International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

Jesus Christ the Savior, Baptizer, Healer, Coming King
Classification Protestant
Orientation Pentecostal
Founder Aimee Semple McPherson
Origin 1923 Los Angeles, California
Associations Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America
Geographical Area Worldwide
Statistics
Congregations 30,000
Members 5 million

The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel is an evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination.

Contents

[edit] Background

Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), a controversial female evangelist, founded the Foursquare Church in 1927. Los Angeles was her center of operations, and Angelus Temple, seating 5,300 people, was opened in Echo Park in 1923. McPherson was an outright celebrity participating in publicity events such as parades every Sunday through the streets of L.A., along with the mayor and movie stars, directly to Angelus Temple. She built the temple, and L. I. F. E. Bible College next door to it, on the northwest corner of the land that she owned in the middle of the city.

Her son, Rolf K. McPherson, became president and leader of the church after her death in 1944. Although he may not have had the same charisma his mother possessed, the denomination under his leadership grew from around 400 churches when his leadership began, to 10,000+ after his departure.

Pastor Jack W. Hayford, founder of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, and Living Way Ministries, is perhaps the best-known Foursquare minister in the 21st century and is currently the denomination's president.

Pastor Ron Mehl, senior pastor of the Beaverton Foursquare Church from 1973 until his death in 2003, was one of a handful of pastors, including Pastor Hayford, that the church credits with setting a pattern of explosive growth for the Foursquare denomination.[1]

In 2006, independent filmmaker Richard Rossi released his movie Aimee Semple McPherson. Like McPherson herself, the film was surrounded by controversy. Although magazines like Christianity Today, Charisma, and Ministries Today were positive, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel released a press statement stating they do not endorse the film.

Foursquare leadership has not been without controversy in recent years: former President Paul Risser was forced to resign in 2004 after losing millions of the church's funds in a financial ponzi scheme.

The Foursquare denomination, under Jack Hayford's leadership, appears to be endorsing, without reservation or qualification, the emerging church movement by linking to sites such as Emergent Village from its main website. The denomination also hosted the youth conference, NextGen Summit '07, and invited the popular author of emergent books such as Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What , Donald Miller, to address the youth.

[edit] Church doctrine

Angelus Temple, built by Aimee Semple McPherson and dedicated January 1, 1923. The temple is opposite Echo Park, near downtown Los Angeles, California.
Angelus Temple, built by Aimee Semple McPherson and dedicated January 1, 1923. The temple is opposite Echo Park, near downtown Los Angeles, California.

The Foursquare Church believes in the following: [2]

[edit] Status

Jack Hayford, President of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
Jack Hayford, President of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

As of 2000, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, commonly referred to as the Foursquare Church, had a worldwide membership of over 5 million in almost 30,000 churches in 123 countries. This includes 1,844 churches with 218,981 members¹ in the United States. The 2006 Foursquare Church Annual Report reflected a loss of membership in the USA for 2005, which was listed at 260,644. Corporate headquarters are maintained in Los Angeles, California.

In the United States, the church is divided into districts and then into divisions and finally individual churches. A General Supervisor oversees the national office and district supervisors, and district supervisors oversee divisional superintendents who oversee individual churches within the local region. Glenn C. Burris, Jr., currently (2004) serves as General Supervisor. Jack W. Hayford has been the president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel since October 1, 2004. A number of educational institutions are affiliated with the Foursquare Church. Among these are Life Pacific College, formerly "L. I. F. E. Bible College", in San Dimas, California, and Life Pacific Bible College in Surrey, British Columbia.

[edit] Affiliations

Together with the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, the Open Bible Standard Churches, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and others, the Foursquare Church formed the "Pentecostal Fellowship of North America" in 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1994, the Fellowship reorganized as the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America after reconciliation with African Americans, particularly the constituency of the Church of God in Christ.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  • Encyclopedia of American Religions, J. Gordon Melton, editor
  • Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill, and Craig D. Atwood
  • Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States (2000), Glenmary Research Center
  • The Vine and the Branches: A History of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, by Nathaniel M. Van Cleave
  • The Foursquare Church Annual Report 2006, by Foursquare Gospel Publications
  1. ^ History: 1944-Present, Foursquare Church website. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
  2. ^ ICFG Doctine

[edit] Footnote

  1. Religious Congregations & Membership in the United States (2000)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Church_of_the_Foursquare_Gospel"
Personal tools