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International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

Last modified: 2026-03-28 by martin karner
Keywords: international church of the foursquare gospel |
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[International Church of the Foursquare Gospel] image by António Martins


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Presentation

There was a Pentecostal church founded in Los Angeles by Canadian-born evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, called the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. This flag was located at a Brazilian site, a branch of the church. Translated from the site:

THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL is compared to a jewel of unusual beauty and uses the symbolism in different colors:

Violet stands for the resplendent purple of the coming of the king (Jesus Christ).
Light blue stands for the divine cure.
Yellow stands for the sparkling gold of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
Red stands for bright scarlet of salvation of the soul.
Missing from the explanation is the black canton charged with a red cross coupee on a white rectangle (vertical arms extending to the black background), over all a small black square with a thick sans serif "4" on it. I guess this is the logo of this International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.

António Martins, 27 July 1999

The flag is used in all of the 76 autonomous national Foursquare Gospel church organizations worldwide. When a church can afford to buy or make one, it is displayed in the sanctuary of the church/chapel.

Concerning the black canton: In this I am making an educated guess only ... the founder of the denomination was a Canadian, from a Salvation Army background. Black was the common 19th century color for clergy and religious. Foursquare actually had black uniforms for its pastors (male and female) up until the 1970s (last I heard, a few national churches still use part of the uniform). Why, black doesn't show dirt; and black doesn't make a competitive fashion statement. Perhaps the black canton represents the ordained ministry.

Not guessing now: Charged with a red cross: the historical Christian symbol for Christ's sacrificial death.

Small black square with "4": "Foursquare" was a common term in Canada in the 19th century, denoting solidity and stability, trustworthiness. The "4" within a square symbolises the four cardinal doctrines of the denomination: "Foursquare Gospel = that Christ Jesus is the Saviour, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King." On printed materials the square is usually white with a black 4. Alternately, the four liturgical symbols (Cross, Dove, Eucharist Cup, and Crown) for the cardinal Christological doctrine is placed in a square with no "4". Either is now commonplace as a Foursquare Gospel logo.

Rev. Bruce Redner, 17 November 2005

Turkish and other Variants

image located by Ned Smith

The Nov 27, 2006, online edition of Christian Post has an article on the small Protestant congregation in Turkey. Included in the article is a photo of what is described as "a Protestant flag" next to the Turkish flag. www.christianpost.com/article/20061127/23701.htm [retrieved without photo]. The flag is white, with 2 adjoining squares in the center, outlined in black. Both boxes have white backgrounds. In the square toward the hoist side is a black Latin cross, with a gold shroud draped over the cross piece and passing in front of the upright. Surrounding the top of the upright are red flames. The square toward the fly side bears within it a 4-part logo, consisting of four smaller black-bordered squares, arranged into an intermediated sized square. Starting at the top, fly side (which is on the viewer's left in this photo) and going clockwise:

  • the first part is a white Latin cross tilted slightly to the left, and extending onto the border, with a rose-colored background;
  • a white chalice, tilted to the right to form a diagonal on a blue background;
  • a gold crown tilted slightly to the left on a light, indeterminate background;
  • a white dove in flight, shown in profile flying to the right on a yellow background
I suspect that this is not some sort of flag for Protestantism in general, but specific to a particular denomination. The congregation profiled in the article is affiliated with the International church of the Foursquare Bible. While the flag in the photo does not correspond to the flag of that denomination, the 4 part logo on the UFE is a variant of the logo of that denomination (commons.wikimedia.org [2021 version]), and I suspect this either: an alternative flag for the denomination; a flag for Foursquare churches in Turkey, or a flag specifically for this congregation.

Ned Smith, 20 May 2007

The flag was seen at the Ankara Kurtulus Church, according to this Alamy stock image from 2006 [picture].
UFE Edtior, 18 September 2024

The church is affiliated with the American-based Foursquare Gospel Church (see news story from 2006 [retrieved]. The logo that is seen on this flag, is similar to what is used here and explains the meaning of the four symbols [English translation]. This church in California is also using this very logo (scroll down). While the calendar has not been updated since April and May of 2011, at least we can date the logo to around the time this flag photo was taken.
This flag is used by another church at the city of Adana (Turkey), judging by the photo taken by this person on Facebook. So while I have seen this logo used in the USA, it is mostly used in Turkey.
Zachary Harden, 25 March 2026

Googling this church presents legions of different church logos worldwide, which follow a basic pattern in devices and colours, but are quite individual in design details.
Martin Karner, 25 March 2026