Christ Church, Nazareth

Christ Church
Exterior View
Basic information
Location	Nazareth, Israel
Affiliation	Anglican
District	Diocese of Jerusalem
Province	Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Country	Israel
Leadership	Episcopal
Architectural description
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1871

Christ Church (Hebrew: כנסיית המשיח‎‎) is a Protestant-Anglican church located in the town of Nazareth, Israel. Due to financial troubles the church was never finished and lacked its intended spire. However a spire was finally added 143 years later, in 2014. Nearby lies the famous Basilica of the Annunciation.

Christ Church in Nazareth is the last work of Swiss architect Ferdinand Stadler. Works at the site began in 1869 but construction was not completed when Stadler died in 1870. When the church was finished in 1871, it was the second Anglican church to be built in the Holy Land. The first is located in Jerusalem. The building was consecrated by Bp. Samuel Gobat, and the Rev. John Zeller was the pastor at the time of its consecration. The Church Mission Society (CMS) provided many of the early missionaries who served at Christ Church. It served as a mission center for the region and ministry also took place in Mujeidal (Migdal HaEmek, today), Reineh, and Cana of Galilee (Kafr Kana).

A number of influential pastors and missionaries ministered at Christ Church or were based there. These include Frederick Augustus Klein, Michael Ka'war, Seraphim Boutaji, and Khalil Jamal. The last of which was essential in founding the Protestant presence on the East Bank of the Jordan.

John Zeller (or Johannes Zeller, as he was sometimes called) described worship at the church in the late 19th Century with the following words:

As of 2013 the church has about 40 families as members, and the membership is almost entirely Arab. There is one Arabic-language service every Sunday morning. Excepting visitors, attendance is usually around 50.

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