The Foursquare church, officially known as International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, is a Protestant denomination founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in the early twentieth century (1920’s). Foursquare derives its name from what Mrs. McPherson “called the ‘Foursquare Gospel’: Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is the Healer, Jesus is the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the Soon-Coming King.”1 She was inspired by the four faces of God referenced in the book of Ezekiel (1: 10) – a man, lion, ox, and eagle. Mrs. McPherson viewed these faces as four aspects of the gospel. Jesus as Savior was the man; as Healer the ox (burden-bearer); as Baptizer the lion; and as King the eagle.
Foursquare is firmly rooted in the Bible. On the church’s web site (http://www.foursquare.org), its Declaration of Faith begins with “We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of the living God; true, immutable, steadfast, unchangeable, as its author, the Lord Jehovah; that it was written by holy men of old as they were moved upon and inspired by the Holy Spirit…” This Declaration, penned by Aimee Semple McPherson, contains 22 sections including, to mention just a few, the Eternal Godhead, Salvation Through Grace, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Divine Healing, and Tithing and Offerings. Virtually every belief and statement on the church’s web site contains a scriptural reference supporting it.
Affectionately known by her members as “Sister”, Aimee Semple McPherson lived an interesting life. She married early to Robert Semple, a missionary and evangelist whose services she visited in a time of some personal religious ambivalence. Their relationship blossomed, and shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Semple traveled to China as missionaries. Mrs. Semple was barely 20 years old when arriving in China, and Mr. Semple tragically died three months after their arrival, leaving her pregnant and penniless. However, Mrs. Semple managed a return to the United States, but chose not to pursue ministry at first. During this period she became ill and had various operations. For two years, she languished while God reportedly asked: “Now will you go?” Once she responded to God’s call, her health improved and she ultimately founded the Foursquare Church. More information about her life can be found in “The Vine and the Branches: A history of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel” by Nathaniel M. Van Cleave (1994).
The Foursquare Church has enjoyed considerable growth. As reported in the “Ninth Edition of the Handbook of Denominations in the United States” (Frank S. Mead, revised by Samuel S. Hill, 1990), the church preached the gospel in 49 states and over 60 countries, with estimated U.S. membership at 200,000, and worldwide at 1.5 million. The church web site now claims (March, 2011) 64,000 churches worldwide serving over 8,000,000 members in 136 countries.2
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1 From the web site of the Foursquare church: http://www.foursquare.org.
2 See http://www.foursquare.org/missions.
Used by permission from GotQuestions.org.
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YETMO: “You’re Entitled To My Opinion,” A Balanced Point of View
"To stimulate thought, debate, and introspection”