The Church of the Nazarene
In October 1907, two groups, the Church of the Nazarene (a group of churches from the Western United States led by Phineas F. Bresee) and the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America (a group of churches from the American Northeast, led by Hiram Reynolds), met in Chicago, Illinois. The denomination that resulted from their merger was called the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene.
In October 1908, at the Second General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene, the Holiness Church of Christ (a group of churches primarily from Texas and the Southern United States led by Charles B. Jernigan and J.B. Chapman) merged with the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene at Pilot Point, Texas. This date became known as the official founding date for the Church of the Nazarene and Bresee, Reynolds and Edgar Ellyson were elected the first General Superintendants of the new denomination.
At the fifth General Assembly in 1919, following the rise of American Pentecostalism and the association of that term with the Charismatic movement, the term “Pentecostal” was dropped from the name, and the denomination has been known as the Church of the Nazarene ever since.
With it’s headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas, the Church of the Nazarene has since grown to become home to more than 2 million members in more than 26,000 local congregations in 156 world areas.
Southdale Church of the Nazarene
On April 12, 1936 a congregation of Nazarenes led by Rev Elic Wainscott began meeting at a Tent Meeting revival. Before long they moved to a store front on the corner of 31st and Lynn Street in Anderson, IN. In 1937 they moved into a church building just down the road at the corner of 31st and Columbus Ave and became known as the Columbus Avenue Church of the Nazarene. There they continued to meet and grow until in the late 1980s property was secured along 53rd Street in Anderson.
Construction of a new facility began, and in January, 1989 the church, no longer on Columbus Ave, officially changed its name to the Southdale Church of the Nazarene.
Southdale’s Pastors
- Rev. Elic Wainscott (1936-1939)
- Rev. C Wesley Brough (1939-1942)
- Rev. Leo C. Johnston (1942-1946)
- Rev. N. E. Roland (1946-1947)
- Rev. J.T. Trueax (1947-1949)
- Rev. S. J. Roberts (1949-1955)
- Rev. H.L. Kennedy (1955-1957)
- Rev. Wayne E Schwob (1957-1963)
- Rev. Doyle Hofferbert (1963-1967)
- Rev. James Tucker (1967-1977)
- Rev. Ross R Cribbis (1978-1980)
- Rev. Fred MacMillan (1980-1993)
- Rev. Gary Klinger (1993-2005)
- Rev. Randy James (2005-2007)
- Rev. Ron Whitlock (2007-2011)
- Rev. Bradley Buhro (2011-Present)