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m Reverting possible vandalism by JamieBrown2011 to version by Webmaster1967. False positive? Report it. Thanks, ClueBot NG. (789718) (Bot)
Undid revision 469189755 by ClueBot NG (talk) Not sure what happened here...updated directly from the ICOC co-operation document.
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The information I corrected came directly from the ICOC co-operation plan website. The previous information was outdated and unreferenced.
{{Redirect|ICOC|the international treaty|International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation}}
{{Hatnote|The "International Churches of Christ" is generally unaffiliated with other churches that employ "Church" and "Christ" in their name. For these, see [[Church of Christ (disambiguation)]].}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| name = International Churches of Christ
| image =
| caption =
| main_classification = [[Christian]] [[Restoration Movement|restorationist]],<ref>[http://www.restorationunity.com/content/view/108/28/ Restoration Unity.com – Signs of Restoring Health in ICOC – Friday, 29 September 2006 ]</ref> [[Fundamentalism|Christian fundamentalism]]
| orientation = [[New Testament]], [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]]<ref>[http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/evangelical.asp Association of Religion Data Archives]</ref> <small><ref name="ARDA">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/US_2000.asp|title=Religious Affiliations, 2000|accessdate=2007-12-11|publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives|year=2006|work=U.S. Membership Report}}</ref></small>
| polity = [[Congregationalist polity|Congregationalist]]
| founder = [[Kip McKean]]<ref>[http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/icc.html |title=International Churches of Christ, a.k.a. Boston Church of Christ|accessdate=2007-07-08|publisher=University of Virginia |year=2001 April 23 |author=Justin Cooke |work=New Religious Movements]</ref>
| founded_date =
| founded_place =
| separated_from =
| parent = [[Churches of Christ]]
| merger =
| separations = [[Kip McKean]]'s movement "[[International Christian Churches]]"
| associations =
| area = global (159 nations)<ref name="stats"/>
| congregations = 543 (''2005'')<ref name="stats"/>
| members = 95,751 (''2005'')<ref name="stats"/>


Help me if i did something inappropriate? [[User:JamieBrown2011|JamieBrown2011]] ([[User talk:JamieBrown2011|talk]]) 20:46, 2 January 2012 (UTC)
}}
The '''International Churches of Christ''' (typically abbreviated to ICOC) is a body of co-operating<ref name=autogenerated1>www.icocco-op.org</ref> [[non-denominational]],<ref>[http://www.nyccoc.net/home/whoweare.htm New York City Church of Christ 'About us']</ref> religiously conservative, and racially integrated<ref>"Restructuring religion and the new Los Angeles mosaic: An ethnography of the Los Angeles Church of Christ", Stanczak, Gregory Charles, Ph.D., [[University of Southern California]], 2001,</ref> [[Congregational church|Christian congregations]], an offshoot from the [[Churches of Christ|Mainline Churches of Christ]].<ref>[http://www.aucklandchurch.com/ Central Auckland Church of Christ "About us", about the ICOC ]</ref> This group is known for and has a long history of showing charity to the poor.<ref>{{cite web|last=John|first=Appel|title=Hunger Pains NorthCote|url=http://northcote-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/growing-hunger-pains/|work=Philanthropist}}</ref><ref>[http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/550 1500 Campus Students from the International Churches of Christ Help Rebuild New Orleans | International Churches of Christ - ICOC Hot news - all the latest news<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/1741 HOTNEWS REPORTS: HOPEworldwide 20th Anniversary Global Summit | International Churches of Christ - ICOC Hot news - all the latest news<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[https://www.hopeww.org/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1924 Bringing hope. Changing lives. - HOPE worldwide<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nearly 2.5 million poor people are served each year through the ICOC volunteers and benevolent partner HOPE Worldwide <ref>https://www.hopeww.org/sslpage.aspx</ref> <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WKCMPctyl4&feature=related</ref>

