Angelus Temple is the central house of worship of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. It was constructed under the leadership of the Reverend Aimee Semple McPherson and dedicated on the First of January, 1923. The temple, located opposite Echo Park, in the heart of Los Angeles, California, has a seating capacity of 5,300. The lighted cross, atop the temple's dome, is a longstanding landmark. Adjacent to Angelus Temple is L. I. F. E. Bible College. It is currently the home and base of operations for the Dre ...

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Including:

Aimee Semple McPherson - Early life Aimee Semple McPherson - Evangelism and Foursquare Gospel Aimee Semple McPherson - Kidnapping Aimee Semple McPherson - Later career

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A megachurch is a large church, frequently defined as having more than 2,000 worshippers for a typical weekly service. Globally, these large congregations are a significant development in Protestant Christianity, challenging the roles of denominations as the primary sources of ministry resources and ministerial training. Most megachurches tend to be evangelical or pentecostal. Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea (with 780,000 members in 2003) is the largest church in the world. Other examples are Hillsong Chur ...

Including:

Megachurch - History Megachurch - Denominational links Megachurch - Adjustments to cater for size Megachurch - Demographics Megachurch - Controversy

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Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), a controversial female evangelist, founded the Foursquare Church in 1927. Los Angeles was her center of operations, and the Angelus Temple, seating 5,300 people, was opened there in 1923. McPherson was an outright celebrity participating in publicity events such as parades every Sunday through the streets of L.A., along with the mayor and movie stars, directly to Angelus Temple. She built the temple, and L. I. F. E. Bible College next door to it, o ...

See also:

International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - Background, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - Church doctrine, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - Status, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - Footnote

Read more here: » International Church of the Foursquare Gospel: Encyclopedia II - International Church of the Foursquare Gospel - Background

Echo Park was the original center of the film industry in Los Angeles, before the studios moved to Hollywood just before World War I. Mack Sennett's studio was located in Echo Park until the end of the silent era, and a large number of silent comedies were shot in the neighborhood. Some of the earliest screen performers, including Gloria Swanson, bought homes in the Angelino Heights neighborhood before also moving to Hollywood and other areas. The area has continued to be used as a location for films such as Farewell, My Lovely, Ec ...

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Echo Park Los Angeles California, Echo Park Los Angeles California - History, Echo Park Los Angeles California - Attractions

Read more here: » Echo Park Los Angeles California: Encyclopedia II - Echo Park Los Angeles California - History

After the birth of her son, McPherson suffered from postpartum depression and several serious health issues. After what she described as a near-death experience in 1913, she embarked upon a preaching career in Canada and the U.S. By June 1915 she had left home and was on the road preaching full-time. In 1916 she made a tour through the southern U.S. in her "Gospel Car," a 1912 Packard touring car with religious slogans painted on the side; standing in the back seat of the convertible, she would give sermons through a bullhorn. On the ...

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Aimee Semple McPherson, Aimee Semple McPherson - Early life, Aimee Semple McPherson - Evangelism and Foursquare Gospel, Aimee Semple McPherson - Kidnapping, Aimee Semple McPherson - Later career

Read more here: » Aimee Semple McPherson: Encyclopedia II - Aimee Semple McPherson - Evangelism and Foursquare Gospel

Coping with the large numbers of people who attend them requires many adjustments. Worship in some megachurches tends to be more formal in practice, even as it becomes less traditional in tone. Because megachurches command resources that smaller churches cannot, they typically hire professional musicians who perform upbeat, modern praise music in a number of pop styles instead of traditional hymns. Despite the contemporary music, worship at a megachurch is a highly structured occasion. Some worshipers like the feeling of hundreds and ...

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Megachurch, Megachurch - History, Megachurch - Denominational links, Megachurch - Adjustments to cater for size, Megachurch - Demographics, Megachurch - Controversy

Read more here: » Megachurch: Encyclopedia II - Megachurch - Adjustments to cater for size

Megachurches appeal to baby boomers and others who enjoy the polished showmanship of the worship services, and who find the size of the organisation and the upbeat style of these churches appealing. Some worshippers like the size because it allows them to retain more anonymity if they choose, than would be possible in a smaller church. The large numbers of worshippers is not for these believers a problem of scale; it is a demonstration of the dynamism of the institution. Also some worshipers feel that in a bigger church the Holy Sp ...

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Megachurch, Megachurch - History, Megachurch - Denominational links, Megachurch - Adjustments to cater for size, Megachurch - Demographics, Megachurch - Controversy

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Concerns have been expressed about the orthodoxy of a number of churches and their popularization of evangelical and pentacostal Christianity. They are seen by some as being middle of the road, avoiding unconventional doctrinal positions or asceticism. Particular concerns have been expressed at different times about the then current successful megachurch, the Crystal Cathedral, Willow Creek, Saddleback Church and others. Critics have raised issues with the application of secular [business model]]s[2], e.g., from Walmart, a huma ...

See also:

Megachurch, Megachurch - History, Megachurch - Denominational links, Megachurch - Adjustments to cater for size, Megachurch - Demographics, Megachurch - Controversy

Read more here: » Megachurch: Encyclopedia II - Megachurch - Controversy

Born Aimee Elizabeth Kennedy in Salford, Ontario, Canada she was the daughter of James Morgan Kennedy, a widower and devout Methodist, and Mildred Ona Pearce, 36 years his junior, who had been hired to nurse his wife during her terminal illness. (The age difference had caused a scandal in their small town, prompting the couple to elope to Michigan.) Her mother had been orphaned at an early age, and raised by a couple who worked with the Salvation Army. As a result, Aimee was raised in an atmosphere of strong Christian beliefs. ...

See also:

Aimee Semple McPherson, Aimee Semple McPherson - Early life, Aimee Semple McPherson - Evangelism and Foursquare Gospel, Aimee Semple McPherson - Kidnapping, Aimee Semple McPherson - Later career

Read more here: » Aimee Semple McPherson: Encyclopedia II - Aimee Semple McPherson - Early life

On May 18, 1926, McPherson went to Venice Beach with her secretary, to go swimming. Soon after arrival, McPherson disappeared. It was generally assumed at the time that she had drowned; mourners crowded Venice Beach, and the commotion sparked a days-long media coverage of the event, fueled in part by William Randolph Hearst's Examiner, and even including a poem by Upton Sinclair commemorating the "tragedy." Daily updates appeared in newspapers across the country; parishioners held day-and-night seaside vigils. A futile search for the body resulted in one parishi ...

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Aimee Semple McPherson, Aimee Semple McPherson - Early life, Aimee Semple McPherson - Evangelism and Foursquare Gospel, Aimee Semple McPherson - Kidnapping, Aimee Semple McPherson - Later career

Read more here: » Aimee Semple McPherson: Encyclopedia II - Aimee Semple McPherson - Kidnapping