gigig. These two verses interrelate the prestigeful sponsor,

Christ, the ritual of baptism, and universality of teaching

73
all nations. Also, in a mystical sense, Jesus promises to be
with those who go into all the world. The E3212 legitimizes
missionary_work in all cultures with the prestige of Christ
as the sponsor. The Church of the Nazarene has executed
eocialecultural linkage through.an elaborate missionary
program working in 50 world areas with more than 650 mission-
aries. In addition, the United States has been evangelized
fromeEast to West and North to South. The concept of execution
is operationalized through mass evangelism and personal
evangelism. There is no question of the "right" of a Nazarene

to inquire about a man's soul.

a

7. BOUNDARY MAINTAINING

Boundary maintenance signifies activity to retain
the identity, value orientation, and interaction pattern of
a social system. The process requires that the system
actively resist forces which tend to destroy the identity and
interaction. Solidarity refers to the extent to which.members
are agreed as to the ends and norms of the system, and the
extent to which members identify with the system as a value
in and of itself. This conception of social systems as
boundary maintaining units implies that changes may be
expected to set up strains in the existing systems. Strain
sets up re-equilibrating processes, but resistance must be
expected, especially if the change interferes with the basic
values guiding action (3:19). Being a sacred social system

7a

the Church of the Nazarene is reluctant to change (21:h8).
The values guiding action are conceived to be revelations
from God or interpretations of those revelations. The state-
ments of belief (7:29) are the traditional Christian theologi-
cal tenets that have endured for nearly two millennia despite
vast changes in the social environment (25:75). Moore
observes that super-empirical belief would be only slightly
affected by other social transformations, but by the same
token might well exhibit changes that have little to do with
their immediate social environment, and in fact, possibly

are a result of external influence. The loose connections
with other role structures and ordinary patterns of behavior
means that relatively autonomous change might occur without

9 kind of "systemic resistance" deriving from interlocking
patterns (25:75). The Church of the Nazarene in the past
sixty years has not changed its belief system, nor has it
altered the basic rules as stated in the general and special
rules in the Manual (7:29).

This reluctance to change shows a strong attitude
toward boundary maintenance. Sanders observes that change
may be resisted in all of its forms to the best of the ability
of the peOple. They may feel that what they have is so good
that it ought to be preserved; they may fear any alteration
in their own situation or position if new faces begin to work
in the system (28:20h).

There are a few minor behavior patterns that have

been.modified such as, in 1968 the General Assembly agreed to

7S
ellew mixed swimming. Boundary maintenance is also strength-
ened by the leaders and general assembly not making statements
concerning the social issues of our day.. The church has not
issued a statement concerning the Vietnam.war, poverty,
social concerns, the draft, conscientious objection, or race
relations. AThese are all left cpen ended for private con-
science or interpretation (7:29). However, the church does
favor separation of church and state and the use of prayers
and the Bible in the public schools. Boundary maintenance
is reinforced by being silent in some instances and outspoken
in other instances.

Boundary maintenance is strengthened by the exercise
of absolute sanctions as mentioned in a previous discussion.
The constant threat of hell for normative deviation acts as
social control that maintains cohesiveness and solidarity.
Also, the concept of "separation from the world" reinforces
the church social system. These controls along with the
concept of being a conservative church whose obligation is
to preserve the faith once given to the fathers and being a
fundamental church whose obligation is to believe that scrip—
ture is a metaphysical input into the world, strongly cement

belief and behavior into an imperatively coordinated system.
8. SOCIALIZING

The processual dimension of socialization can also

be viewed in the present participle socializing. Socialization

76‘
is a dynamic process that permeates all the elements of the
religio-social system. It is an ever-present reality in the
total scheme of institutional social interaction. According
to Loomis, ”socialization is the process by which the social
and cultural heritage is transmitted” (21:17). This basic

definition is elaborated by Parsons who states that

. . . the most fundamental mechanisms of social
control are to be found in the normal processes of
interaction in an institutionally integrated social
system and that without deliberate planning on the
part of anyone, there have developed mechanisms
which, within limits, are capable of forestalling
and reversing the deep-lying tendencies for deviance
to get into the vicious cycle phase which puts it
beyond the control of ordinary approval-disapproval
and reward-punishment sanctions (21:1h).

This is accomplished through conditional manipulation of
sanctions which leads to the manipulation of rewards which
is institutionalized in the value pattern and, in successful
control, internalized by ego (21:20). The internalization
of the value pattern through the manipulation of sanctions
leads to conformity or to fulfilling group expectations by
ego.

Individual motives for fulfilling.others!_.a«
expectations fall into two general categories.
First, a person may respond to group pressure
because the group is serving a normative function
for him, He attempts to live up to the expecta-
tions of others because:

1. The others will accept and like him, or

will not reject him.

2. The group goal will be successfully attained.

3. The continuation of the group will be ensured.
People may also fulfill others' expectations as a by-
product of informational or cognitive needs. Thus,
if the group has an informational function, the others'
expectations can serve as a guide for: -

77

l. Gaining correct information about reality.

2. Validating one's own Opinions and making

sure they are consistent with the Opinions
of others.

3. Evaluating oneself and others (19:33).

An important aspect of the expectations model is how
expectations are transmitted. Kiesler approaches this by
saying that sometimes expectations are made very explicit as
when there are written rules for behavior or when the group
leaders give commands. But expectations need not be overtly
transmitted to be perfectly clear. The individual only has
to perceive that his beliefs or acts disagree with those of
the group (19:33). Manipulation of sanctions and role expec-
tations as Observed by Parsons and Hiesler respectively provide
the two sides of the same coin. Parson's view takes on
objectivity as an individual becomes the recipient of the
group's sanctioning. Kiesler's view takes on subjectivity
as an-individual internalizes-the same goals as the group and
finds fulfillment in the normative restrictive behavior of
the group.

when these two views are applied to the Church of the
Nazarene we can see them both Operating at the same time.

The church through its teaching and preaching ministry
endeavors to become the agency of socialization leading to
the internalization of the norms of the church. The church
as seen previously has explicit rules of belief and behavior.

These rules for some peOple could serve as a normative function

which brings acceptance and fulfills the goals of the group.

78

Also, the belief system for some could fulfill their quest
for_cognitive information about religious knowledge. The
expectations of the church revolve around the imperative
coordination of these two dimensions. The belief system and
behavior patterns are so interrelated that a person, in order
to_be a Nazarene, must believe and behave imperatively. The
Church of the Nazarene has explicitly stated the beliefs in
the statements of belief in the Manual and also has explicitly
stated rules of conduct in the general and special rules (7).
There is no equivocation at this point. Belief and behavior
are imperatively coordinated.

Someone may ask, how can the church legitimize such
an imperatively coordinated system of belief and behavior?
The church does it by setting up the Bible as the final '
authority for belief and practice. The church's authority
is legitimized by the Bible. Therefore, the absoluteness of
the belief-behavior system demands absolute sanctions. when
this takes place, then the church can arouse guilt feelings
for non-conformity or deviancy. Socialization takes place
as an objective tool of discipline. People can be expelled
from the church, censored, or suspended. Here again is the
problem of applying absolute sanctions to all behavior whether
it is relative or absolute behavior, as observed previously.

The imperatively coordinated belief-behavior system
is directly related to the imperatively conceptualized system

of believing, norming, status-role and sanctioning. The

79

teaching and preaching of guilt elicits the deepest emotions
in people when the system is internalized. There can be a
large place for cognitive dissonance in this type of system.
It is altogether possible for a person to accept the belief
system but not the behavior system and likewise the behavior
system and not the belief system. Sanctions operate in both
areas. The possibility of deviancy is compounded when it
becomes a strong socialization mechanism through guilt.
There is no way an individual can escape the pressure of
.fulfilling the expectations of the group for there are no
other areas of behavior except in thought and deed.

This is complicated by the fact that peOple are
expected to fulfill the expectations of the church both when
with the group and when not in the presence of the group.
Philip Brock in his Cultural Anthropology discusses the guilt
society and shame society concepts (S:hlh). In a guilt society
absolute standards of behavior are associated with guilt as
a means of assuring conformity, whereas situational or relative
standards of behavior occur in the shame society. Since the
Church of the Nazarene relates absolute behavior and relative
behavior to absolute sanctions, it would appear that greater
pressure is involved when American culture is moving from a
guilt society to a shame society. Dissonance can set in when
the individual is sanctioned absolutely whether present with
or absent from the group. Society may sanction relatively

but the church sanctions absolutely. This could be cause for

80

neurosis and psychosis, especially if the beliefs and behaviors
of the church are strongly internalized.

_ } 'Another complication of this situation is cross-
cultural relations. Japan is described as being a shame
society. Rules are obeyed so as not to lose face (S:ulh).

