International Churches of Christ (ICOC) – Copy

In the 1800s, a number of Protestants were concerned about the fragmenting Protestant Church, over what they perceived to be minutiae of beliefs. Instead, a number sought to return to First Century Christianity and only the Bible and tended to ignore any creed and statement of faith as only man-made, as well as ignoring any Christian history, and overlooking their own traditions. This became the Stone-Campbell American Restoration movement or the Mainline Churches of Christ. Even though most of the contemporary Mainline Churches of Christ that have roots in this movement are healthy and grace-filled, this movement has also produced legalistic and even cultic fruit. One example is Jim Jones and Jonestown. The other well-known groups are the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) and a rising splinter group known as the International Christian Churches (ICC).

During the 1970s, the Mainline Churches of Christ membership numbers had plateau-ed. In Gainesville, Florida, Chuck Lucas, the mentor of Thomas Kip McKean and campus minister for the Fourteen Street Crossroads Church of Christ, realized having every member 1) focus on recruitment ( evangelism) and 2) tied into the church via prayer partners would allow his church to grow rapidly. A number of Crossroads-trained leaders, especially Kip McKean, took these strategies and took over a number of churches and formed their own movement within the Mainline Churches of Christ, then dubbed the Boston/Discipling/Crossroads Movement. A number of high-control techniques were employed, ranging from “breaking sessions” where multiple members would confront a member on wrongdoings, to verbally coercing recalcitrant members to do what leaders and disciplers wanted.

As criticism mounted from within the Mainline Churches of Christ, including former Boston Movement leaders, Kip McKean discovered a new doctrine: Matthew 28:18-20 taught that only disciples those who were sufficiently broken over their sins, living the Christian life (in the ways McKean defined them) and agreed with his interpretations of Scripture were fit to be baptized. This new-found doctrine allowed McKean to schism from the Mainline Churches of Christ. Christian sociologists termed McKean’s movement the International Churches of Christ (1994). In 2003-2004, a series of events rocked the ICOC’s world. McKean’s oldest child, then a Harvard student, did not worship at or fellowship with the Boston Church of Christ. Since McKean had dealt with leaders whose children were not members by removing them from leadership, numerous leaders asked Kip to step down from his role as World Missions Evangelist, the ICOC’s top leader. Eventually, Kip admitted he had to step aside from ministry to work on his marriage. Henry Kriete, a high-level Evangelist in London, wrote a lengthy letter, admitting to abuses, problems, and areas needed for change, vindicating what numerous former church members and critics had been saying for 2 decades. Kip eventually was appointed the lead evangelist of the Portland, Oregon, International Church of Christ, and became convinced that his strategies were still correct and attempted to call other churches, leaders, and members to align with them. Instead, over 80 lead evangelists and other church leaders signed a statement against McKean’s conduct and vision and responded against his divisiveness. McKean decided to schism again, calling his new movement the International Christian Churches or the Sold-Out Discipling Movement.

Why are they considered an abusive/destructive group? Both groups teach the same doctrines, but the ICOC’s current practices of these doctrines aren’t as extreme as the ICCs. Either way, both groups are still very dangerous and destructive. Numerous ex-members complained of legalism, the heavy-handedness of treatment, lack of grace, lack of forgiveness (e.g., past sins brought up and used against them), manipulation, forced uniformity and conformity to church agenda, browbeating on all matters, even opinion. Numerous former members have noted a lack of ability to make their own decisions or diminished critical thinking skills. As members, students have dropped out, reduced their course load, or changed to easier majors due to the number of church-related meetings and events, which are deemed mandatory or very important. A typical non-leader member can spend between 6-15 hours per week in church events. Numerous members and ex-members have noted personality shifts and personality falsification toward the group norm. The church is also synonymous with God, making pronouncements into members’ lives. To disobey or not obey the church is to stray from God’s good graces and could result in condemnation. Numerous members have cut ties with former friends and families even if the friends and family were devout Christians. They teach a Gnostic Gospel: one that elevates spirituality and the spiritual e.g., becoming a minister as opposed to the mundane (e.g., studying, secular work). They teach a false man-centered Gospel of Works where the power and reliance on the Holy Spirit is unnecessary.