Who We Are

We’re a community where people are seen, loved as they are, and encouraged in their faith. Whether you’ve followed Jesus for years or you’re not sure what you believe yet, we’d love to get to know you.

What We’re About

Step inside any day of the week and you’ll find something going on. Our faith in God and what He’s done through Jesus shapes everything here.

How we welcome people. How we resource families. How we’ve invested in a recreation program and a preschool for decades. And how we gather throughout the week to dig into the Bible and build real friendships.

It all matters because Christ first loved us.

What We Believe

That there is one God,

the Creator of all things, who reveals himself as Father, Son, and Spirit.

That the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments

are fully inspired by God and inerrantly reveal the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation.

That people are all sinners

by both nature and act and need God’s forgiveness and cleansing.

That salvation through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race;

whoever repents and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ is forgiven, made new and saved from the control of sin.

That believers need the fullness of God's Spirit in their hearts.

When we make a complete commitment to Him, He cleanses our spirit, sanctifies us entirely, fills us with His perfect love, and gives us the power to live victoriously.

That our Lord will return,

and the dead will be raised to life, and the final judgment will take place.

That without Jesus' salvation we are eternally lost,

but those who believe in Him will be with Him for eternity.

Our Team

Meet Our Team

A Story of God’s Faithfulness

God has been changing lives through this church for over 120 years and across three locations. As we look to the future, we carry that history with us and trust that He is still writing the story of First Nazarene Church.

1900

A prayer group meets in homes on the south side of Chicago.

1904

Chicago First Church of the Nazarene is founded, gathering in a large tent at 62nd Street & Lexington Avenue.

1912

We build our first permanent home at 64th & Eggleston.

1953

We relocate to 83rd and Damen.

1974

We move to 12725 Bell Road in Lemont in the developing southwest suburbs of Chicagoland.

1970s–80s

Nazarene Preschool and Nazarene Recreation pick back up in Lemont, continuing a tradition that goes back to our earliest days. Since 1974, over 6,000 children have come through the preschool, and more than 75,000 through Nazarene Recreation.

2015

We refocus key ministries around reaching the surrounding communities with the Good News. In the decade that follows, God continues to show up in our families, our community, and beyond.

2025

The Far More Vision launches, inspired by Ephesians 3:20–21. It’s our response to God’s call to go deeper in our faith, family, and future.