Nhen the Nazarene missionary teaches a guilt ethic instead
Of the shame ethic, there could bemisunderstanding and dis-
sonance in the life of the new convert. It would be interest-
ing to know whether the converts to the Nazarene system
really internalize the system in and out of the group rela-
tionships. Nazarene missionaries no doubt have felt this
conflict but may not have had the skills or tools to articulate
it. The problem arises by exercising socialization on the
basis of absolute sanctions in all areas of life regardless
of the behavior involved. The adjustment from a shame orien-
tation to a guilt orientation is probably a long and arduous
social-psychological adjustment on the part of the convert.
Perhaps if knowledge were available that analyzed the missionary
impact from shame to guilt, we could understand the social-
psychological adjustment that peOple experience in American
culture as it passes through the transition from a guilt
orientation to a shame orientation. It appears to this writer
that the plight of the church in America in all denominations
could be related to this shift from the guilt oriented
protestant ethic to the shame oriented social ethic.

This shift in emphasis puts tremendous pressure on

the Church of the Nazarene. The imperatively coordinated

81

belief-behavior system is under constant pressure to change.
It is more acute when absolute sanctions are applied, leading
to extreme guilt in both belief and behavior if change is
contemplated.

Controlling in the Church of the Nazarene is achieved
through imperatively coordinating the belief system and
behavior system, to such an extent that guilt is aroused.

The more strongly these systems are coordinately internalized
the more intense is the guilt. Guilt can occur on two levels.
It can be objective moral guilt in which the moral standard
has been violated. 0r, there can be a self-imposed guilt
without moral connotation. The internalization process can
be so effective that a person feels guilty even when he can
rationally think through moral implications. In this situation
change is hindered because peOple who have strongly internal-
ized the belief and behavior systems have two dimensions to
overcome in making disposition of guilt feelings. Socializa-
tion is a process integrated into the whole system of the
Church of the Nazarene.

The socialization process is reinforced by the
Biblical concept of precept upon precept. The total church
program is designed to transmit the values of the church. The
Sunday School program includes all ages from crib babies to
the oldest peOple. Lessons are graded for each age group and
are repeated every seven years. The youth program is a com-

bination of training and social activity. The missionary

82

precepts are reinforced by reading books and youth and adult
groups which meet monthly. The services of the church on a
typical Sunday include Sunday School and worship in the
morning; youth activities and an evening service. In addition,
there is a mid-week prayer service. Preaching and teaching
are emphasized. At least twice a year in every church there
are special services of a week's duration in which the rite
of intensification is exercised through the concept "revival.”
Parents are encouraged to have Bible reading and prayer in
their homes.

By the time a child has matured in the Church of the
Nazarene, he has been socialized by several techniques and
it continues until death. The Nazarene program has an
intensity of effort and pressure that is constantly evidenced
in transmitting the "faith once delivered to the saints"

through the socialization process.
9. INSTITUTIONALIZING

Through institutionalization human behavior is made
predictable and patterned, social systems are given the
elements of structure and the processes of function (21:16).
This basic definition of institutionalization by Loomis can
be applied to the processual formation of behavior patterns
in the Church of the Nazarene. The process of imperatively
organizing the belief system with the behavior system rein-

forced by an absolute sanction system tends to institutionalize

83
and standardize behavior and make it predictable. Also, the
articulation of a codified code of ethics in the special and
general rules of the church tends to universalize the behavior
of peOple in the Church of the Nazarene in all cultures.
Institutionalization in behavior functions to reinforce the
sense of solidarity and group consciousness. Not only is the
church a group of individuals with common beliefs, but also
their behavior is uniform.

James McKee in his Introduction to Sociology says that
the making of institutions, the institutionalization of norms
and actions occurs in all societies as it shapes its own
distinctive social structure around some salient, universal
issues. At some crucial points it weds its deepest moral
considerations to the behavior that is an answer to these
issues (2h:130). ‘Nhat is true on the societal level is true
in the Church of the Nazarene. The church has wedded its
deepest moral considerations to the behavior that is an answer
to the salient issues. The church has wedded behavior to
belief. The institutional norms are rooted in the fundamental
value perspective of the members of the group in its most
basic conception of what is right andrmoral in life. In the
church, however, almost all behavior is right or wrong. There
is very little in between. This serves to oversimplify the
matter but it does give security to the believer who keeps
the rules. However, this kind of normative ethics may produce

peOple who are easily led and may not grow in individualism.

3h

Then, parhaps, the concept of religion as social control by
the hierarchy may take on credence.

Institutionalizing relates also to the structural
dimensions of the church social system. Howard Becker
analyzed the structure of religious bodies as they manifest
their distinguishing characteristics in structural-institu-
tional typology (2:333). Becker speaks of four categories
on a continuum.

CULT SECT DENOHINATION EWCLESIA

 

These categories are circular in that when the ecclesia
becomes highly secularized it tends to promote the growth
of cults composed of dissenters within the ecclesia (2:333).
The continuum affords us an Opportunity to locate the Church
of the Nazarene in its structural-institutional typological
dimensions.

The history of the church starts with a cultist move-
ment. A Methodist minister, Phineas Bresee, became disen-
chanted (with the Methodist Church in the early 1900's and
started his own church in Los Angeles. His theme was ”keep
the glory down." The Methodist Church had become too liberal
for him and a few Others. This cult soon deveIOped the char-
acteristics of a sect, as Becker describes them. (Withdraws
from the rest of the world, membership policies are exclusive,
radicalism of a sort, relatively untrained leaders, non-

compromising, little ecclesiastical hierarchy, non-resistance

35

evaluated highly, lower class adherents) (2:333).

The Church of the Nazarene at one time was structured
around these institutional characteristics. However, as
Becker continues, the denomination is the 'sect grown old.‘
It is more secular than the sect but not as secular as the
ecclesia. The Church of the Nazarene is only 65 years old.
Therefore, we see the vestiges of sectarianism in the denomi-
national structure. The church is classified as a denomination
but there are still sectarian characteristics that can be
observed. The special rules admonish the members to be
separate from the world and the membership policies reinforce
this as only "converted peOple" are to be admitted to member-
ship. Divorced peOple are not to be admitted. Radicalism
can be observed in certain areas which still stress dress
codes and entertainment restrictions. The leadership is
being better trained due to the eight accredited colleges
whose student bodies are primarily Nazarene young peOple.
These characteristics are changing. The movement to denomi-
national structure is very apparent also. The hierarchy is
becoming more proliferated, the class of adherents is rising
on the socio-economic levels. Radicalism is being tempered
and there is a greater tendency to cOOperate with the world.
These paradoxical observations lead us to think that the
Church of the Nazarene is a denomination on the continuum
but still is showing a lag in some areas that are character-

istic of sectarian structure. The church probably is not old

86

enough yet to have made the transition to the denominational
structure so there is the ambivalence of structural ambiguity.
It is interesting to note that the denominational structure
is strongest in those regions of the country that are consid-
ered more liberal by sociologists, such as the'flest Coast and
East Coast. The Church of the Nazarene is a sectarian-

denomination in the Becker structural-institutional typology.

10. SOCIAL CONTROLLING

. . Social-control is the process by which deviancy is
counteracted (21:17). This basic definition of social control
is the starting point of this discussion. The control of
deviant behavior is essential to the equilibrium of a social
system. Change and conflict are ubiquitous in every social
system. There is a static model and dynamic model which is
defined by Rolf Dahrendorf. Dahrendorf's theory of social
conflict rests upon Weber's concept of the imperatively
coordinated group which cOntains positive and negative
dominance roles. He calls these quasi-groups because they
are aggregates, not organized groups. He speaks of latent
interests because the Opposition of outlook need not be
conscious, it may exist only in the form of expectations
associated with certain positions. The opposition of interests
has a formal meaning; the expectation that an interest in the
preservation of the status quo is associated with the positive

dominance roles and an interest in change is associated with

87

the negative dominance roles (8:17h—179). Dahrendorf‘s
comments can be summed up in four observations based on static

model and a dynamic model.

STATIC DYNAHIC
Integration vs. Conflict
Function vs. Dysfunction
Stability vs. Change
Consensus vs. Constraint

This conflict model can be observed in every social system.
There may appear to be times of intense equilibrium when

all of the elements of the system are interacting to maintain
equilibrium. However, latent interests in the form of expec-
tations are always present. ,

This conflict in the Church of the Nazarene is quite
complicated. There is the imperatively coordinated leadership
structure of general superintendent, district superintendent,
and pastor, and the voluntary coordinated structure of the
membership. These two structural-institutional conflict-
laden, coordinated hierarchies are juxtaposed in the social
system. Conflict is confounded when it exists on the impera-
tive level of the hierarchy and when it exists on the voluntary
level of the membership. If the Church of the Nazarene is
called upon to counteract deviancy, it should take into
account the differential nature of voluntary coordination and
imperative coordination.

