An Historic Overview Of Las Vegas Foursquare Churches

By Peter Hughes


While it is important to understand the beliefs of a church, it is also important to know the history. When it comes to the Las Vegas Foursquare Churches and related congregations, history begins as early as 1922 when the first church of the kind was founded in Los Angeles, California.

Based on the Pentecostal denominations, the original Foursquare church was founded by Preacher Aimee McPherson in 1923. After which, the church grew in size and belief systems. In the early 2000s, there were over eight million people in attendance as part of Foursquare congregations around the world. As there are forty four countries and sixty thousand churches associated with the original church, this is not surprising.

Also known by the name "Sister Aimee, " the founder, defined the term of Foursquare as being related to the Bible book of Ezekiel. In the book, God is defined as a four part image. The four images being a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. In this case, the images were derived from a vision Ezekiel received as reported in the Old Testament. While this is the case, as the church is a Full Gospel institution, members believe in the New and Old Testament books of the Bible.

While the preacher was quite well known for work in the church, the celebrity status which was received extended well beyond the preacher's passing. For example, the drama "The Disappearance of Aimee, " refers to the life, times and controversies of the preacher. One of the most common controversies relate to a month long disappearance which is reflected in the drama.

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.

Some 46 years later, the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches of North America took position of the original church. After which, the first African-American Church of God In Christ was accepted into the fold. While the church was still somewhat controversial, this acceptance led to the desegregation of others within a few years.

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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