When Foursquare President Glenn Burris Jr. outlined the Five Targets last year, he was expressing values deeply embedded in our movement’s DNA since its inception—values, he affirmed, that will accelerate our mission into the future.
As we take a look back at 2012, we are excited to see how the Five Targets are being lived out, every day, by Foursquare leaders and church members in communities across the U.S. and around the world. The highlights below of stories we published in 2012 are cause for celebration—let’s take a look at how, together, we as The Foursquare Church are supporting leaders, growing healthy churches, reaching nations, diversifying leaders and resourcing ministries.
Target 1: Leader Support
Strong, sustainable ministries require healthy, reproducing leaders. Here are a few ways leaders were supported last year.
Leaders Gather for Connection 2012 in Phoenix
The 3,500 Foursquare family members who gathered in Phoenix were challenged to “reclaim their voice” and invest in the next generation while renewing a commitment to Holy Spirit-empowered ministry. During Connection 2012, the convention body ratified a statement on immigration acknowledging that God brings people to the U.S. not just so they can be reached with the gospel, “but so they can partner with us in ministry.”
Reclaiming the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
In an exclusive feature series, we examined why the gifts of the Spirit are so vital for ministry in today’s world, and discussed how to increase their expression in our churches.
Foursquare College Grad Launches Mobile Church Movement
Rebecca Schaub—recent Life Pacific College grad and assisting minister at Gateway (Salem South Foursquare Church) in Salem, Ore.—and three young colleagues embarked on a 15-state trek to serve, encourage and learn from Foursquare pastors.
Parkview Living Gives Seniors Purpose Beyond Retirement
Parkview Living: A Foursquare Senior Living Community opened its doors, helping residents find a place where they can thrive in their golden years and discover new ministry opportunities. The beautiful 75-unit complex situated on 1.2 acres overlooking Echo Park was warmly welcomed by local civic leaders.
Foursquare Aids Victims of Superstorm Sandy
Working alongside local Foursquare churches and ministries, Foursquare Chaplains International Disaster Relief Ministry, and Foursquare Relief and Compassion led efforts to help people in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Board Approves Pre-Service Training Plan
The Foursquare board of directors approved a pre-service training pathway, particularly focusing on young leaders. Core competencies being addressed include a healthy personal and family lifestyle; biblical/doctrinal knowledge; evangelism; organizational leadership; and more. Foursquare.org now provides a one-page overview of all pre-service training opportunities.
Target 2: Healthy, Multiplying Churches
The importance of healthy, reproducing churches cannot be underestimated. Here’s a look at how healthy Foursquare churches and their members reached out to their communities in 2012.
Foursquare Easter Services Result in Thousands Saved
Through outreaches both traditional and innovative, 70 Foursquare churches that participated in a post-Easter survey reported a total of 2,913 first-time decisions for Christ on Easter weekend. Additionally, 1,565 people rededicated their lives to Christ, 286 were baptized in water, and 44 were baptized with the Holy Spirit.
A Catalyst for Emerging Leaders: Aaron Bull
Aaron Bull, senior pastor of Westminster Foursquare Church in Southern California, leads the church’s Catalyst School of Ministry—part of the Foursquare Emerging Leader Network (ELN)—which has drawn many young people and trained them for ministry. The church also offers a host of ministries that give people an opportunity to grow in their faith and serve others.
Meet the Ax Man: Gabe Rygaard
Gabe Rygaard and his family are members of King’s Way, a Foursquare church in Sequim, Wash. Gabe is one of the stars on the History Channel’s acclaimed reality show series on logging, called Ax Men. He is also very involved with ministries in his church.
Are We Growing Insignificant?
The cities around us are changing, and fast. But are we engaging them, or are we disconnected from them? We examined this issue and highlighted Foursquare churches that are doing what they can to reach outside their church walls and touch people where they live.
Church Multiplication Plan Approved by Board
The board of directors approved a plan to help connect new churches’ extension tithes to their district church planting pools, which will establish a direct partnership with churches in similar seasons of ministry and create a process by which extension tithe money is applied directly to missional targets and deposited back into field-based ministry.
Target 3: Reaching Nations
Unreached people groups are everywhere, including in the U.S. Here are a few ways the Foursquare family around the world partnered together in 2012 to accelerate the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Leaders Hold Foursquare Global Summit
The mission of The Foursquare Church around the world was the focus of the Foursquare Global Summit in Phoenix, Ariz., following Connection 2012. Foursquare national leaders from 65 countries joined with U.S. leaders and invited guests to identify components of effective worldwide evangelism and church development.
Foursquare Responds to Unrest in Mali
When a coup d’état occurred in Mali in March, thousands fled their homes to escape the violence. The Foursquare Church is working on a 4,000-square-foot health center in Bamako to help those who are starving and in need of medical care—a project unlike anything the citizens in that area have ever seen before.
