Remembering Dr. Wesley D. Tracy (1932–2025)

Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) mourns the passing of Dr. Wesley D. Tracy, a former faculty member, who died on March 11, 2025, at the age of 92. Dr. Tracy taught Christian education and preaching at NTS from 1978 to 1990. A respected professor, writer, editor, and preacher, he also served as a past president of the Wesleyan Theological Society.

Beyond his time at NTS, Dr. Tracy served as a pastor in Kansas, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. He also taught at MidAmerica Nazarene University and held editorial roles for two key Nazarene publications—Herald of Holiness (1989–1997) and Preacher’s Magazine (1980–1989). A prolific writer, he authored, co-authored, and edited 28 books. Among his most notable works are Here We Stand: Where Nazarenes Fit in the Religious Marketplace (1999) and What Is a Nazarene? Understanding Our Place in the Religious Community (revised and updated, 2013), both co-written with Dr. Stan Ingersol, former denominational archivist. He also edited The Redeemed Will Walk There: Sermons on the Life of Holiness from the Chapel of Nazarene Theological Seminary (1983), a collection of sermons by NTS faculty and then-President Terrell C. Sanders, Jr.

Dr. Tracy earned five academic degrees, including two doctorates from San Francisco Theological Seminary (D.Min. and Th.D.). His 1987 dissertation, The Wesleyan Way to Spiritual Formation: Christian Spirituality in the Letters of John Wesley, spanned 300 pages. Dr. Al Truesdale, a former NTS colleague and friend who served as his dissertation advisor for his Th.D., underscored Tracy’s deep commitment to Wesleyan spirituality. He also highlighted personal memories: “Wes was a master of words. He had a keen eye for hypocrisy in any form and was one of the most authentic people I have ever known. He was not only a teacher, but also a student. I recall him listening intently as I shared an insight I had gained from theologian Karl Barth. His contribution to the Church of the Nazarene is immense.”

One of Dr. Tracy’s most cherished book projects was The Upward Call: Spiritual Formation and the Holy Life (1994), co-authored with with former NTS colleagues Morris A. Weigelt and E. Dee Freeborn, and Janine Tartaglia Metcalf. The book united Wesleyan-holiness teachings with the spiritual formation tradition, which NTS had advocated for since the 1980s. Its publication reinforced the importance of spiritual formation in both the seminary and the Church of the Nazarene.

Dr. Tracy also led a team of Wesley-holiness scholars in creating, Reflecting God (2000), a book designed to equip a broad audience with spiritual growth tools. He wrote the accompanying Reflecting God Workbook, which included exercises to  help readers deepen their understanding and practice of spiritual formation.

Dr. Doug Hardy, Professor of Spiritual Formation at NTS, commented on Dr. Tracy’s legacy: “Wes played a key role in leading the Church of the Nazarene to recognize spiritual formation as both relevant and essential to the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. By making spiritual formation central to discipleship and theological training, he and his NTS colleagues helped Nazarenes see holiness as a lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ.” He added, “Another area of Wes’s research that continues to shape NTS is spiritual direction in the Wesleyan tradition. NTS is now developing a certificate program in this area. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Tracy and others who laid this foundation and showed us the way forward.”

During Dr. Tracy’s memorial service, held on March 19 at Sun City Church of the Nazarene (AZ), NTS President Jeren Rowell shared a tribute, read by Dr. Brad Estep, Arizona District Superintendent: “The importance and significance of Dr. Tracy’s life in ministry are beyond adequate description… Personally, I was privileged to be a student of Dr. Tracy during my first semester at NTS. He taught the course, ‘Pastor as Educator,’ and his teaching deepened my understanding of the pastor’s role in education.”

NTS offers its deepest sympathies to Dr. Tracy’s wife, Colene, and the family. Dr. Tracy will be remembered as a gifted preacher, a devoted educator, and a faithful servant of the Church.

To watch Dr. Tracy’s Celebration of Life service at Sun City Church of the Nazarene on March 19, visit their YouTube channel.