Other variables that complicate the whole process of

social control are the imperatively coordinated belief system

88

and behavior system. Deviance in doctrinal beliefs are a
constant threat to the system as well as deviance in behavior.
It is conceivable that a person could conform in doctrinal
belief but be a deviant in behavior. It is also conceivable
that a person could conform in behavior but be a deviant in
doctrinal belief. The complexity of devising social control
mechanisms to accommodate the structural levels of imperative
and voluntary coordination and the functional levels of belief
and behavior is laden with ambiguity. In addition to the
structural-functional categories there are socio-cultural
factors to consider. For example. increased mobility of the
members and pastors gives rise to the observation of regional

and cultural differences in various areas of the church. ‘35
.3 A)“ ‘ 2 l”)

The increased membership which has reached more than half $3. —r“

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a million people increases the variability in life stylesfflflfi'xp'

1 ~ 1
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making for greater heterogeneity. Increased education with?" $53¢

greater exposure to challenging viewpoints in belief and
behavior, increases the potential for deviant behavior.
Increased technology which is constantly changing
the structural and functional values of society is constantly
exerting pressure on the church to change its stance. Social
control in the Church of the Nazarene must take into account
all these variables and many others. The question constantly
asked is, "Can the church change and still be true to its
original belief and behavior patterns?" Also, "Hhat kind of

leadership will maintain these belief and behavior patterns?"

89

The pressures are great in a society that is urbanizing and
secularizing on a church that is conservative with rural
values and behavioral norms deeply rooted in rural traditions.

A pertinent question to ask is, "What Options are
available to the church to exercise social control both in
the structural and functional categories in relation to the
socio-cultural environment?"

James McKee in his Introduction to Sociology addresses
the process of social control. He says that through sociali-
zation individuals internalize the values and norms Of society
and are able to exercise self-control. In mobile and
changing societies there is the process Of linking the indi-
vidual to various kinds of social action by offering rewards
for undertaking sustained activities or by giving people
sufficient reason for doing things that are of value to the
society, things not compelled or required either by custom
or a sense of duty. This is the sociological and institu-
tional aspect of motivation. Modes of compulsion with the
threat of punishment are not the only complements to self-
control. Socialization and motivation may be a primary means
of assuring behavior for carrying on the society, or even for
action that breaks ground in new directions of change and
development, but these cannot provide complete assurance that
such will occur. Social control becomes institutionalized,
but it also emerges in certain normal processes found in all

reasonably integrated human groups. It becomes institutionalized

90

when formal mechanisms and procedures are created to contain
action within certain limits. Sanctions may be imposed on
Offenders according_to custom or_law, and these can range
from rebuke to the ultimate penalty--death. ‘while only an
official authority can invoke the sanction to deprive a
person-of his life, social groups have always had available
as an ultimate weapon the ostracism or isolation of the
Offendingperson, who is simply no longer accepted as one of
the group-~who 'dies' socially. Such informal mechanisms as
ridicule and gossip serve as effective threats to the esteem
of the group and the esteem of the individual, and thus, to
his self-esteem. To avoid gossip and ridicule compels the
individual to avoid the conduct that would be a prime subject
of gossip and ridicule (2h:103-107). The formal mechanisms
of socialization and motivation and the informal mechanisms
of gossip and ridicule are the Options available to the church
to exercise social control.

. A study of the special rules of the Church of the
Nazarene (7:37) distinctly makes gossip evil. Rule number a
states that evil of every kind including quarreling, returning
evil for evil, gossiping, slandering, spreading surmises
injurious to the good names of others, is to be avoided by
members of the church. How well this rule is obeyed is a
matter of great conjecture. The mechanism of ridicule is
negated by statement number 3lin section two of the special

rules (7:38) which reads, "being helpful to those who are of

91

the household of faith, in love forbearing one another." How
well this rule is obeyed is also a matter for conjecture.

The informal mechanisms are theoretically ruled out, but in
practice they exist on every level of the organization.

This reduces the Options of social control mechanisms
to socialization and motivation. The church has developed
these mechanisms quite effectively. The socialization process
with its goal of internalizing the beliefs and norms of the
church begins at a very early age in Sunday School. The
Church of the Nazarene has developed a Sunday School progrmm
that is designed to give continuous instruction in the beliefs
and behavior of the church from the cradle to the grave.

There is a strong emphasis on consistent attendance with
participation by the laymen as teachers and officers. By

this process of church-schooling the church hopes that young
people early in life will internalize the beliefs, norms,

and values of the church. This is not all of the programming
for church training. There are groups for teens and young
adults organized primarily around social activities. These
often become study groups that reinforce the educational
program and the pulpit ministry. The educational program
filters into every activity. A member or aspirant to member-
ship in.the church is constantly being socialized to intern-
alize the church position. This is all reinforced by a strong
A<¢k¢x education program Of eight accredited colleges in
the United States, with 8,000 students being trained in

92

churcherelated colleges. The educational program is designed
to persuade rationally. The lOgic of belief and behavior is
stressed. f

The other formal mechanism is motivation. The control
here-is dominated by sanctions. The option of heaven or hell
as life's destiny is a constant reinforcement to conformity.
To be sure, this must be internalized in a move to action
but it does serve its purpose of motivation. It, perhaps,
is more discreetly observed in evangelism when a sermon on
hell is preached to peOple who have never heard the gospel
and they respond out of fear. Many itinerant evangelists
in the church use motivation based on fear as a mechanism
to elicit response from the congregation. Many times, how-
ever, without prOper training when the fear subsides the
individual lapses back into the old patterns of behavior.

The greatest asset to social control in the Church
of the Nazarene is a combination of socialization and sanc-
tions or motivation. However, it appears, in the final
analysis, that motivation based on absolute sanctions is the
preferred mechanism of the church. All behavior, whether
absolute or relative, is reinforced by absolute sanctions
of heaven or hell. Social controlling is a dynamic process

based on a dynamic cOnflict model.

PART III
CONFLICT CATEGORIES
The conflict categories of changing and relating
nestle the church in the fermentation of today's religious
environment. The resolution of conflict by changing to a
more relevant position in a society moving toward a social

ethic and maintaining a conservative commitment is part of

the analysis of this final section.
11. CHANGING

The preceding discussions will now be analyzed in
the context of the theme of this thesis, 'A Conservative
Church Challenged by Change." If the observations and con-
élusions in the structural-functional categories of the Church
of the Nazarene are reliable, then there should be a basis
for analyzing the church's ability to change in order to be
relevant to today's sociOty. .Loomis and Beegle in their
Rural Sociology use the concepts of "change system" and
ftarget system" within the context of social-cultural linkage
Or systemic linkage (3:19). These two concepts, change
systmm and target system, describe picturesquely the rela-
tionship between the Church of the Nazarene and the "world."
Traditionally the church has been the change system and the

secular world has been the target system. For many years

93

9h

the Church of the Nazarene focused on a relatively stationery
target.. Change in the target system was relatively slow so
that the beliefs and behavior patterns of the church were

not challenged.n The church was quite successful in hitting
the target and making changes in the target system.

Many are saying today that the church has failed.
when I speak of the church here, I refer to the whole church
system; not just the Church of the Nazarene. But the church
has not failed. The church has been too successful. The
change system, the church, has succeeded in transforming the
target system into its own image. The target system embraced
the basic tenets of the change system. Will Herberg writes
that American society had subscribed to the Judeo-Christian
principles of fatherhood of God, dignity of man, and brother-
hood (l3:38-39). ‘Also, the target system had legitimized
the church behavior patterns by enacting laws in the political
sector that reinforced the influence and authority of the
change system. For instance, the American society accepted
laws against abortion, homosexuality, divorce, gambling,
cheating, lying, and many other religious values. These
value judgments in behavior were reinforced by a belief
system Max Neber called the Protestant Ethic. The change
agent had successfully altered the target system until America
was known as a "Christian" nation even though it was plural-
istic in religiOus content. This came about because the

target system was a relatively stationery target. The change

p. .

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95

agent was able to devise methods that kept the target system
within range. The winds of change were light breezes. The
method used by the church was political. The church was able
to secure enough influence in the political sector of American
society to enact laws that reinforced or assured the church's

behavior patterns. These were based on democratic beliefs

' that grew out of the Judeo-Christian religion. This led the

church into a societal view of social change rather than an

anfindividual view of social change. The church failed to see

W)H-“V‘that the political system reinforced the church's behavior

'1-

.pvg’ -and belief system because the church was successful in

r g l— E
1‘ i ' l‘ :u d
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.4" ,

gag? placing individuals one by one in office who were able to

change the target system. The church lost sight of the indi-
viduals and their influenceand moved to the concept of
institutional social action. Rather than keeping the target
“Oystem in a constant ad hoc position by electing individuals
who created change in the target system's political sector,
the church shifted to an ex post facto view of creating change
by changing institutions. The various concepts of the ”social
gospel" with their emphasis on institutional change are
observable here. ,

If the church failed, it was in relinquishing respon-
sibility for change in the target system to the political
sector of the target system. The target system ceased to be
stationary and became a moving target. The benevolent political

sector in the target system overshadowed the church's concept

96
of the nature of human nature and the church lost its zeal
for individual involvement.J ‘ . .

