The
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel is an
evangelicalEvangelism is the practice of attempting to convert people to a religion. The term is used most often in reference to Christianity's religions, since they mandate that their followers make efforts to recruit as many people as possible into their faith...
Pentecostal
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
denomination. Commonly referred to as the
Foursquare Church, as of 2000, it had a membership of over 5,000,000, with almost 30,000 churches in 123 countries. This included 1,844 churches with 218,981 members in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the country where the church was founded. Headquarters are in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
.
Founding
Aimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPherson , also called Sister Aimee, was a Canadian-born evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s. She founded the Foursquare Church...
(1890-1944), an evangelist known as "Sister Aimee", founded the Foursquare Church in 1927. Los Angeles was her center of operations, and
Angelus TempleAngelus Temple is the central house of worship of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, California....
, seating 5,300 people, was opened in
Echo Park-History:At the end of the 19th century, when the hills were still covered with native plants and grasses, a horse-drawn streetcar line served the dirt road that is now Echo Park Ave. The community of Echo Park was founded by Thomas Kelly, a carriage maker turned real estate developer...
in 1923. McPherson was a celebrity, participating in publicity events, such as weekly Sunday parades through the streets of Los Angeles, 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 land she owned in the middle of the city.
McPherson's celebrity status continued after her death, with
biopicsA biographical motion picture—often shortened to biopic—is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most...
such as the 1976
Hallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television. It has had a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and still continuing today. From 1954 onward, all of their productions have been shown in color, although color television productions were extremely rare in 1954...
drama
The Disappearance of AimeeThe Disappearance of Aimee is a 1976 telemovie drama. It was directed by Anthony Harvey for Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions.It stars Faye Dunaway as the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, with Bette Davis and James Woods...
and the 2006 independent film
Aimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPherson is a feature length dramatic biopic about evangelist "Sister" Aimee Semple McPherson.The cast includes Mimi Michaels, Rance Howard, and Kiera Chaplin. Richard Rossi wrote, directed and also acted in the film. Rossi shot the film with a $300 consumer camcorder...
depicting her life, particularly her month-long disappearance in May-June 1926 and the legal controversy that followed.
After Sister Aimee
Her son, Rolf K. McPherson, became president and leader of the church after Aimee Semple McPherson's death in 1944, a position he held for 44 years. Under his leadership, the denomination grew from around 400 churches to over 10,000. The Foursquare Church formed the "Pentecostal Fellowship of North America" in 1948 in
Des Moines, IowaDes Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, in an alliance with the
Assemblies of GodThe World Assemblies of God Fellowship or Assemblies of God is the world's largest Pentecostal Christian denomination. With over 300,000 churches and outstations in over 110 countries and approximately 57 to 60 million adherents worldwide, it is the fourth largest international body of Christians...
, the
Church of GodChurch of God is a name used by numerous, mostly unrelated Christian denominational bodies, most of which descend from either Pentecostal/Holiness or Adventist traditions.-Major denominations :*Church of God...
, the
Open Bible Standard ChurchesThe Open Bible Standard Churches or Open Bible Churches is an association of Pentecostal churches with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Open Bible Churches is affiliated with Eugene Bible College, an accredited Bible college. There are more than 150,000 Open Bible members worldwide...
, the
Pentecostal Holiness ChurchThe International Pentecostal Holiness Church or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church is a Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations...
, and others.
On May 31, 1988, Dr. John R. Holland became the Church's third President, a position he held
until July 1997. In 1994, 46 years after the founding of the Pentecostal Fellowship, it was reorganized as the
Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North AmericaThe Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America is an interdenominational fellowship of pentecostal and charismatic churches in North America, existing for the purpose of promoting cooperation and understanding...
, after combining with African-American organizations, most significantly the
Church of God in ChristThe Church of God in Christ is a Christian denomination. It is an historically African American Holiness-Pentecostal church. The church has congregations in nearly 60 countries around the world...
.
