Ministry and Denomination
- Founded the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (incorporated 1927), one of the first Pentecostal denominations founded by a woman; it endures today as a worldwide body reporting roughly 9 million members across some 150 countries.
- Built and dedicated Angelus Temple in Los Angeles (1923), a 5,300-seat auditorium filled three times daily, widely regarded as a forerunner of the modern megachurch.
- Was, in her own era, the most publicized Protestant evangelist in America, surpassing Billy Sunday and other predecessors.
- Conducted large-scale revival meetings and public faith-healing services from 1915 onward, preaching across more than 100 cities and towns and drawing crowds in the tens of thousands.
- Pioneered the “illustrated sermon” — theatrical, fully staged services with costumes, sets, and props that brought Hollywood-style production to the pulpit.
Broadcasting and Media
- Founded radio station KFSG (“Kall Foursquare Gospel”) in 1924, one of the earliest church-owned, religiously focused stations in the United States.
- A pioneer of religious broadcasting and of media evangelism generally — using radio to preach to hundreds of thousands far beyond the temple walls, decades before televangelism.
- Among the first women to hold a broadcasting license in the United States (see note below).
Education and social welfare
- Founded L.I.F.E. Bible College (Lighthouse of International Foursquare Evangelism, 1925), which continues today as Life Pacific University.
- Established the Angelus Temple Commissary (1927) and a soup kitchen (1931), running a major relief operation that fed and clothed large numbers of people through the Great Depression — an early model of large-scale church social ministry.
Writing and the Arts
- A prolific author of books, sermons, articles, and pamphlets, including This Is That (1919), In the Service of the King (1927), and Give Me My Own God (1936).
- Founded and edited her own periodicals — the monthly Bridal Call (from 1917) and the weekly Foursquare Crusader.
- Composed numerous gospel songs and several sacred operas staged at Angelus Temple, among them Regem Adorate, The Iron Furnace, and The Crimson Road, writing both words and music.
Recognition and Legacy
- Angelus Temple was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 27, 1992, recognized for her pioneering role in radio evangelism.
- Credited by historians as a template for the modern megachurch, she helped establish entertainment-style worship, broadcast outreach, celebrity-pastor branding, and large-scale social ministry.
- The denomination, college, and broadcasting tradition she founded all continue nearly a century later.
Several popular accounts credit McPherson with a string of “first woman to…” distinctions. Some are well-supported; others are not.
- “First woman to receive an FCC license.” This is almost certainly inaccurate: the Federal Communications Commission was not created until 1934, while KFSG was licensed in 1924 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. She was an early woman licensee, but at least one history identifies her as the second woman to receive such a license.
- “First woman to preach a radio sermon” and “first woman to own a radio station” are widely repeated but difficult to verify definitively.
- “First woman to drive across the United States without a man’s help” and an honorary U.S. Army colonelcy appear in some accounts.