The ICOC regards the [[New Testament]] of the [[Bible]] as the supreme authority on doctrine, ecclesiastical structure, and moral beliefs. They acknowledge the [[Old Testament]] as historically accurate and divinely inspired, and its principles as true and beneficial, but hold that its laws are not binding under the new covenant in Christ unless otherwise taught in the New Testament. Through holding that their doctrine is based on the Bible alone, and not on creeds and traditions, they claim the distinction of being "non-denominational". Members of the International Churches of Christ generally emphasize their intent to simply be part of the original church established by [[Jesus Christ]] in his death, burial, and resurrection, which became evident on the [[Pentecost|Day of Pentecost]] as described in {{Bibleverse||Acts|2}}. They believe that anyone who follows the plan of salvation as laid out in the scriptures is saved by the grace of God.<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.columbiachurch.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=76 Columbia Church of Christ - Beliefs<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.ctcoc.co.za/node/123 What We Believe | Cape Town Church of Christ<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.nwregion.co.za/?q=node/123 What We Believe | Jo'burg Church of Christ<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.icoc.org.uk/article.asp?ID=37 About Us | ICC Missions<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Once the fastest-growing [[Christian]] movement in the [[United States]],<ref name="beacon">{{Cite web|url=http://www.reveal.org/library/news/up_beacon_990318.html|title=Controversial Group Recruiting on Campus|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=University of Portland Beacon|year=1999 March 18|author=Schroedel, Jenny}}</ref> membership growth slowed during the late 1990s. McKean was removed from Leadership in 2002 and Henry Kreite's letter of 2003 sparked internal reform and restructuring. Even so, the ICOC still boasts nearly 100,000 members in 160 nations around the world.<ref name="stats">{{Cite web|url=http://www.icocinfo.org/chartlist.html|title=Data and Analysis|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=International Churches of Christ|year=2006 April|work=ICOC Info}}</ref> At the International leadership Conference held in Miami, Florida, the developments over the past few years were explained by Michael Taliaferro "over the past thirty years we've had our highs and we have had our lows, we've had our victories and we've had our defeats. We have dropped the hierarchy in favour of co-operation, we've gone from uniformity to unity."<ref>[http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/1784 Highlights from Last Year's 2010 International Leadership Conference of the ICOC | International Churches of Christ - ICOC Hot news - all the latest news<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A new leadership structure based on "service teams" now provides global leadership.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The ICOC has dramatically changed the way it operates (Post McKean) and is seeing the fruits of those changes played out in more growth, greater unity and stronger families. <ref>http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/1819</ref>

Sometimes called the ''Boston Movement'' because of its early ties to the Boston Church of Christ,<ref>[http://www.christianchronicle.org/article837~Author_explores_past_experiences_with_Boston_movement Christianchronicle.org Author explores past experiences with "Boston Movement" ]</ref><ref>[http://www.bostoncoc.org/about.htm Boston Church of Christ "About Us" ]</ref> it is a "remarkable but controversial"<ref>[http://www.dpibooks.org/Default.aspx?tabid=59&ProductID=455&txtSearch=search&page=0 Thomas A. Jones In Search of a City, An autobiographical perspective on a remarkable but controversial movement 2007]</ref> [[Restoration Movement|restorationist]] Church which branched from the mainline [[Churches of Christ]] in the late 1980s under the leadership of [[Kip McKean]].<ref name="citypaper">{{Cite web |url=http://www.citypaper.net/articles/022599/coverstory.shtml|title=The Love Bombers|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Philadelphia City Paper|year=1999 March|author=Davis, Blair J.}}</ref> Many of its members have nothing but praise for the church and the ways it has helped heal broken relationships, escape addictions and find a relationship with Jesus and make peace with God.<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref>[http://www.joburgcoc.co.za/expect.htm What to Expect?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/1724 Johannesburg, South Africa - "25 years of changing lives" | International Churches of Christ - ICOC Hot news - all the latest news<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> But the church has not been without it's critics. Its [[assertive]] recruitment methods, high level of control (during the McKean era of the 1980s and 1990s) allegedly exercised by leadership over members through "discipling" partnerships, and rejection of the doctrines of some other churches have caused some researchers, observers, and ex-members to label the organization a [[cult]] in the broader sense of "extreme devotion to a set of beliefs."<ref>[http://carm.org/international-church-christ International Church of Christ | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.revealed.org/ Charles and Tish Clever's Homepage<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.rickross.com/groups/icc.html International Church of Christ aka Boston Church of Christ, Kip McKean, Campus Advance, Upside Down Club, Alpha Omega, Campus Christian Movement<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>http://www.cultswatch.com/icc.html</ref><ref>[http://www.apologeticsindex.org/i02.html International Churches Of Christ: Who They Are, What They Do, How To Answer Them<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Historically church officials have been unapologetic for their energetic evangelism, believing this to be the duty of all true Christians, but have renounced any allegations of impropriety as unfounded,<ref name="fox">''Fox Files. '' '''Fox''', 1999 January 21.</ref><ref name="abc2020">{{Cite web|url=http://www.icocinvestigations.com/media.htm|title=Believe It Or Else|accessdate=2007-07-12|publisher=ABC|year=1993 December|work=abc2020 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070303032730/http://www.icocinvestigations.com/media.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-03-03}}</ref> A few local churches have become autonomous after the recent disbandment of the old central leadership, and today it is difficult to make any generalizations about the organization collectively.

