Matthew 16:18 — "Upon This Rock"

The Foursquare Church interprets Matthew 16:18 within its Pentecostal evangelical framework. Peter is affirmed as a foundational apostle, but the Foursquare Church explicitly rejects Roman Catholic papal authority. The 'rock' refers to Peter and his confession of faith, and Peter is understood as having apostolic authority in the early church.

Foursquare polity is episcopal with pastoral authority vested in the president and vice-president of the Foursquare Church International. Local pastors lead their congregations in authority derived from apostolic tradition, not from papal succession. The church recognizes apostolic succession in the sense of continuity of apostolic faith and practice, not in the medieval Catholic sense of unbroken papal lineage.

The Foursquare understanding emphasizes Christ as the head of the church and the Holy Spirit as the guide of the church's decisions. Human authority, whether apostolic or pastoral, is always subordinate to Christ's headship and the Spirit's leading. The church's authority is understood as pastoral care and shepherding, not hierarchical control.