The Church of the Nazarene is the product of a series of mergers that occurred between various holiness churches, associations and denominations throughout the 20th century.[30] The most prominent of these mergers took place at the First and Second General Assemblies, held at Chicago, Illinois, and Pilot Point, Texas, in 1907 and 1908,[31] respectively. The primary architect of these early mergers was C. W. Ruth.