_ J This was also fanned by the hurricane winds of tech-
nology, urbanization, mobility, pOpulation increase, and
affluency. The target system began to move. It was no
longer stationary. The movement accelerated until the target
is almost out of sight. The church is pursuing it, almost f
out of breath. What really has happened is that the roles ‘3':
of the change system and the target system have been reverstd.t
The target system is now demanding change in the change system
to accommodate or even to legithmize the changes in the target
systmm. ‘Nith increased mobility, population expansion and
technological growth, the variability in life styles is
moving American society from a protestant ethic based on a
guilt society to a shame society. Secularization which once
served as a necessary corrective influence on dogmatic
religious science has become a codified scientism and secu-
larism. Secularization is defined by Robin Williams as the
destruction of the belief in a transcendental being, which
removes both the supernatural sanctions for our ethical
system and a central value focus for the established beliefs.
It might be said that ethics tends to replace a transcendental
éoity (37:323).

The target has become a competitor of the change
agent and really has become the change agent while the church
has become the target system. This is observable in that

97

the metaphysical input of revelation no longer regulates human
interaction. Secularism stands in opposition to traditional
religion in our society in its belief and behavior systems.
The codification of belief and behavior has made secularism

a competing religion for the allegiance of men. At the same
time secularism defines the nature of human nature in terms
of good rather than evil. It also has captured the political
sector from the church until the behavior patterns enacted

by church influence are being reversed; such as, prostitution,
abortion, homosexuality, divorce, alcohol, gambling, and
others. The social ethic is fast making inroads on the
protestant ethic. Perhaps there is an optimum number of
peOple that the protestant ethic can accommodate. As the
population increases, the variability in life styles can only
be accommodated by a social ethic. In a society such as this
people are not concerned about the ultimate questions but are
more interested in here and now with its immediate gratifying
experiences. These thought patterns are eroding the protes-
tant ethic's metaphysical belief system.

One of the dimensions of this change in American
society is the acceleration of change. The acceleration is
not only in material categories that technology creates but
also in ideological concepts that erode the traditional value
system. This acceleration is the theme of the book Future
S2225 by Toffler (3&35). The disease of change has left much

of society in a state of shock. The church has lost a target

98

because of its elusiveness and speed and has gained a com-
petitor for the loyalties and allegiance of men.

7 The Church of the Nazarene was organized in 1908
when secularism and the social gospel were in an incipient
stage. Many of the peOple who joined the new denomination
were peOple who protested the secular trend in the existing
denominations in behavior patterns and who were insistent
on retaining the belief in a metaphysical input or revelation
as the rule of faith.k The sect has followed the sociological
pattern of Howard Becker's analysis until it has become a
denomination in many respects but still retains some of the
sectarian characteristics. The Church of the Nazarene has
grown with secularism, urbanization, mobility, and the popu-
lation increase. Perhaps by being a young church it was able
to formulate and adjust as the two systems grew side by side.
The Church of the Nazarene was the change agent while the
secular world was the target system. The church also was
the recipient of members from older denominations that refused
to accept the social gospel and a change in the concept of
the nature of human nature.

These observations lead us into an analysis of the
structural cate cries, processes and change. The Church of
the Nazarene hasjand is being challenged by change. If
relevant change is to take place, it will need to take place
in the structural-functional categories and processual dimen-

sions of the church. The structural-functional categories

99

believing, norming, status-role, and sanctioning will be

observed and then the processual dimensions.

H _ Believing and Changing _-

; Thereli f system of the Church of the Nazarene is
based on absolutes. These absolutes are reinforced by the
absolute sanctions Oerternal punishment in hell (7:h—5).
The Manual reads:

a 'For those called Nazarenes, the Bible is the
Word of GOd and the supreme authority and source
for all spiritual truth. The doctrines of our
church are based upon the Bible, and have been

- brought to us out of the experience of the his-
toric Christian Church. We believe in all the
cardinal doctrines of the evangelical church, but
we also carry a sense of mission to present and
conserve the doctrine of heart holiness as an ex-
perience to be received and as a life to be lived.
The church is committed to an evangelistic outreach
that will make her witness vital in every generation
and to all nations (7:h-S).

This statement fairly well precludes that change in the
beliefs of the church would come only in restructuring the
position that the Bible is the legitimation of the church's
belief system. For a conservative church that i: still“ I
partly sectarian and partly denominational and only sixty
years old, change in this area may be sociolOgically impossible
at this time. The concept of conservation of Biblical beliefs
in the midst of secularism is deeply imbedded in the Nazarene
conscience as portrayed in the Manual.

Perhaps the greatest threat to the church is secu-
larism. Secularism is in direct Opposition to the church

which relies heavily on the metaphysical input of revelation

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100

as declared in the Bible for its beliefs. The secular society
of today is-becoming codified into a structured philosOphical
system based on technology and scientism. The church still
emphasizes very strongly prayer and miracles for the meeting
of life's needs. The beliefs of the church are not under
attack from within the church nor have they ever been changed
in the history of the church. Reluctance to change as Opposed
to readiness for change is the position of the church in its
belief system.

Ranking and Changing

In the discussion of ranking it was pointed out that
the governmental structure of the church is a combination of
the episcOpal and congregational types of government. It
it interesting to_note, however, the eight top leaders in
the church, the six general superintendents, the church
secretary, and the president of the only seminary in the
church are not indigenous members of the church. Every one
of these men is oriented to the episcopal type government.
Three of the general superintendents have Catholic backgrounds,
the senior superintendent is of Scottish and Church of England
background, another superintendent is from the Methodist
Church, while the last one is from the Church of Christ. The
Seminary president was a Methodist and the church secretary
was an Evangelical United Brethren. These men who are in
the highest echelons of the church come from episcopal back-
grounds which places decision making in the hands of the

lOl

elected officials. With these kinds of backgrounds reluctance
to change is reinforced. They would have a tendency to
centralize control in their status-role sets which would
reinforce the status-quo. I

-An interesting question at this point is why these
types of leaders would emerge within the last ten to fifteen
years. These years are the years when secular values and
the social ethic gained momentum through Supreme Court deci-
sions and the various youth movements on college campuses.
These are years of violence, riots, and social upheaval in
our society. Is it possible that a group of people who are
oriented to a firm commitment to the Bible as the answer to
the ultimate questions of life which brings existential
security, would select leaders that would reinforce these
answers? The conservation of these values in the face of
the threat of secular values could be a motivating force for
selecting a particular type of leadership. Reluctance to
change can be observed as the elected leaders centralize
their control and become the decision making hierarchy of
the church. Sociological factors, then, in the larger society
can become influential in leadership selection for a group of
people whose religious security rests in prescribed beliefs
legitimized by the Bible.

102
Norming and Changigg

The rules Of the church have become moral imperatives.
Those who violate the conscience of the church do so at their
own peril and to the hurt of the witness and fellowship of
the church (7:h3). This observation of the Manual not only
institutionalizes the rules but also institutionalizes the
direction sanctions will take when the rules are violated.
The moral implications reinforce the behavior implied in
the rules. One of the evidences of reluctance to change the
rules of the church is that the rules in the Manual have never
been changed in sixty years. The changing environment sur-
rounding the church has not been strong enough to infiltrate
the institutionalized behavior of the church. In studying
the survey taken at the church's mid-west college, it is
interesting to note that the students do not use tobacco or
alcohol, but there is an overwhelming majority who attend
the movies and have no personal conviction against the movies.
This is a change in the behavior pattern of movie attendance.
Perhaps the advent of television has eroded the moral impera-
tive of not attending the movies. The response to having
never smoked or used alcohol is incredible in contemporary
society.

The question on church attendance in the campus life
survey is also enlightening. These areas would indicate
that the church is strong in the socialization and institu-

tionalization processes. Regular church attendance perhaps

103

is basic to the success of these processes working in the
church. The constant repetition of the precepts of the church
from the pulpit would tend to reinforce behavior in these
areas. As stated before, however, the introduction of tele-
vision into the homes of Nazarenes may have eroded the movie
standard.- It is interesting to note that television displays
a great amount of drinking and smoking in its programming

but these rules have not been eroded, at least for the present.
Another observation, however, is whether or not the relevant
values of secularism will erode the concept of absolute values
inherent in the metaphysical value structure of the church.
Perhaps it will take another generation of television viewers
in the Nazarene setting to know if the value system is being
eroded. The present movements of youth turning to Christ in
our country may have a bearing on Nazarene behavior. The
various campus ministries, Jesus People, and Billy Graham
youth emphases could very well be positive reinforcers to
maintain the traditional norms of the church.

It will be interesting to note whether the church
relaxes its code on the theater due to the behavior of its
‘youth. There has been an effort on the part of church leaders
to decry the sex, violence, and low morality of the movie
industry in order to combat the trend. However, as Nazarene
youth become more highly educated there is a tendency to live
by principle and not by prescription. With this trend, there

is a tendency to select certain movies, allowing for a variety

10h

of behavior within the principle but keeping the values sacred.
Thereluctance to change the normative restrictions

of the church is strong. This is achieved through making

the church.norms moral imperatives legitimized by the meta-

physical input of revelation and a status—role set hierar-

chical structure reinforced by absolute sanctions.

