Information On Foursquare Churches In Las Vegas

By Mary Ward


The name Foursquare Church is the common name used to refer to International Church of Foursquare Gospel. The longer version of the name is usually shortened to ICFG. ICFG is a protestant evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination that was founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923. As such, the church has a long history in the United States although its membership remains comparatively lower than other denominations of the same age. Foursquare churches in Las Vegas are some of the churches of the denomination with the largest congregations.

The source of the name Foursquare church is the four-fold ministry represented by Jesus during his stay on earth. The four ministries are soon-returning King, Healer, Baptizer, and Savior. ICFG followers believe in salvation, baptismal by Holy Spirit, the healing power, and the second coming of Jesus the Son of God. It is believed that Jesus will come back again in the near future to take the righteous with Him and punish sinners.

The Declaration of Faith is a compilation that was done by the founder McPherson and it contains all the beliefs held in the church. Members believe in deity of Jesus, the doctrine of Holy Trinity, and the verbal inspiration of biblical scriptures. Human beings took on the likeness of God, but they became sinful in nature after the fall.

ICFG members believe that sins of the world were taken away through the death of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the salvation that people receive came through grace and not good works of the individuals that receive it. Faith in turn leads to justification and being born again comes through repentance of sin. In this denomination, those who are born again proclaim Jesus as their only King and Lord.

The church also believes that human beings possess the free will to do what they please. That puts them at risk of backsliding from salvation, but through prayer and repentance, they are redeemed. Sanctification is viewed as a continuous process in the book of beliefs and should not be stopped so as to attain spiritual growth. Total surrender and consecration to God lead to attainment of Christian perfection.

The body responsible for making all decisions win the ICFG denomination is the Foursquare Convention, which convenes biannually. Membership of the convention is composed of licensed ministers as well as international officers. Fifty US-based churches come together to produce one delegate to the convention. Congregations in other countries only produce one delegate per country.

Local churches form part of subordinate divisions of the Inter-national church. The bylaws of the inter-national church are the ones that govern any subordinate church. Covenant and the charter churches are the two main classes of ICFG churches. There is no separate legal existence given to a charter member church and property owned belongs to the international church..

On the other hand, a covenant church is a separate entity from the international church and owns property on its own. Pioneer churches and those that were previously non-member churches fall within this category. A pioneer church can be upgraded to become a charter church.




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