Dr. Harold Helms served as interim president from July 1997 until July 1998; he was followed by Dr. Paul C. Risser, who became the president on April 16, 1998, at the church's 75th annual convention.
In October 2003, under Risser's tenure, the church sold Los Angeles radio station
KFSG-FMKXOL-FM 96.3, Latino 96.3, is a Latin leaning Rhythmic music radio station in the Los Angeles area.-History:For many years 96.3 was a Christian radio station in Los Angeles known as KFSG, owned by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel...
to
Spanish Broadcasting SystemSpanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through its media....
for $250 million. Risser's leadership led to another high-profile controversy for the church, when without the involvement of the denomination's board of directors and finance council, church funds were invested in firms that targeted the "close-knit evangelical community" but turned out to be
Ponzi schemeA Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned. The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering return other investments cannot guarantee,...
s. Risser resigned his leadership position in March 2004.
Dr
Jack W. HayfordJack Williams Hayford is the fourth and current President of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.Hayford is a graduate of L.I.F.E. Bible College , where he served as dean of students, and Azusa Pacific University...
has been the president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel since October 1, 2004. Hayford is founder of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, and Living Way Ministries. He, along with Pastors
Roy Hicks, Jr.Roy Hicks, Jr. was a pastor of Eugene Faith Center and important part of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel during the 1970s through the 1990s. He also wrote several hymns including Praise the Name of Jesus inspired by Psalm 18....
in
Eugene, OregonEugene is the second largest city in the U.S. State of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles east of the Oregon Coast...
, Jerry Cook in
Gresham, OregonGresham is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States immediately east of Portland. It was named for the American Civil War general, and Postmaster General, Walter Quinton Gresham. The population was 90,205 at the 2000 census; in 2008, the Population Research Center estimated the...
,
Ronald D. MehlRonald Duane Mehl was the Senior Pastor of the Beaverton Foursquare Church in Beaverton, Oregon, United States from 1973 until his death in 2003....
of the
Beaverton Foursquare ChurchThe Beaverton Foursquare Church is a Foursquare church located in Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is led by Senior Pastor Randy Remington. Currently worship services at Beaverton Foursquare draw approximately 5,000 people weekly.-History:...
in
Beaverton, OregonBeaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley., its population is estimated to be 86,205, almost 14% more than the 2000 census figure of 76,129...
, and John Holland in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
, have been credited by the church with setting a plan for the denomination's growth.
Jack Hayford has announced that he will not seek a second term as president. An interim president, Glenn Burris Jr. has been appointed until the next annual convention where it is expected that a new President will be chosen.
The Foursquare denomination, under Hayford's leadership, is in "Missional Conversation" with the
emerging church movementThe emerging church is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, post-evangelical, liberal, post-liberal, charismatic, neocharismatic and post-charismatic...
, part of a "Church Multiplication" effort. "Church Multiplication" also supports the
house churchHouse church is used to describe an independent assembly of Christians who gather in a home. Sometimes this occurs because the group is small, and a home is the most appropriate place to gather, as in the early church, or the beginning phase of the British New Church Movement...
movement through resources that support the expansion of "Foursquare Simple Church Networks."
Church doctrine
The Foursquare Church believes in the following:
- The Bible
The Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
as the inspired word of GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
- The Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity teaches the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine states that God is the Triune God, existing as three persons, or in the Greek hypostases, but one being. Each of the persons is understood as having the one...
- The atoning death of Christ for sinners
- Salvation through the grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ
- The necessity of sincere repentance and acceptance of Christ
- The new birth (Sanctification
Sanctification is an ancient concept widespread among religions that refers to anything blessed or set apart for special purposes, from totem poles to temple vessels, to the change brought about in a human believer. The word sanctification refers to the act or process of making sacred or setting...