Sanctioningand Changing

The reluctance to change probably has its greatest
reinforcement in the church's commitment to absolute sanc-
tions. The concept of hell“with its connotations Of eternal
punishment, outer darkness, weeping, wailing, fire and brim-
stone, and a feeling of being lose is a strong deterrent to
deviant church behavior. Regularity in church attendance
with preaching which emphasizes hell-fies can emotionally
condition children and young peOple until they internalize
fear. The emphasis on regularity in church attendance
strengthens the socialization process by repetition. There
is some evidence that in many of the larger churches negative
preaching is giving way to the positive concepts of love and
grace and mercy Of God. However, in places where there is
strong "little tradition” emphasis, the negative reinforcers
are used more widely. I

In these four areas believing, status-role, norming,
and sanctioning, the church is reluctant to change. These

structural-function categories are so imperatively interrelated

105

that they become deterrents to change. In a society of
accelerating change and increased technology'which has crys-
tallized into a codified secularism, the Church of the Nazarene
has thus far conserved its position. Even though some areas
seem to be inconsistent, such as relating relevant behavior

to absolute sanctions and an organizational structure that
leaves the pastor with status without a role and members with
a role and no status, the church has managed to overcome

these rational inconsistencies by internalizing strong
existential emotional needs, such as security and meaning-
fulness within the peOple. A fruitful question for study

could revolve around the idea that perhaps it is never pos-
sible to be completely consistent and fully satisfy existential
amotional needs. The element of faith which is beyond reason
seemingly allows for inconsistencies to exist along side

rational consistencies.
l2. RELATING

Thus far in the history of the church, the impera-
tively cOordinated belief, norm, status-role, and sanction
categories have been able to withstand the pressures of a
secularizing society. The leaders of the church have been
of such character that the conservation of belief and behavior
have been realized. The coordination of absolute sanctions
with belief and behavior have served to reinforce the con-

servative dimensions of the church. But what about the

106

future of the church? As the church.enlarges and grows older,
will the heterogeneity of life styles make demands on the
conservative viewpoints? Will the next generation, steeped
in a secular society, change the direction of the church to
make it relevant to secular values and the accompanying
social ethic? These values will be supported by a generation
that has known only affluency, a generation without Bible
reading and prayer in the schools, a generation that will
see the political sector legalize many behaviors that were
made legally wrong under the protestant ethic. The legalizing
of abortion, homosexuality, gambling, certain drugs, prosti-
tution, and like behaviors associated with the social ethic.
A new kind of pressure will also be brought on the church
through intensifying of urbanism with its emphasis on imper-
sonality, individuation, and transiency. The church is
basically an effective, gemeinschaft church with expressive
sentiments deeply imbedded in its social life and corporate
worship. It may be very difficult for people steeped in
urban living to "turn on" on Sundays after having lived
impersonally all week. The emotional conditioning of daily
urban living may cause the church to drastically change the
corporate structure of worship and social activity. Some
sociologists predict a completely new structuring of the church.
95! Books has published a resource letter on "Social
Change," edited by Gerald Smith (30:1-7). The predictions of

change are drastic indeed. Smith selects a few of the changes

107

that can be anticipated. The Church of the Nazarene of the
future will be hard pressed to retain relevancy if the present
trends become realities. Perhaps the most devastating erosion
of the structural-functional categories would be the under-
mining of the metaphysical revelation.

Future society will be technologically oriented and
many of the activities ascribed to God by miraculous inter-
vention in the laws of nature will be achieved by men through
science. This could cause a convulsive reaction in the church
toward leadership, norms, and sanctions as well as penetrating
questions about the relevancy of the metaphysical input of
revelation. Some of the areas of social change discussed
by Smith are population and industrialization. In this area
Smith talks about the upper limits of pOpulation on this
planet and speculates about inter-galactic colonization which
would need genetic engineering for space travel and adaptation
to new environments. He also discusses leisure time and the
possibility of extreme boredom. Can the church make pro-
nouncements relative to these problems of the future in
moral terms of who will decide on the genetic engineering
and leisure activities?

Cybernetion is cited. His speculations here are in
terms of humans being replaced by machines. Hherein will
the dignity of man lie when he is replaced by technology?

The conservative Christian church has defended and advocated

the sovereignity of each person as an individual.

108

The growth of centralization is a major social trend
observed by Smith. In order to meet the needs of men, giant
monopolies will be necessary not only on the national level,
but also on an international scale. This will include
political, educational, and medical realms leading to a world
government. These concepts lead into a mechanistic view of
man which is contrary to the personalistic view of the church.
The experts or specialists will be the programmers of society;
nan will no longer be personally free to make choices. This
also Opposes the free moral agency of man which is a corner
stone tenet of conservative faith.

Cultural temporalness will bring pressure on the
church. ”Because of mobility, the inability to form intimate,
lasting relationships will create pressure on the church to
supply a corporate ideology that will allow for small group
interaction in the midst of mass society. Smith predicts
ad-hocracies or task force teams for specific duties, not
standing committees designed to institute long range planning.

Another area of interest to Smith is education and
knowledge. The most provocative ideology to emerge will be
secular humanism with an appeal to the sensate qualities.

The knowledge explosion will challenge beliefs based on faith.
Miracles will be replaced by technology. Traditional reli-
gious institutions will be replaced by the secular ideology.
If the church is to survive these pressures, it needs to stay

relevant in the midst of accelerating change.

109

The moral questions raised by future biological

' possibilities will be enormous. .Genetic_engineering, surgery
that may combine man-and machine. The problem of old age as
life lengthens. -Transplants which need definitions of life
and death. Artificial insemination, birth control, and the
mmnipulation of genes and chromosomes for programming human
nature are all vital issues with moral implications.

Smith finally suggests the kinds of intergroup rela-
tions. He predicts greater tolerance of individual differences
with greater emphasis on individualism. The decriminalization
in the huge area of "victimless crimes," such as prostitution,
homosexuality, abortion, gambling, alcoholism, and drug
addiction isa possibility in the future. Included in this
area is a new concept of the role of women and alternative
family structures. ‘Nomen may be relieved of child bearing
through an artificial womb or baby factories relieving them
of the curse of child bearing (30:1-7).

These predictions of the future represent tremendous
problems for the conservative church of the present and the
future. ‘What an array of problems await the church that is
committed entirely to the conservation of the metaphysical
revelation and its attendant behavior patterns. The impact
of these things on the present day Church of the Nazarene
staggers the imagination. Can the church survive in the
future and keep its moorings in "the faith once delivered to

the saints?” Can the church be flexible enough to make

110

flexibility and change its basic dogma? How can an absolute
sanction become a relevant sanction without losing the con-
fidence of peOple and especially youth? what will a minister
preach in the future that will be absolute for emotional
security and meaningfulnesg? What kinds of processual changes
are necessary to resocialize the people of a church to shift
their thinking in some areas from the sacred to the secular
and still maintain systemicelinkage, boundary maintenance,
and social control? These questions are now being faced and
will be intensely important as change calls for relevancy.
Barbara Hargrove in her book Reformation of the Hgly
defines four areas in which churches have experimented in
order to become relevant in a changing society. The first
she mentions is ideological. In this area a small cadre
moves out into new styles while generally ignoring the rest
of the congregation (11:2hh-2h7). This effort toward renewal
or relevancy is embodied in the concept of "small group work.”
(11:2hh-2h7). A number of parishes have been subdivided into
subunits with lay leaders for each subunit. Another approach
is the ”house church.” (11:2hh-2h7). These groups meet in
various homes for prayer and study, often with a service
project for activities. A third small group technique is
the ”church within a church" in which a few committed members
meet on a regular basis (11:2hh-2h7). This particular approach
to renewal is spearheaded by peOple in the church who see the
need for a deepening of fellowship and worship. This method

111

also enables the small ghoup to invite their friends and
evangelize or propagandize them with their particular beliefs.

Another approach to relevancy or renewal is called
personalistic by Hargrove. It is an effort on the part of a
church to provide for the experiential and emotional bases
upon which further commitment to action can be built (11:2hh-
2&7). This is also related to small group activity but con-
sists of the intensive small group activity provided by
retreats, conferences, and in growing importance, encounter
or sensitivity groups (11:2hh-2h7). These groups are designed
to reach age groupings and provide an Opportunity for sharing
common problems and discussion of life's questions.

A third method prOposed by Hargrove is organizational
in which new structures are developed (11:2hh-2h7). In this
method there is a greater emphasis on 29 hgg committees rather
than standing committees. The emphasis is on function rather
than structure and that the congregation is geared for moving
into the arena of social change (11:2hh-2k7). This method
keeps the church flexible and tends to do away with tradi-
tionalism.

A fourth position examined by Hargrove is what she
calls political. It seeks to combine all of the above.methods.
(11:2hh-2h7). It organizes the total congregation to face
the challenge of change.