Serving in Thailand: Andy and Christina Opie
Thailand is predominately a Buddhist nation, and fewer than 1 percent of its 66 million inhabitants are Christian. But living in Bangkok, the capital city, Foursquare Missionaries Andy and Christina Opie are seeing doors open to the gospel. They have planted one Foursquare church in Bangkok, and are getting ready to launch another, in Phuket.
God’s Work in Belize: Lee and Robyn Brockinton
Foursquare Missionaries Lee and Robyn Brockinton moved from Texas to Belize a year ago, and already they are seeing many come to Christ in this small Central American nation. Though the country’s crime rate is high, substance abuse rampant, and scores of children are fatherless, the Brockintons’ LifeNet Church is facing these challenges and seeing the Lord change people’s lives.
Foursquare Missions International 2012 Stats (as of October 31, 2012)
100 Foursquare missionaries on the field
239 Foursquare GO Teams (short term)
2,014 People participated in GO Teams
2,987 Number of days these participants were on the field
Target 4: Diversifying Leaders
Diversification of our leaders is more crucial than ever. Here are some examples of how The Foursquare Church bridged cultural, generational and gender gaps last year.
Reaching Muslims
The Muslim population in the U.S. is growing, which may worry some in our post-9/11 world. But Foursquare leaders say many of our fears are unfounded, and that we have a great opportunity for evangelism. In this exclusive series, we examined the facts and talked with Foursquare pastors who regularly minister to Muslims.
Childlike Faith in Action: Rosa Hsueh
Partnering with Foursquare churches in California’s San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, Rosa Hsueh has been evangelizing children in public schools for the past nine years through Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Good News Club. In 2011-2012 alone, 785 children gave their lives to Christ in these after-school Bible clubs.
10 Dynamic Foursquare Women to Know
Meet 10 dynamic Foursquare women who are making a huge impact for the kingdom of God. From the home to the pulpit to the mission field, these Foursquare credentialed ministers are a strong force in their communities and exemplify the potential of effective leadership.
Generations You Should Know
We span generational divides to bring you 14 unsung heroes of Foursquare—men and women under 35 or over 65 who are changing the way we do ministry in the U.S.
Board Gives Go-Ahead to Launch of National Hispanic Ministry
Foursquare’s board of directors approved a plan that will help more Hispanic pastors and leaders become involved actively in the life and ministry of the North American Foursquare Church, with more Hispanic pastors and leaders having leadership positions in the denomination.
Target 5: Resourcing Ministries
Don’t miss these practical resources introduced last year that can enhance your personal life as a leader as well as your congregation.
Foursquare “Devotionals” App
We released the Foursquare “Devotionals” app in 2012, which allows anyone with an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad with iOS 5.0 or later to join others in the Foursquare family as we journey through the Bible together. As an added bonus, this free app allows users to get the latest updates from The Foursquare Church while on the go.
Teaching Series: Unlocking the Gifts in You
Well-known Foursquare leaders Marion Ingegneri, assisting minister at Grace North Church (Anthem Foursquare Church) in Phoenix, Ariz., and Dale Evrist, senior pastor of New Song Christian Fellowship (Brentwood Foursquare Church) in Brentwood, Tenn., led video workshops available for download regarding three critical aspects of unlocking God’s gifts: (1) understanding them; (2) discovering them; and (3) deploying them.
Daily Acts
The Foursquare Church produced Daily Acts: Read and Pray Through the Book of Acts, a compilation of 85 devotionals along with discussion questions and prayer points that take readers back to the foundation of the church. Local church leaders, senior pastors, national leaders and international ministers representing an inclusive perspective of age, gender and ethnic diversity wrote these devotionals that powerfully nudge readers back to their spiritual beginnings as Spirit-filled believers. As the Acts of the Apostles are skillfully retold, these devotionals spark new life and contemporary meaning.
Worship Together: 25 Canciones De Tus Alabanzas Favoritas
Spanish-speaking congregations or churches wanting to integrate worship songs sung in Spanish into their worship times will appreciate Worship Together: 25 Canciones De Tus Alabanzas Favoritas. The two-disc collection—performed in Spanish and produced by Allen Salmon (music) and Alejandro Allen (vocals)—offers 25 of the most popular worship songs in churches today.
Top 4 Leadership Tools on Foursquare.org
1. Holy Spirit Discovery for Kids
2. FMI Prayer Guides
3. Child and Youth Protection Series
4. Bookmarks to Read Through the Gospels
Additional Resourcing News: Streamlined Property Process Approved
In order to streamline the processing of property transactions, the board of directors approved the modification of the classification for property transactions into two major distinct categories with graduated levels of vetting requirements. This will prevent unnecessary delays for low-risk transactions while ensuring proper accountability for all transactions that occur.
Download a printable Five Targets spread, and be reminded of how you can live out the Five Targets through your local ministry.