)
- The daily growth through power, prayer, love and service
- Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted to membership of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered.The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the...
by immersion
- Communion / Lord's Supper
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit
- The gifts
Gifts of the Holy Spirit redirects here; not to be confused with the Seven gifts of the Holy SpiritSpiritual gifts , according to some Christian denominations, are gifts that are bestowed on Christians, each having his or her own proper gift to strengthen the church...
and fruits of the Spirit
- Divine healing
- The imminent return of Jesus Christ
- Final judgment
- Evangelism
Evangelism is the practice of attempting to convert people to a religion. The term is used most often in reference to Christianity's religions, since they mandate that their followers make efforts to recruit as many people as possible into their faith...
emphasized in discipleship
- Tithing and offerings
- Church relationship—It is a sacred duty to identify oneself with a congregation of believers to worship God, observe the ordinances of Christ, exhort and support others, labor for the salvation of others, and work together to advance the Lord’s Kingdom.
- Civil government—Civil government is by divine appointment and civil laws should be upheld at all times except in things opposed to the will of God.
- Heaven—Heaven is the glorious habitation of the living God and the eternal home of born-again believers.
- Hell—Hell is a place of darkness, deepest sorrow and unquenchable fire, which was not prepared for man but for the devil and his angels; yet it will become the place of eternal separation from God for all who reject Christ as Savior.
- Foursquare emphasizes a whole-hearted relationship with God, a means of talking to God through prayer, meditation, and fasting, along with social service for and through Christ.
North America
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.
A number of educational institutions are affiliated with the Foursquare Church. Among these are
Life Pacific CollegeLife Pacific College was originally founded in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, in 1923 as "Echo Park Evangelistic and Missionary Training Institute" by Aimee Semple McPherson...
, formerly "L. I. F. E. Bible College", in
San Dimas, CaliforniaSan Dimas is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2004 census, the city had a total population of 36,200.-History:...
, and Pacific Life Bible College in
Surrey, British ColumbiaSurrey is a Canadian city in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that lies within the Metro Vancouver district, and geographically at the centre of the larger region known as the Lower Mainland of British Columbia...
.
Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada
Anna D. Britton, a graduate of L.I.F.E. Bible College in Los Angeles, moved to Vancouver, B.C. in 1927, established L.I.F.E. Bible College of Canada in 1928 and grew a small group of believers into a congregation of nearly 1,000, known as Kingsway Foursquare Church. Her vision prompted her to extend the Foursquare Gospel to the three western provinces of Canada over which she served as Supervisor for many years. Other Supervisors of the Western Canada District have been, B.A. McKeown, Clarence Hall, Warren Johnson, Guy Duffield, Charles Baldwin, Harold Wood, Roy Hicks Sr., and John Holland.
Victor Gardner became Supervisor of the Western Canada District in 1974. Eventually, in order to comply with Canadian law, The Western Canada District needed to register all properties in the name of a Canadian Corporation and gain control of all finances as well. Victor Gardner led the development of the Constitution and Bylaws, the Administrative Manual and oversaw the transfer of all the legal documents so on March 5, 1981, the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada (FGCC) came into being. Vic and Dorothy Gardner retired in 1992, passing on the pastoral duties of their church, Sunshine Hills Foursquare Church, to their son Tom Gardner and his wife Lottie Gardner.
Tim Peterson was President of the FGCC from 1992 – 2007. His wife, Laurene, also worked in the National Office of FGCC and together, they oversaw the establishment of a healthy corporate structure and developed National Teams.
Barry Buzza, who planted the largest Foursquare Church in Canada, Northside Church, a three-campus church in the Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, and two in Port Coquitlam) in the Vancouver metropolitan area of British Columbia was elected as President on July 1, 2007. His inauguration took place at the FGCC Convention on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at the Chandos Pattison Auditorium in Surrey, British Columbia.
See also
- Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines
The Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines is a Christian Pentecostal Group in the Philippines. The CFGP is the national church body of International Church of the Foursquare Gospel originated in Los Angeles California...
- New Apostolic Reformation
The New Apostolic Reformation is a movement in Protestant Christianity that grew out of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, that asserts that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of Prophet and Apostle....
- Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a renewal movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is evidenced by speaking in tongues. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, a Greek term describing the Jewish Feast of...