Hargrove reports in this connection that a study done

by Goodman indicates that regardless of style in no case did

112

more than one-fourth of the congregation participate actively
o-or actively resist. Renewal of the local congregation seems
condemned to be a minority Operation (11:2hh-2h7). For those
who feel that the church has a particular task in the modern
world, the vision of a well-organized and active cadre of
workers is far more appealing than that of the amorphous

‘mass with a good deal of "dead wood." (11:2hh-2h7)

The underlying premise of church relevancy and renewal
is to meet the needs of peOple in a changing society, and
also provide a program wherein larger numbers of peOple in a
congregation can be involved in the church. The Church of
the Nazarene in the past has met these problems by establish-
ing new congregations. When a congregation grew to 250 or
more, the leaders of the church advocated that a new congre-
gation be organized. The theory behind this is that there
is an optimum number of peOple that a minister can adequately
serve. Also, that there are an Optimum number of positions
in_a church for involvement. The growth of the Church of the
Nazarene has‘been due largely to this method. However, this
increases the number of small churches and creates demands
for an enlarged corps of trained ministers.

This method was successful in the past when people
were rural-oriented. The church did not need a varied program.
Senior citizens and youth found activities within the home
and community. In the urban society there is greater demand

on a church for functional categories that relate to all age

113

groups. Urban youth and senior citizens are in abundance.

If the church is to reach them, programs designed for their
needs must be created. A small church cannot provide these
programs while erecting a building, paying an adequate salary
to the pastor, and supporting the denominatiOn. There is a
growing concern among families that the church previde programs
for all age groups. ‘with modern mobility many families are
willing to drive many miles to find a program suitable for
their family needs. In the Church of the Nazarene as in
other churches there is a tendency to move toward larger
churches with a multiple staff of experts in various church
activities, such as Christian Education, youth, music, visi-
tation, senior citizens. This calls for a new kind of pastor,
a man who is a leader of-leaders. He must be able to minister
to the needs of peOple and at the same time coordinate a
bureaucratic organization. The urban family presents a
challenge to the Church of the Nazarene. The urban family

is not only more conscious of secularism but needs leisure
time activities. The Church of the Nazarene with its con-
servative background is finding it hard to break from the
traditional patterns.

These problems are reinforced by an emphasis on indi-
vidual salvation. The church has preached and practiced in
some areas that once a person is "converted" God will do for
him.all that he needs. This may have been more true in the

rural setting because the rural setting had built-in, need-

11h

reducing environmental dimensions, such as affective relation-
ships, commmnity consciousness, and belonging. The urban
characteristics of impersonality, transiency, individuation,
obsolescence, and specialization create needs as well as
eliminate the need-reduction dimensions built into rural
society. The church must fill this void if it is to be
successful. In the Church of the Nazarene there are some
churches that have successfully bridged the void. In Long
Beach, California; Denver, Colorado; Bethany, OklahOma;
Bourbonnais, Illinois; in these cities are large Nazarene
churches that have multiple staff with diversified programs.
They also are successfully preaching the principles of the
conservative doctrinal thOOIOgy but maintaining the sacred
values. They allow for a variety of behavior patterns within
certain limits but keep the traditional values sacred. The
racetfor relevancy has included retreats, small groups, and
new structures." _ _ ‘ ..-

1-. . 0n the whole, the Church of the Nazarene has not been
able to_break from the little traditions of small town religion
to the great traditiOn of the urban society. The challenge

to a conservative church is very great indeed. It means a
whole new resocialization process that will allow for less
prescriptive behavior and more principial behavior. Part of
the problem is that often formally trained leaders see the
problem but_are unable to communicate the problems and programs

to untrained peOple socialized in the little tradition. There

11S

islthe conflict of generations. The old-timers have been
dogmatic about certain convictions and when the younger
pastors and youth act differently, even though believing the
same things,-conflict ensues. The younger generation does
not imperatively.coordinate belief and behavior as closely

as the old-timers., Perhaps one or two generations in the
urban and secular society are still needed before a change in
behavior patterns will be coordinated with the belief system
based on the metaphysical input of revelation.

Arthur Herzog in his article "The Church Trap” in
Readings in Sociology approaches renewal from the standpoint
of the Options that are open to the church for renewal (1h:
hh9). He says,

. . . the evidence suggests that organized

religion is moving on exceedingly treacherous

waters and whether it can circumnavigate is by
no means sure. Caught in a crisis of identity,
lacking a clear relationship with society, con-

fronting unrest in its clergy, and declines in its
growth, the church has three possible futures (1h:

um.

I ’The first Option Open to a church according to Herzog
is "to respond actively to the gnawing discontent within the
religious organizations_and a fnawing disconcern without.”
This response means committing churches entirely to social
action. In other words, secularize the church. Herzog claims
this would do away with the doctrinal side of religion. The
church will alienate the conservative members who largely
finance and pOpulate the churches. The church structure would

be violently wrenched from its old frames. It means taking

116

churchly eyes off other worldly horizons and fastening them
securely on this one.

The_second option, according to HerzOg, is a conscious
retreat from denominations back to sects. Sects might teach
the social gospel but they would put high-minded emphasis on
religious-doctrine, and their separate identity, and would
follow their own beliefs and practices, no matter how ridicu-
lous they seem to the outside world. They would be forced to
admit that Protestants, Catholics, and Jews are minority
cultures in an irreligious state.

The third Option is to hang or try to hang motionless
in the tides of change. This is the greatest risk. "Change-
lessness, after all, is death (lh:hh9).

If these are the three options Open to the Church of
the Nazarene, then it is well for us to look into a viable
position for the Nazarenes. The third option has already
been denied by the church. The Nazarene Church is not sus-
pended in changelessness. The leaders are committed to
wrestling with the problems involved in a changing society.

- The first Option of becoming secular is out-of-the-
question with the church's present commitment to metaphysical
revelation and the Divinity of Jesus Christ. The conserva-
tiveness of the church would not allow for this radical switch.
The Church of the Nazarene is trying desperately not to go

the way of the "old line churches" that have not only changed

their behavior patterns but also have become "liberal in

117

theology" with very little doctrinal differentiation. In
the past those members who have become liberal theologically
have left the church voluntarily or have been forced out
because they were not used by the church. This Option at
present is not acceptable to the church.

The second option is probably the route the Church
of the Nazarene is taking whether the leaders recognize it
or not. At present the church is still sectarian in much of
its attitudes and functions but is denominatibnal in structure.
This is a unique relationship. No doubt all churches have
experienced this to a more or less degree in the transition
from sect to denomination. The Nazarene Church exists in a
day when processual dimensions such as communication, soc-
ialization, and institutionalization are highly sophisticated.
It appears that a church could accelerate its structural
categories to approximate a denominational pattern in organ-
ization but still maintain many sectarian characteristics
like separateness, personal involvement, religious doctrine,
and identifiable behavior patterns. Rather than reverting
back to a sect in total commitment, the church could strive
to maintain a sectarian functional characteristic while
sophisticating a denominational structure through the proces-
sual dimensions. This is the position I think the church has
reached and needs to articulate if it wishes to maintain the
absolute metaphysical revelation and identifiable behavior

patterns. The behavior patterns need to be based on principles

. A“ 4 /L

4 3,91)
M ("‘0’

as. .
I

I l'

118

that allow for change but do not violate the sacred values.

{MThe church needs to find a‘giscrggt,position between absolute

I I

' belief and relative behavior. The changes that are antici-

pated in society almost preclude the necessity of a dialectic
between sectarianism and denominationalism. Whether this can
be done is a question for the future (See appendix).

” Other church groups have made the full move from cult
to sect to denomination to ecclesia. It appears that once
the momentum started there was no stapping it until the church
became secularized. The Church of the Nazarene is in a dif-
ferent position. The history of other church groups can
become insightful examples. A careful analysis could be
productive in showing whether it is the leadership or members
that are the first to go secular. According to the termi-
nology used by Becker in his continuum observed previously,
the concept ecclesia would indicate that it is the leadership
that prOpels toward secularism in the church. This could
arise from the hierarchical structural patterns which remove
leaders from close contact with the membership. The person
removed from personal contact in an ivory tower needs to find
means of self-esteem and legitimation of his position in the
structure. Since self-esteem is not created through personal
involvement with peOple, he creates programs that feed back
statistics. An increase in statistics is his only measure
of success, so there may be a tendency to create statistic-

oriented programs rather than peOple-centered programs. 'Uith

119

pressure on statistics and thereby ”succeeding," pastors and
laymen may become oriented toward secular programming in
order to produce statistics. This is a very subtle dimension
of church leadershi . Pressure from the top to produce in
order to legitimize an official's position who is not working
at the grass roots ‘evel can become very persuasive and over-
powering. : . (v,

If.” I v" \ "' ' I ‘ o I. [I 5‘
4. L,- - (I? 3" r’ ' * /}A g1: 'ngfl‘fll’tre“. g.“ «Qva? ...-p'rpi'fi-H
l’f' "

., o
u-“ ~a
5’ -’ ”a? If ’ _"‘,-‘.,¢¢”‘ Anew--

0'

\

CONCLUSION

A conservative church challenged by change is an apt
description of the Church of the Nazarene. The pressures
of a changing society are_phallenging the conservative
dimensions of the church. These pressures for change will
increase if the predictions of scientists come to pass. The
conservation of traditional belief and behavior patterns is
constantly being eroded by science and technology. In the
face of this challenge, what can a conservative church do
and still maintain the metaphysical revelation?

