Our Lineage
Foursquare History
The Foursquare Church was birthed under vibrant and youthful leadership. Our founder Aimee Semple McPherson conducted an incredibly diverse and fruitful ministry. At the age of 19 she was a missionary to China and at 23 was driving a car across the nation as an evangelist while conducting massive revival campaigns. By 28 she had established a base of ministry in Los Angeles and at 33 she opened the doors of Angelus Temple, the first Foursquare Church. Youth ministry and the development of future leaders for the kingdom of God were always at the forefront of her ministry.
Today, almost 90 years later, statistics show that less than 6% of lead pastors at the local church level are under the age of 35. However, as we have observed in more recent months, there is no lack of availability and passion in prospective church leaders. More young people are taking a stand and making a commitment to serve in full time ministry roles than ever before. In 2008, the year Life Pacific University-Virginia launched, 741 of the 3000 participating high school students at the NextGen Conference in Anaheim, California, stood to make a claim to God’s calling upon their life for full-time future ministry.
Life Pacific University-Virginia's Contribution
Life Pacific University-Virginia offers biblical higher education while providing discipleship, community service, ministry leadership training, and missions experience. Our program helps to prepare young adults for a life of serving Christ whether in traditional ministry, the marketplace, or the world. LPU-VA offers an Associate of Arts degree in General Education after the first 2 years. Our students can then step into a residency, internship, or employment their next 2 years, while continuing to pursue their bachelor’s degree online through our main campus in San Dimas, California.
Students are given various opportunities for leadership development and hands-on experience throughout each semester. We believe a strong community is built by living, working, and growing together.