==History==
===Origins===
The roots of the International Churches of Christ lay in the American [[Restoration movement]] of the nineteenth-century. This movement seeks a return to [[Apostolic Age|first-century Christianity]] in holding the Bible as the source of church authority. However by the 1860s, some felt that the movement had become polluted by the institution of missionary societies and use of musical instruments in church. A schism developed, and the Mainline adopted a sub-theology separate from the [[Churches of Christ#Restoration Movement|Churches of Christ]] in 1906 with some 160,000 adherents, growing to 1.2 million by the end of the century.

The ''a cappella'' Churches of Christ membership numbers approximately 2,000,000 in over 40,000 individual congregations worldwide.<ref>[http://churchzip.com/statisticalsummary.htm Churches of Christ Zip Statistical Summary]</ref>

In 1967, Chuck Lucas — evangelist of the 14th Street Church of Christ in [[Gainesville, Florida|Gainesville]], [[Florida]] (later renamed the Crossroads Church of Christ) — instituted a new project known as Campus Advance (based on principles borrowed from the [[Campus Crusade]] and the [[Shepherding Movement]]). Centered on the [[University of Florida]], this program called for a strong evangelical outreach and an intimate religious atmosphere in the form of ''soul talks'' and ''prayer partners.'' ''Soul talks'' were held in student residences and involved prayer and sharing overseen by a leader who delegated authority over group members. ''Prayer partners '' referred to the practice of pairing a new Christian with an older guide for personal assistance and direction. Both procedures led to "in-depth involvement of each member in one another's lives", and critics accused Lucas of fostering cultism.<ref name="alt religions">{{cite book | last = Paden | first = Russell | editor = Timothy Miller | title = America's Alternative Religions | url = http://books.google.com/?id=og_u0Re1uwUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22international+churches+of+christ%22%7C%22boston+church+of+christ%22 | format = | accessdate = 2007-08-07 | year =1995 | month = July | publisher = State University of New York Press | location = Albany | isbn = 978-0-7914-2397-4 | pages = 133–36 | chapter = The Boston Church of Christ | chapterurl = http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=%22international+churches+of+christ%22%7C%22boston+church+of+christ%22&sig=xJd6vwb-MYNOHOUFTtE7pctlbxc&id=og_u0Re1uwUC&ots=FNRFOjJOvr}}
</ref>

'''

===Genesis===
[[Image:EvangProcl..jpg|thumb|The Evangelization Proclamation, issued in 1994 pledged that the ICOC would establish a church in every major country within six years.]]
In 1972 (the fifth year of the Campus Advance program), the 14th Street Church of Christ (renamed the Crossroads Church) recruited a young freshman at the University of Florida named Thomas 'Kip' McKean. The son of an [[admiral]], McKean was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is purportedly named after his ancestor [[Thomas McKean]] (a signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]).<ref>[http://www.kipmckean.org/ Autobiography of Kip McKean ]</ref> McKean completed his [[academic degree|degree]] program while training at Crossroads and afterward served as campus minister at several other mainline Churches of Christ locations. In 1979 he was offered the position of [[pulpit]] and campus minister at a struggling Boston-area congregation called the Lexington Church of Christ. Under McKean's leadership the church — renamed to 'Boston Church of Christ' — witnessed rapid growth from 30 members at the time of his arrival to 3,000 in just a few years.

McKean believed that an important measure of a church's value was its growth and outreach to people far from God, and that the Churches of Christ and other ecclesiastic institutions were too lethargic in this area.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} Chronicler Russell Paden explains: {{cquote|While [McKean and his followers] would probably concede that there are false religions that experience growth, they would contend that a true church of God ''must'' be experiencing growth.<ref name="alt religions" />}} Once among the fastest-growing religious movements in the country, expansion of the mainline Churches of Christ had stagnated by 1970. McKean sought to reverse this.<ref name="kip">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kipmckean.org/|title=Biography of Kip McKean|accessdate=2007-07-09|year=2007 January 23}}</ref>

===Expansion===
At the start of the 1980s, the International churches of Christ came up with a "vision for the whole world", which required the establishment of 'pillar churches' in key metropolitan centers to spread the faith globally. With this in mind, he oversaw the establishment of sister churches in [[Chicago]] and [[London]] in 1982, and in [[New York City|New York]] one year later.

