The Church of the Nazarene in Four of the Windward Islands

The book’s structure provides the reader with a clear understanding of both the chronological unfolding of the history of the Windward Islands District of the Church of the Nazarene as well as of the organizational structure of the religion and the role played by diverse persons at various levels in the Church’s ministry. The introductory chapter outlines the international framework to which Nazarenes of the Windward Islands belong. Here, background information about the founder, beliefs, practices and geographical spread of the Nazarene Church, which is an international entity, are delineated. In the introduction as well, a summary history of the pioneering work of Nazarenes in each of the four islands which constitute the central focus of the study, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada and Dominica, is presented. This is followed by an analysis of the work and legacy of the four leaders of the District in the period under review; Reverends Robert Ashley, Zephaniah Mahadeo, Wilvin Clarke and George Leonce. This section also traces the movement of the Church from its initial position of being heavily reliant on missionaries from the United States of America to indigenization and independence. The District Boards which play critical roles in executing the ministries of any Nazarene Church in any part of the world such as the District Advisory Board, the Properties Board and the Board of Ministerial Credentials and Studies, are also analyzed in terms of their composition, roles, responsibilities and functioning over the years. District Treasurers, responsible for keeping the financial accounts of the District, and District Secretaries, charged with keeping records of District events are also interrogated in the text. A substantial portion of the work considers the leadership of District officers elected from time to time to superintend the three major arms of ministry of the Nazarene Church; the District Sunday School Superintendent, Youth President and Missionary President. The final chapter outlines the history of each of the seventeenth local congregations comprising the Windward Islands District of the Church of the Nazarene emphasizing the work of locals and missionaries in these churches as well as demonstrating unique practices which set one local congregation from another. Woven into this church history scholarship is and examination of the impact of various temporal forces on the work of the Church such as the political turmoil facing Grenada in 1983 when the island experienced its socialist revolution. In general, the text is about launching the Nazarene Church in the Windward Islands and the obstacles and victories experienced along the way on this mission.