The Foursquare Gospel Church, officially named the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, is a Pentecostal denomination that resulted from the dynamic evangelistic ministry of Aimee Semple McPherson, who opened the historic Angelus Temple on Jan. 1, 1923.
Following the opening of Angelus Temple, our founder did not take time to rest on her laurels. The first “branch” church from Angelus Temple had its beginnings in Oct. 1923 in Long Beach, Calif. Other Los Angeles-area church plants rapidly ensued in Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Santa Ana; all four churches are still open today. As time passed, Foursquare branched out to the rest of the United States; we now have churches in most of the 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska.
The launch into foreign ministry fields also began in the 1920s. In 1927 Sister Aimee commissioned Vincente and Teodora DeFante as missionaries to the Philippines. Foursquare is still alive and well in the Philippines, which has a very strong national church presence. A former missionary herself, our founder’s desire to go around the world with the Foursquare Gospel led to The Foursquare Church’s being known as a missionary movement. At this time we have approximately 100 missionary units deployed throughout the world. From our earliest days, foreign missions was a primary emphasis—and remains so today.
Recommended: List Of Books By Aimee Semple Mcpherson
In Nigeria, the Church started in October 1955 through the endeavours of a missionary couple; Rev and Mrs. Harold Curtis from USA. The registered headquarters in Nigeria is at 62/66 Akinwunmi Street Yaba, Lagos State. The Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria currently has about 4032 churches spread over 154 districts and 824 zones as at September 2018.
The founding fathers of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria were Rev. Odunaike, Samuel Olusegun, Boyejo, James Abayomi and Rev. Friday Chinyere Osuwa.
The church’s national headquarters are located at 62/66 Akinwunmi street, Yaba, Lagos. The church is headed by the General Overseer and Senior Pastor who is Rev. Felix Meduoye.
The Church in Nigeria has reached out to neighboring countries and had established in the Republic of Benin, Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Cote de voire and Central African Republic. Most of these churches in the west coast have been nationalized.
The name “Foursquare Gospel” came about during an intense revival in the city of Oakland, Calif., in July 1922. To a crowd of thousands, Aimee Semple McPherson explained Ezekiel’s vision in the book of Ezekiel, chapter one. Ezekiel saw God revealed as a being with four different faces: a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle.
To Sister Aimee, those four faces were like the four phases of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the face of the man, she saw Jesus our Savior. In the face of the lion, she saw Jesus the mighty Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and fire. In the face of the ox, she saw Jesus the Great Burden-Bearer, who took our infirmities and carried our sicknesses. In the face of the eagle, she saw Jesus the Coming King, who will return in power and victory for the church. It was a perfect, complete Gospel. It was a Gospel that faces squarely in every direction; it was the “Foursquare Gospel.” The four symbols perhaps most identified with Foursquare today are the cross, cup, dove and crown which stand for Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Healer, Jesus the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus the Soon-Coming King, respectively.
Currently The Foursquare Church has more than 1,700 U.S. churches; globally, The Foursquare Church has more than 66,000 churches and meeting places in 140 countries and territories.
Foursquare Church Doctrine
According to the Church’s official website, The Foursquare Church exists to glorify God and advance His kingdom. Jesus Christ’s command is to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19). Therefore, we are “Dedicated unto the cause of Inter-denominational and Worldwide Evangelism.”* These words express our spirit and our focus.
Our call is to preach Jesus Christ, God’s Son, as The Savior, The Baptizer, The Healer and The Coming King.
Our assignment is to develop healthy, growing churches. Our commitment is to plant national churches around the world led by loving servants of Jesus Christ. Churches developed in this manner will reproduce again and again.This makes possible the spread of the gospel to those who have not heard or accepted the message of God’s Son.
Our Name – The Foursquare Gospel Church: “Foursquare” is a Biblical term used of the tabernacle in the Book of Exodus, of the Temple of the Lord in Ezekiel 40:47, and of Heaven, as described in the book of the Revelation. The term “Foursquare Gospel” was given in the inspiration of revival to the denomination’s founder, Aimee Semple McPherson, during an evangelistic campaign in Oakland, Calif., in 1922. It represents that which is equally balanced on all sides, established and enduring. Such confidence in the power of the Gospel is also expressed by the verse, Hebrews 13:8, displayed in Foursquare churches proclaiming, “Jesus Christ the Same, Yesterday and Today and Forever.”
The name represents the four-fold ministries of Jesus as:
- We Believe that Jesus Christ is the saviour of the World
- We believe that Jesus Christ is THE HEALER.
- We believe that Jesus Christ is THE BAPTIZER with THE HOLY SPIRIT.
- We believe that Jesus Christ is THE SOON COMING KING.
The Twenty-two (22) Tenets Of Foursquare Gospel
The Foursquare Declaration Of Faith; What Foursquare Gospel Church Believes And Teaches:
- The Holy Scriptures
- The Eternal Godhead.
- The Fall Of Man
- The Plan Of Salvation
- Salvation Through Grace
- Repentance And Acceptance
- The New Birth
- Daily Christian Living
- Baptism & The Lord’s Supper
- Baptism With The Holy Spirit
- The Spirit-filled Life
- The Gifts And Fruit Of The Spirit
- Moderation
- Divine Healing
- The Second Coming Of Christ
- Church Relationship
- Civil Government
- The Final Judgement
- Heaven
- Hell
- Evangelism
- Tithes And Offerings