Assemblies of God vs Church of God vs Foursquare

Three Pentecostal Denominations Compared

We’re going to compare the doctrine and practice of Assemblies of God, the Church of God Cleveland Tennessee, and The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.

Each of these denominations is covered in more detail on the Ready to Harvest Channel, if you want to verify or find out more about their positions. All three denominations affirm the most core Christian doctrines – The trinity, Christ’s deity, virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, death and resurrection, that there is a literal heaven and hell and future judgment day.

On ordinances, all three practice baptism, which is by immersion only and only for believers. All three practice communion, with the cup typically having unfermented grape juice.

The view of Christ’s presence in the elements is a memorial view in the Assemblies of God. This view is most common in the Church of God too, though there is room for spiritual presence. The Foursquare view is not limited to strictly symbolic either, with one of their guides calling their view as “powerful sign.”

Officially, communion is open to all believers in foursquare churches and the other two denominations generally practice this as well. Church of God alone has a third sacrament of feet washing.

In all three denominations, the Bible is the 66-book canon of Old and New Testaments, and it is viewed as inerrant.

On creation and evolution, none of the denominations require a young earth or literal 6-day view of creation. However, in all three denominations, skepticism towards evolution is common, especially human evolution.

All three denominations teach the necessity of a born-again or salvation experience, received by grace through faith without works being necessary to obtain it. All three have Arminian salvation theology. Christ’s death was for all men, but only those who put their faith in Christ are saved. A person can abandon their faith and be lost again.

Of the three denominations, only the Church of God teaches a second work of grace experience of entire sanctification.

All three denominations are Pentecostal, affirming all the spiritual gifts continue to the present and that there is a distinct baptism of the holy spirit that an individual should seek to obtain after salvation. Assemblies of God and the Church of God officially teach an absolute position on the initial evidence doctrine. That is, that the initial physical evidence of baptism of the holy spirit is speaking in tongues. The Foursquare Church would teach this as typical, but not absolute, that is, a person may receive spirit baptism and not speak in tongues.

All three denominations also teach that individuals may have the gift of tongues, and that individuals may have a private prayer language. All three teach divine healing to the present and that divine healing is provided for in the atonement. There is also an ongoing gift of prophecy.

On End times, or eschatology, all three denominations are premillennial.

In all three denominations the most common view of the timing of the rapture is that it is before the tribulation period, but this is not a required view so some ministers in each denomination teach differently.

All three denominations teach that homosexuality is sinful and that marriage is between a man and a woman.

All three denominations teach that there are biblical and unbiblical divorces and remarriages.

All three denominations are opposed to abortion.

Assemblies of God and the Church of God both teach a total abstinence position on alcohol. While most Foursquare churches would highly discourage drinking alcohol, it is not absolutely forbidden.

All three denominations teach that people should tithe 10% of their income to the church.

The Church government or polity of Assemblies of God churches is normally congregational, with some exceptions.  The Church of God has hierarchical polity, and Foursquare has a modified Episcopal polity. More details on the distinction are in the videos on these denominations. In most cases, though there are exceptions in all three denominations, Assemblies of God Churches own their own property, while the Church of God and Foursquare own the property of the local churches.

Following appropriate votes and other measures, congregations can withdraw from the Assemblies of God or Foursquare Churches. This is not allowed in the Church of God.

Though in all three denominations there are various roles for ministers, such as evangelists, Assemblies of God have only one “rank”, so called, of minister, as does Foursquare. In the Church of God, there are Exhorters, then licensed ministers, and then bishops.

Women are allowed in any role of ministry in all three denominations, with the exception of not being bishops in the Church of God.

All three denominations are in the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America, Pentecostal World Fellowship, and the National Association of Evangelicals.

Worldwide, Assemblies of God has 375,000 churches and 69 million members. The Church of God has 7 million members in 36,000 churches, and Foursquare has 8.8 million members in 100,000 churches.

In the US, Assemblies of God has 13,000 churches, the Church of God has 6,448, and Foursquare has 1,900.

Watch this article as a video on the Ready to Harvest YouTube channel here.