The continuum of cult-sect-denomination-ecclesia
provides a basis for our discussion (See Appendix). The
Church of the Nazarene is not a cult. The characteristics
of a cult as shown on the continuum have never been the
characteristics of the Nazarene Church. The church is not
an ecclesia. The characteristics shown for this subtype have
never been the characteristics of the church. The church is
not secular-oriented. The clergy are all believers in the
metaphysical revelation by faith. There is no effort to
identify with secular society.

The church, however, has develOped along the lines
of sectarianism. The characteristics of a sect as shown on
the continuum have all been a part of the church. Many, if

not all, of these characteristics are still prevalent in the

120

121

church. Some of the larger urban churches have moved away
from some of the areas described, but for the most part the
whole church is committed to the sectarian categories.
However, the church has moved on the continuum to
denominational characteristics. The church has adapted each
one of the categories and has related its organization and
Operation through these structural categories. This has
created a bureaucratic organization which is necessary for
dealing with larger numbers of people and increased program-
ming. With the sophistication of skills in management there
would be a tendency to pragmatism and to a secular ideology
of church work. If the Nazarene Church is to stay close to
its moorings and its original intention it will need to
remain sectarian in function and denominational in structure.
So far, the church has been able to balance these two dimen-
sions. It needs to be flexible enough to accept the corrective
influence of secularism in matters of technology and science.
The church must be willing to constantly relate the revelation
to changing times by articulating the principles in terms
that allow for a variety and change of behavior but keeps
the values sacred. Being committed to the revelation means
a conservative stance that will constantly be challenged by

change.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.

10.

11.

12.

13e

1h.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Becker, Howard. ”Current Sacred-Secular Theory,” Modern
Sociolo ical Theor , ed. by Howard Becker and IIvIn
BosEoTT. New York: Dryden Press, 1957.

Beegle and Loomis. "The Strategy of Change," Rural

Sociolo . Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, Ific., 1957.

Bellah, Robert. "Religious Evolution," American Socio-
logical Review, 2h (June, l96h).

Bock, Philip. Modern Cultural Anthropology. New York:
Knopf, 1969.

Brewer, James. American Sociological Review, Vol. 36,
No. 3, 1971.

Church of the Nazarene. Manual. Kansas City, Missouri:
Nazarene Publishing House, 1968.

Dahrendorf, Rolf. "Toward a Theory of Social Change,”
Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 11, No. 2, 1958.

Dewey, Richard. An Introduction to Social Psychology.
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Durkheim, Emile. The Elementar Forms of the Religious
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Hargrove, Barbara W. Reformation of the H971. Philadel-
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Heller, Celia. Structured Social Inequality. London:
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Herberg, Hill. Protestant, Catholic, Jew. Garden City,
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Holy Bible. King James Version.

Homans, George. Social Behavior-~Its Elementary Forms.
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Hopper, Janice. ”Changing Social Roles as a Goal of
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1971. .

Jensen, Alan. Sociology: Concepts and Concerns. Chicago:
Rand McNally, 1971.

Kiesler, Charles. Conformit . Reading, Massachusetts:
Addison-Wesley PuEIIsEIng Company, 1970.

Lenski, Gearhard. The Reli ious Factor. Garden City,
New York: Doubleday ans 60., I953.

Loomis, C. P. Modern Social Theories. Princeton, New
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Loomis, C. P.‘ Social Systems. Princeton, New Jersey:
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Maris, Ronald. "The Logical Adequacy of Homan's Social
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McKee, James B. Introduction to Sociology. New York:
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Moore, Wilbert. Social Chan . Englewood Cliffs, New
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Niebuhr, Reinhold. Moral Manand Immoral Society. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.

Pfuetze, Paul. Self, Society and Existence. New York:
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Sanders, Irwin. The Communit : An Introduction to a
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Shils, Edward. ”Charisma, Order, and Status," American
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Smith, Gerald H. Social Change. Del Mar, California:
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Societ Toda . Del Mar, California: Communication
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Stewart and Glynn. Introduction to Sociology. New York:
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Toffler, Alvin. Future Shock. New York: Random House,
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Varner, Lloyd. A Black Civilization. New York: Harper
and How, 19587

Weber, Max. The Protestant Ethic and the S irit of
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Williams, Robbin. American Societ --A Sociolo ical Inter-
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Zimbardo-Ebbesen. Influencing Attitudes and Changing
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APPENDIX

V. The General Rules

To be identified with the visible Church is the
blessed privilege and sacred daty to all who are saved from
their sins, and are seeking completeness in Christ Jesus.
It is required or all who desire to unite with the Church
of the Nazarene, and thus to walk in fellowship with us,
that they shall show evidence of s.alvation from their sins
by a godly walk and vital piety; that they shall be, or
earnestly desire to be, cleansed from all indwelling sin,
and they shall evidence this--

1. First. By avoiding evil of every kind, including:

(1; Taking the name of God in vain.

(2 Profaning of the Lord's day, either by unnecessary
labor, or business, or by the patronizing or reading of
secular. pa are, or by holiday diversions.

(33 Using of intoxicating liquors as a beverage, or
trafficking therein, giving influence to, er voting for, the
licensing of places for the sale of the same, using of tobacco
in any of its forms, or trafficking therein. '

(h) Quarreling, returning evil for evil, gossiping,
slandering, spreading surmises injurious to the good names
of others.

(5) Dishonesty, taking advantage in buying and selling,
bearing false witness, and like works of darkness.

(6) The indulging of pride in dress or behavior. Our
people are to dress with the Christian simplicity and modesty
that become holiness. "In like manner also, that women adorn
themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety;
not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good
.works" (I Timothy 2: 9- 10). "Whose adorning let it not be
thht outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of
gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of
God of great price" (I Peter 3: 3-h).

(7) Songs, literature, and entertainments not to the
glory of God; the theater, the ballroom, the circus, and like
places, also, lotteries and games of chance; looseness and
imprOpriety of conduct; membership in or fellowship with
oath-bound secret orders or fraternities. ”Know ye not that
the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God"
(James h:h). "Be ye not unequally yoked together with

125

126

unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
.....Hherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you” (II Corinthians 6: 1h-17).

. Special Rules
B. “Temperance and Prohibition

The Holy Scriptures and human experience alike con-
demn the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage. The
manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors for such purpose
is a sin against God and the human race. Total abstinence
from all intoxicants is the Christian rule for the individual,
and total prohibition of the traffic in intoxicants is the
duty of civil government.

Only unfermented wine and unleavened bread should
be used in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

C. Marriage and Divorce

The institution of marriage was ordained of God in
the time of man's innocency, and is, according to apostolic
authority, 'honourable in all'; it is the mutual union of
one man and.one woman for fellowship, helpfulness, and the
propagation of the race. Our people should cherish this
sacred estate as becomes Christians, and should enter it only
after earnest prayer for divine direction, and when assured
that the contemplated union is in accordance with scriptural
requirements. They should seek earnestly the blessings which
God has ordained in connection with the wedded state, namely,
holy companionship, parenthood, and mutual love--the elements
of home building. The marriage covenant is morally binding
so long as both shall live, and, therefore, may not be dis-
solved at will.

We hold that persons who obtain divorce under the civil
law where the scriptural ground for divorce, namely, adultery,
does not exist, and who remarry subsequently, are living in
adultery, and are ineligible for membership in the Church of
the Nazarene. Though there may exist such other causes and
conditions as may justify divorce under the civil law, yet only
adultery will supply such ground as may Justify the innocent
party in remarrying.

The ministers of the Church of the Nazarene are posi-
tively forbidden to solemnize the marriage of persons not
having the scriptural right to marry.

STUDENT LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE

A Survey of Student Opinion on ONC's Campus

VA? Mine; Q’ffl/ ”Mfg!

DIRECTIONS: Punch the appropriate space on the computer
card for your sex and classification. Then answer the refer-
ence question in the column labeled reference. Answer the
rest of the questions in the numbered columns.

Reference Question:
What is the size of your home church?

1.

As 70 or 1088

Be 70’125
C. 125-175
D. 175-250

E. 250 or over

In which of these divisions is your major field of study?

A.
B.
Ce
D.

Education & Psychology
Fine Arts

Languages and Literature
Other

In which of these divisions is your major field of study?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Natural Sciences
Religion and Philosophy
Social Sciences

Other

Do you personally attend the movies?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

The
A.
B.
C.
D.
The
A.
B.

c.
o.

No, I never have.

I once did, but do not now.

Yes, I attend regularly.

Yes, I attend occasionally.

I do not attend, but I have no personal convictions
against them.

present hair length regulations on our campus are:
Not strict enough.

Acceptable as is.

Needs revision.

Is unnecessary.

present regulations on girls' slack permission are:
Not strict enough.

Acceptable as is.

In Need of revision.

Should be abolished, leaving dress to personal
discretion.

127

6.

7e

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

128

DO you indulge in alcoholic beverages?

