General Assembly to return to Kansas City for first time since 1980

General Assembly to return to Kansas City for first time since 1980

by
Daniel Sperry for Nazarene News
| 08 Aug 2024
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Photo courtesy of Visit KC.

The General Assembly Site Commission has unanimously chosen Kansas City, Missouri, as the site of the 31st General Assembly and Conventions of the Church of the Nazarene.

"We are pleased to return and gather thousands of Nazarenes in Kansas City for the 31st General Assembly in 2027," said General Secretary Gary Hartke. "Kansas City has served as the host city for the General Assembly in the past, with the most recent year being 1980. We thank Indianapolis, which served us well over the last three General Assemblies."

The next quadrennial event will be held 25 June – 2 July 2027 at the Kansas City Convention Center.

General Assembly is the "supreme doctrine-formulating, lawmaking, and elective authority of the Church of the Nazarene" (Manual, 300). The Assembly, conventions (Nazarene Discipleship International, Nazarene Missions International, and Nazarene Youth International), and additional activities bring Nazarenes from every world region together for a time of business, celebration, and worship.

This will be the record tenth time the General Assembly will be held in Kansas City. It was first held in 1915 at Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene. It returned in 1919, 1923, 1936, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1968, and 1980 at various venues across the city.

"The size of the General Assembly had grown beyond the capacity of Kansas City, resulting in the General Assembly being hosted in Anaheim, California; San Antonio, Texas; and for many years in Indianapolis, Indiana," Hartke said. "The General Assembly Commission considered several cities for the 31st General Assembly in 2027, with Kansas City being the unanimous choice."

The General Assembly Commission comprises the Board of General Superintendents and six additional members (as directed in Manual 302).

Kansas City's metropolitan area — encompassing the downtown and suburban sprawls in both Kansas and Missouri — has changed significantly since 1980. Census data in 2022 puts the population of the Kansas City Metro at 2.2 million, a more than 100% increase from 1980.

With the growth of Kansas City, the infrastructure to host large-scale conferences and events has also increased. Kansas City will be a host city for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, among other notable conventions and events held in Kansas City in recent years.

"With the many improvements and increase of hotel lodging rooms available, Kansas City has become a wonderful place to host the 31st General Assembly and Conventions," Hartke said.

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