I have been a christian-Baptist and I am curious what sets Nazarene apart.
I grew up in an independent Baptist church, but I attended a Nazarene university and am currently a member of the Church of the nazarene. The truth is that you’re probably not going to see a lot of difference between the two denominations at first. The services are probably very similar, and the key doctrines are the same.
The Church of the Nazarene is a product of the holiness movement, which emerged in the late 19th century and mostly came out of the Methodist church. The Nazarene church was officially organized in 1908 when four holiness denominations merged into one. The church’s doctrine is described as Wesleyan-Arminian, and it is very similar to Methodist doctrine. In contrast, there are many Baptist sub-denominations with doctrine ranging from the Free Will Baptist church, which is mostly Arminian, to the Sovereign Grace Baptist church, which is strictly Calvinist. Most Baptist churches, including the Southern Baptist Convention, are descended from the Calvinist branch, but they deviate from some of its key doctrines, particularly regarding free will.
The most obvious difference is that the Nazarene church believes that it is possible to lose your salvation while most Baptist churches do not. Nazarenes also put a lot of emphasis in holy living. In the past, this resulted in a lot of legalistic "rules" that Nazarenes were expected to live by. Most of these have been repealed, but they still influence the church. The church government is also quite different. Baptist church are almost all congregational. Nazarene congregations have a strong say in what goes on in their churches, but churches still have to report to a governing body called the District Assembly, and every four years, the entire denomination comes together for a General Assembly to discuss organizational issues and polity.
The key doctrine that sets the Church of the Nazarene apart from other denominations is its stance on entire sanctification, also called Christian perfection. Nazarenes believe that it is possible to be entirely sanctified here on earth. (Most Christian denominations believe in entire sanctification, but they believe that it does not happen until we reach heaven.) The exact details regarding Christian perfection are debated even among Nazarenes, but in practice, I find that it’s not that different from what most Baptists call "giving your life over to God" or "dedicating your life to Christ."
It is also worth noting that the Nazarene church does not take an official stance on some issues, such as creation or eschatology. As a result, individual churches may differ in what they teach on these matters. Also, some things that are technically permitted by the church are not performed by all congregations. For example, the church permits infant baptism, but it is so rarely performed that even many Nazarenes are not aware of that. As a result, most Nazarenes are not baptized until after salvation, which is consistent with Baptist theology.
More information is available at the Church of the Nazarene’s web site:
http://www.nazarene.org/
The official doctrine and organization of the church is also stated in "Manual: Church of the Nazarene," which is updated at the General Assembly every four years:
http://www.nazarene.org/files/docs/Manual2005_09.pdf