A. No, I never have.

B. I did once, but do not now.

C. I do regularly.

D. I do occasionally.

E. I do not, but have no conviction against it.

Do you smoke?

A. No, I never have.

B. I did once, but do not now.

C. I do regularly.

D. I do occasionally.

E. I do not, but have no conviction against it.

Sex education should be taught in:
A. Home only.

B. School only.

C. Church only.

D. A combination of these three.

Is there ample Opportunity for participation in extra-
curricular activities On campus?

A. Yes.

B. NO.

How many all—school social functions have you attended
this school year?

A. Most.
Be FOWO
Ce NOHOO

In what area do you feel our social prOgram is weakest?

A. Lectures and Current Events Programs.

B. Concerts.

C. Formals (e.g., Valentine & Christmas Parties).

D. Informal Parties.

E. Competitive sport activities (e.g., Ollie Class
Follies, Class competition).

The Nazarene Young PeOple's Society should:

A. Remain the same.

B. Put more enthusiasm into its present structure.
C. Be discontinued.

D. Be restructured.

E. Does not relate to me personally.

The Sunday School of the Church of the Nazarene is
fulfilling its purpose to reach, teach, and win:

A. Effectively. D. Inadequately.

B. Adequately. E. Does not relate to me
C. Not at all. personally.

1h.

15‘s

1..

17.

18.

129

. (fl .
There should be,s(gregated churches:
A. In any regional sub-culture.
B. As dictated by regional sub-culture.
C. There should not be segregated churches.
D. Only if desired by the minority group.

Have you seriously considered leaving the Church of the
Nazarene?

A. NO. .

B. Rarely.

C. Occasionally.

D. I will be leaving.

E. Does not relate to me personally.

Persons that have been divorced should be allowed church
membership on grounds other than adultery (for example:
homosexuality, extreme physical and/or mental cruelty,
or desertion):

A. Never.

B. Sometimes.

C. Always.

D. Undecided.

According to your own personal definition of the term
"Christian," are you a Christian?

A. Yes. .

B. NO.

What is your frequency of Church attendance?
A. Never. .
B. Seldom.

C. Occasionally.

D. Most of the time.

E. Regularly.

STUDENT BODY POLL--TALLY

...! .10 .et-‘w ff»

Total Number Taking P011 = h89

 

 

W7“; ’9
Question Option A Option B Option C Option D) Option E
1 166 no 32 zul J 3
2 85 65 99 218,! 6
3 85 76 Sh 238’ 31
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The following interviews have been made from three
persons who have been members Of the Church of the Nazarene
for many years. They have had time to read and analyze the
conclusion that if the Church of the Nazarene is to remain a
conservative church in a changing world, it would necessitate
the cultivation of a functional sectarianism and a structural

denominationalism.

Interview No. 1

Question - What is your relationship to the Church
of the Nazarene?

Answer - I have been an ordained elder in the Church
of the Nazarene for twenty years, and am new chairman of the
Department of Theology at Olivet Nazarene College, having
taught for eight years.

Question - How many years have you been a member of
the church?

Answer - Twenty years.

Question 4 Have you always been a member of the Church
of the Nazarene?

Answer - No, for fifteen years I was a minister in the
Pilgrim Holiness Church.

Question - Having read my conclusion concerning the
Church of the Nazarene relating to a changing society by
developing a functional sectarianism and a structural denomi-
nationalism, what is your reaction to this synthesis of
sectarianism and denominationalism as related to change?

Answer - Since the criteria for the various categories
dealt with in this study are different from those normally used
in my discipline, I suppose the conclusions are correct.

If the Church of the Nazarene is to retain its tradi-

tional and distinctive doctrines and image it will need to
remain sectarian in function and denominational structure.

132

133

These categories being defined as they are, I agree that the
church's structure is more denominational than sectarian, and
its functions more closely parallel those of the sects than
of the denominations. Should the Church of the Nazarene lose
its sectarian characteristics as delineated in this thesis it
would not only lose its cause for existence but also its
ability to interact with our changing society.

In relating the synthesis to my former church, it
would appear to me that it was sectarian not only in function
but in structure as well. Its failure to develop a more
sophisticated structure drastically hindered its growth and
relevancy to society.

Interview NO. 2

 

Question - What is your relationship to the Church of
the Nazarene?

Answer - I am an ordained elder, pastor, member of the
District_Advisory Board, and delegate to the General Assembly
which convenes this year.

Question - How many years have you been a member of
the Church of the Nazarene?

Answer - Thirty-one years.

Question - Have you always been a member of the Church
of the Nazarene? If not, to which church did you formerly
belong? .

Answer - I joined the Nazarene Church at nineteen years
of age. _Prior to this I belonged to the Presbyterian Church.

Question - Having read my conclusion concerning the
Church of the Nazarene relating to a changing society by culti-
vating a functional sectarianism and a structural denomina-
tionalism, what is your reaction to this synthesis of sectari-
anism and denominationalism as related to change? Relate it
to your former church affiliation, if possible.

Answer - The synthesis of a functional sectarianism
and a structural denominationalism reveals goOd insight as to
what is happening in the Church of the Nazarene in the current
social upheaval. "We need to change our methods but not our
message" has been the topic for discussions and for formal
papers at District Preachers' Meetings across our denomination.

1311

In all probability, the doctrinal statements of our
church will remain unchanged. However, provision is made for
the presentation of memorials, petitions, and resolutions at
every General Assembly. These proposals for changes can be
made by any board or department and by a minimum Of five
members of the General Assembly. In this manner many social
changes have been made. Most of the recent changes favor a
broader acceptance of liberal social trends, i.e., intercol-
legiate sports and public swimming.

I sincerely believe the present structure of our church
can accommodate necessary social changes without affecting our
doctrinal beliefs.

I transferred from the Presbyterian Church to the
Church of the Nazarene as a college student. The emphatic
evangelistic message of personal salvation as proclaimed by
the Church of the Nazarene attracted my attention and gained
my support.

Interview No. 3

Question - What is your relationship to the Church of
the Nazarene?

Answer - Ordained elder and teacher in one of the
mid-west colleges of the church.

Question - How many years have you been a member of
the Church of the Nazarene?

Answer - Eight.

Question - Have you always been a member of the Church
of the Nazarene? If not, to which church did you belong?

Answer - Formerly a Wesleyan.

Question - Having read my conclusion concerning the
Church of the Nazarene relating to a changing society by
cultivating a functional sectarianism and a structural denomi-
nationalism, what is your reaction to this synthesis of
sectarianism and denominationalism as related to change?
Relate to your former church affiliation if possible.

Answer - Viewed from an overall standpoint, the con-
clusions appear to be logically valid. The degree of validity,
however, can not be known inasmuch as the cultural milieu Of
contemporary society is highly dynamic. It is more important,

135

as this study shows, to indicate the direction of sociological
trends and some of the possible ramifications thereof to which
the Church of the Nazarene may be subjected.

Perhaps it is good that this research and conclusions
raise some unanswered questions. For example, could it be
shown that there are influences evident within the church
which are either positively secular-oriented, or strongly
inclined in that direction, so that they tend to influence
the church toward identification with secular society? And
is it not logical to assume that the trend away from sectari-
anism already taken by some of the larger urban churches will
increase more and more, and may eventually become an influential
or prevailing mode? Questions like these must, of course,
await future developments and further sociological analysis
before any clear conclusions can be drawn.

The conclusions drawn in this study are strikingly
unique, namely, that a conservative church challenged by change
can retain its conservatism in the midst of change by maintain-
ing its sectarianism in function while develOping its denomi-
nationalism in structure. This conclusion thus becomes a
hypothesis for future Observations. From a hypothetical
viewpoint such a conclusion appears validly logical. However,
the uniqueness rests in the fact that it is contrary to nearly
all, if not all, record of the development of historical
denominationalism.within the Protestant framework. It could
be stated that the trend of Protestant churches which have
emerged from a sectarian into a denominational category has
always been toward an ecclesia, and that this trend is irrever-
sible. It could be said further that the major uniqueness Of
the present study lies in the fact that it shows how the Church
of the Nazarene can be an exception to what up until now has
been a universal record. This at least is a possibility.

Time alone will tell whether Nazarenes fulfill the possibility
or follow the prevailing mode.

A profile of the persons interviewed is as follows:
Sex - all males

Age - Interviewee No. 1 - 58 years of age
No. 2 - 50 years of age
No. 3 - 60 years of age

Education - Interviewee No. l - Ph.D.
N00 2 " MeAe
No. 3 - Ph.D.

136

Occupation - Interviewee No. 1 - Teacher-minister
No. 2 - Minister
NO. 3 - Teacherqminister

These three interviews from men who have been partici-
pants in church work for many years indicate that if the Church
of the Nazarene is to maintain its conservative stance in a
changing society it must maintain its sectarianism and develop
a sOphisticated denominational structure. The pressures of a
technological society demand that the church structure its
organization so that the modern means of communication and
bureaucratic structure will enable the church to serve increas-
ing numbers of peOple and finance its program in an uncertain
economy. The church in order to maintain its distinctiveness
must also remain sectarian.

    

  

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