International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel is an evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination coined. In general, it is also referred to simply as Foursquare Church. In 2000, the church had about 5 million members and almost 30,000 churches in 123 countries, including the 1844 churches with 218 981 members in the U.S., where the Church was organized. The headquarters of the Foursquare Church is located in Los Angeles.

Foundation

Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), an evangelical preacher, also known as "Sister Aimee " (Sister Aimee ) was known, the Foursquare Church founded in 1927. The Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, with its 5300 seats, which in 1923 under their line was built, was a founding center and headquarters of the Church. McPherson was a celebrity, she took, among others, in public events such as weekly parades in the streets of Los Angeles in part - in addition to well-known actors and the mayor. She built the temple and the LIFE directly adjacent Bible College on a piece of land that belonged to her in the center of the city.

McPherson's reputation remained beyond her death. Several films have been published about her life, such as The Disappearance of Aimee (1976) and Aimee Semple McPherson (2006). This especially her one-month disappearance are shown ( May-June) and the subsequent lawsuit in 1926, respectively.

After Aimee McPherson's death in 1944, her son, Rolf K. McPherson, President and Head of the Church - a position he held for 44 years. Under his leadership, the Foursquare Church grew from about 400 to about 10,000 churches. The church was formed in 1948 in Des Moines, the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America ( " Pentecostal Church Community of North America " ), this alliance included, among others, the Assemblies of God, the Church of God, the Open Bible Standard Churches, the Pentecostal Holiness Church at.

May 31, 1988 Dr. John R. Holland was the third President of the Church, he remained in this leadership position until July 1997. In 1994, 46 years after the founding of the Pentecostal Fellowship this was restructured and became the independent Pentecostal / Charismatic Churches of North America ( Pentecostal / Charismatic churches of North America ). They did in the course of which with African-American groups together, the most important of which was the Church of God in Christ.

In July 1997, Dr. Harold Helms was provisional President of the Church, Dr. Paul C. Risser succeeded him in this position already in April 1998 from.

In October 2003, the Foursquare Church sold its radio stations in Los Angeles ( KFSG - FM, today KXOL -FM) on the Spanish radio, for 250 million U.S. dollars.

Rissers line leads to a further explosive controversy for the church, as were invested without the participation of the management and financial committee church funds in companies that had the " close-knit evangelical community " goal. This investment proved to be a fatal miscalculation investing in fraudulent companies. Risser resigned in March 2004 from his post of president.

Since October 2004, Jack W. Hayford, president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Hayford is the founder of the Church on the Way in Van Nuys and Living Way Ministries. Together with the pastors Roy Hicks Jr. of Eugene, Jerry Cook from Gresham, Ronald D. flour from the Foursquare Church in Beaverton and John Holland of Vancouver, he was commissioned to draw up a "plan" to the growth of the denomination.

Since 2008 Pastor Barry Buzza is president of the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada.

Doctrine of the Church

The Foursquare Church believes in the following principles:

  • The Bible as the inspired Word of God
  • The Trinity
  • The atoning death of Christ for sinners
  • Salvation by the grace of God in Jesus Christ
  • The need for sincere repentance and acceptance of Christ
  • The sanctification of rebirth
  • The daily growth through power, prayer, love and service
  • Immerse baptisms
  • Communion / Communion
  • The baptism of the Holy Spirit, whose symptoms is speaking in tongues
  • Spiritual Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit
  • Divine Healing
  • The imminent return of Christ
  • Last judgment
  • Evangelization, which is characterized by discipleship
  • Tithing and thanksgiving offerings
  • Relationship to a church: It is the duty of everyone to identify themselves and to work together on the progress of the kingdom of God on earth with a Versammling of believers
  • Staatsuntertänigkeit: The government is ordained by God, the law should always be respected - unless they are contrary to the will of God
  • The sky is the glorious dwelling place of the god. And the eternal home of born-again Christians
  • Hell is a place of darkness, deepest sorrow, and unquenchable fire. He was not originally designed for humans, but for the demons and the devil. Nevertheless, it is the place of eternal separation from God for all those who reject Christ as Savior.
Des Moines, Iowa Van Nuys, Los Angeles Eugene (Oregon) Gresham (Oregon) Beaverton (Oregon)
344066
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