The Beliefs Of Las Vegas Foursquare Churches

By Peter Hughes


When it comes to attending a church, mosque, synagogue or temple, it is often important to understand the history as well as the beliefs associated with the denomination. For, while there are a number of different denominations, most often at least some aspect of belief is going to differ between members of the congregation. As such, so too the belief systems of those attending Las Vegas Foursquare churches.

The church is based on evangelical Pentecostal denominations. The original denomination was founded in 1923 by Preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. As recently as the early 2000s, the membership had grown to over 8 million in a number of different countries. In total, there are over 60 thousand churches in one hundred and forty four countries around the world.

Known as "Sister Aimee, " the preacher defined the term Foursquare as related to a vision experienced by Ezekiel, for whom the Bible book by the same name is titled. For, it is reported that when Ezekiel saw God, it was a four part image being a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle. As such, the church is a Full Gospel church believing literally in the Old and New Testament books of the Bible.

The preacher's legacy goes well beyond death. For, there has even been a Hall of Fame drama created in honor of the legacy which the preacher left behind. In one case, the drama highlights the amazing work the young woman did for the church. Whereas, there were also controversies, one being a month long disappearance of the preacher in 1926.

After having passed on, Aimee's son, Rolf K. McPherson became the Overseer of the denomination. The son held the position for almost forty four years before retiring. After which, the church became the Pentecostal Fellowship Of North America. Later, the church became aligned with several other denominations and congregations which shared the same Full Gospel belief system.

Forty six years later, the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America replaced earlier denominations and welcomed African-American churches and organizations into the fold. Most importantly, the Church of God in Christ, which was the first African-American church of its kind in the United States. After which, a number of congregations in the United States became desegregated and united as one family of faith regardless of color, economic status or religious background.

The Angelus temple, which was built by McPherson and dedicated in January of 1923, still stands. The building and temple sits opposite Echo Park near Los Angeles, California. Whereas, there have been several interim pastors and presidents since McPhersons death. As such, the church and membership have undergone several changes since that time.

As a result of Aimee's work and other pastors and congregants, Las Vegas now has multiple Foursquare congregations around the city. As part of the larger congregation, most of these churches welcome members of associated churches as well as visitors to attend services whenever an individual is moved to do so. As the church is an associated member of congregations, representatives of the church attend the International Gathering Of Believers, which is a conference held in different locations each year.




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