Country with the most __________.
The U.S. has more professing Christians than any other country, and it has the most Evangelical Protestants. In almost every Nazarene category, it is the leader as well. So the following questions are looking for the second-largest country.

If you are a real trivia buff, try to answer each question without looking at the explanatory paragraph. We've put clues in the second paragraph to help those who want just a little more information.

1. After the U.S., which country has the most professing Christians, according to Operation World?
The country must have a strong Christian heritage as well as a large population. Of course, Christianity comes in several varieties, not just Protestant. Nazarenes began work in this country as part of their 50-year celebration in 1958.

2. After the U.S., which country has the most Evangelical Protestants, according to Operation World?
This country must have a large population, a large ratio of Evangelicals, or both. Nazarene work has been limited to just one official district in one section of the country.

3. After the U.S., which country has the most Churches of the Nazarene, according to 2010 reports?
After 80 years of mission work, Nazarenes were largely limited to one small section of the country. Since then, they have gone from 40 active churches to 2,636 in just 30 years.

4. After the U.S., which country has the most Nazarene members, according to 2010 reports?
After independence, this country's Nazarenes were left to their own resources for several years. Their increased reliance on God alone has led to a great evangelistic effort in all areas of the country, including some that were classified as 'unreached people groups' just a few years ago. They now have 135,041 full and associate members.

5. After the U.S., which country has the most Nazarene worshipers, according to 2010 reports?
Nazarenes didn't enter this country officially until 1992. Due to rapid new church evangelism, aided strongly by the JESUS film, the average weekly worship attendance in 2010 was 89,416.

6. After the U.S., which country has raised the most money through Churches of the Nazarene, according to 2010 reports?
After 25 years of mission work, this country had only 36 active Churches of the Nazarene in 1983. Since then, the indigenous church has grown to 506 congregations raising over $32 million annually.

7. After the U.S., which country raises the most money for mission efforts in the Church of the Nazarene, according to 2010 reports?
Though it has relatively few Nazarene members and churches, its per capita giving usually exceeds that of the U.S., and its people are strongly committed to mission enterprises through traditional and not-so-traditional means. Its total mission giving through local churches was $1.7 million in 2010.

8. After the U.S., which country has the most Churches of the Nazarene that average at least 1,000 in worship, according to 2010 reports?
Seven Churches of the Nazarene in this country averaged at least 1,000 worshippers each week. One of these churches sometimes reports the largest worship service of any Church of the Nazarene globally.

9. After the U.S., which country has the most ordained Nazarene ministers, according to 2010 reports?
Nazarenes began work in this country in 1948. Ministerial training has led to 405 elders and deacons reported in 2010.

10. After the U.S., which country has the most disciples enrolled in Churches of the Nazarene, according to 2010 reports?
Beginning in 2010, churches globally can easily report disciples no matter the discipleship method. This country reported 84,888 people in discipleship after 78 years of Nazarene work.


State with the most __________.
A list of the top states for Nazarenes would be dull. California has the most Nazarene members, ministers, churches, and worshippers. Ohio reports the largest discipleship enrollment, the most money raised, the most given to missions, and the greatest number of churches with 1,000 worshipers. But general Christian figures are available, and Nazarene proportions yield some interesting results.
Again, try to answer each question without looking at the explanatory paragraph. We?ve put clues in the second paragraph to help those who want just a little more information.

1. Which state has the most professing Christians, according to Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States: 2000?
Professing Christians can come from a variety of faith traditions, and most Americans consider themselves Christian. Surely this state must simply have a lot of people in it. (By the way, the 2010 book is in process now. The Research Center again serves as the data collection center for the study.)

2. Which state has the most Evangelical Protestants, according to Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States: 2000?
Actually, this book does not classify Protestants as evangelical or mainline. But by grouping the traditionally evangelical groups together, we can determine that this state has more Evangelical Protestants than any other, despite a large number of Catholics throughout its southern areas.

3. Which state has the highest Nazarene giving-per-member ratio, according to 2010 reports?
This state has a relatively high average income level. It also has a relatively small number of members compared to worshippers. This makes its per capita giving of $2,334 the highest of any state.

4. Which state has the highest Nazarene giving-per-worshiper ratio, according to 2010 reports?
This state is actually in the middle of the country in many respects, especially in income levels overall. But those who attend its Churches of the Nazarene each give $2,191 annually, on average.

5. Which state has the highest concentration of Nazarene members, according to 2010 reports?
For every 100,000 people in this mid-sized state, 870 were members of one of its 127 active churches in 2010.

6. Which state has the highest concentration of Nazarene worshipers, according to 2010 reports?
For every 100,000 people in this sparsely populated state, 711 attended one of its 52 active churches in an average week in 2010.

7. Which state has the highest concentration of Nazarene churches, according to 2010 reports?
For every 1,000,000 people in this state, there were 63 Churches of the Nazarene in 2010. None of the state's 117 active churches averaged as many as 1,000 on a typical Sunday, but there are typically several churches in each of the state's smaller cities.

8. Which state has the highest concentration of Nazarene disciples, according to 2010 reports?
More than one percent of this state's people are on Nazarene discipleship enrollment lists. (This is also true in Kansas, another state with a Nazarene institution.)

9. Which state's Churches of the Nazarene give the most to missions, according to 2010 reports?
On average, every Church of the Nazarene in this state gave over $30 thousand to missions in 2010.

10. Which state's churches gave the highest proportion to missions, according to 2010 reports?
This state was one of two (nearby Nebraska was the other) that gave over 10 percent of its income to missions in 2010. This may be surprising, since the state has only 30 active churches.

All funds are expressed in USD.

Compiled by Dale Jones, director of Research for the Church of the Nazarene.

Answers
Countries: 1. Brazil 2. China 3. India 4. Mozambique 5. Ethiopia 6. Brazil 7. Canada 8. Brazil 9. Korea 10. Mozambique

U.S. States: 1. California 2. Texas 3. New Hampshire 4. Iowa 5. Kansas 6. Idaho 7. West Virginia 8. Idaho 9. Idaho 10. Minnesota

Holiness Today, July/August 2011

Please note: This article was originally published in 2011. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.