The Boston church sent mission teams to Chicago and London in 1981, and New York shortly thereafter. The term "''International Churches of Christ''" was applied to the movement by the Mainline Churches of Christ during the 1980s, as it was characterized both by ICOC church plantings and 'reconstructions' of the mainline in the United States and elsewhere. The movement took on a more centralized structure{{Specify|date=August 2008}} after Kip McKean assumed leadership of the [[Los Angeles]] church in the late 1980s.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} In 2000, the ICOC announced the completion of its six-year initiative to establish a church in every country with a population over 100,000.<ref name="100k">{{Cite web |url=http://www.portlandchurch.org/features/evan.pdf |format=PDF|title=Evangelization Proclamation|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=International Churches of Christ|year=1994 February 4|author=McKean, Kip}}</ref><ref name="timeline" /> Two years later, membership peaked at 135,046 in more than 540 congregations across the globe.<ref name="stats" /> The Los Angeles church rapidly evolved into a "superchurch" that attracted thousands of members.<ref>[http://www.laicc.net/content/about.htm LA Church About Us]</ref>

Boston and New York remained the two key centers, each boasting an average Sunday morning attendance of over 5,000 parishioners.<ref name="alt religions" />

From 2003 to 2007 the ICOC planted 98 churches around the world <ref>http://www.disciplestoday.org/content/view/253/46/</ref>

===Largest Congregations===
The largest ICOC congregation is the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, founded in 1989. The church has 5,300 members, a Sunday attendance of 7,700 and had 1,200 people baptized in 2009-2010. Lead evangelist Bruce Williams said this at the 20th anniversary service "the church is stronger, healthier and more unified than it has ever been since its planting in 1989. But beyond this, our fellowship is filled with a renewed spirit of love, joy, peace and hope."<ref>[http://www.laicc.net/content/view/2771/106/ Los Angeles International Church of Christ - L.A. Church stronger than ever on its 20th anniversary<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The New York City Church finished 2011 with a surge of 103 baptisms and restorations in the last 100 days, their membership now tops 2500 congregants. <ref>http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/1828</ref>

The Chicago church began with just 30 members and now has over 2000 members, meets in seven locations with an attendance north of 3000 <ref>http://chicagochurch.org/about-us/who-we-are/what-we-believe</ref>

The largest churches outside the US are:<ref>http://www.dtodayinfo.net/</ref>

The Johannesburg Church of Christ - 1200 members - 140 Baptisms and restorations in 2011
The Nairobi Christian Church - 1450 members - over 200 Baptisms and restorations in 2011
The Lagos International church of Christ - 1695 Members
The Abidjan Church of Christ - 1754 members

===Reform===
In 1990, Kip McKean moved from Boston to head the Los Angeles Church of Christ. Los Angeles quickly became the new central authority for the growing movement. By the official website church had 135,039 members in 434 congregations by January 2003. Currently, the total membership of International Churches of Christ is around 96,000.<ref>[http://www.icocinfo.org/church_directory.html The most recent 2005 statistics for church membership]</ref>

'''The [[Indianapolis]] Church of Christ'''

:''This section requires more specific details, and independent references to confirm their accuracy.''
The first major challenge of the International Churches of Christ leadership occurred in 1994, when Ed Powers, evangelist for the Indianapolis Church of Christ, openly questioned several of the more controversial aspects of the International Churches of Christ, including mandated giving and the exclusivity doctrine of salvation. The Indianapolis Church of Christ was surpassing 1,000 in attendance at that time and was a major congregation in the Midwest region of the United States. In a special meeting of the congregation, Ed Powers challenged several of the International Churches of Christ-enforced practices which he identified as quenching the joy and spiritual health of the members of the congregation. Upon learning of this special meeting, leaders from across the United States, including Kip McKean, flew into Indianapolis and confronted Ed Powers. As a result, there are now two congregations in Indianapolis: the newly formed Indianapolis International Church of Christ and the now-estranged and renamed Circle City Church. Ed Powers later retired from the ministry of the Circle City Church. Mike Kwasniewski currently oversees the Indianapolis International Church of Christ.

In early 2001, some of the World Sector Leaders (regional evangelists directing geographic areas of churches) began to question the effectiveness of the present leadership structure as well as the qualifications of Kip and Elena McKean to continue in their global leadership role. By September, the issue had reached a head in which the majority of World Sector Leaders agreed that significant changes were necessary. In November 2001, the McKeans announced that they were stepping down from leading the Los Angeles Church of Christ in order to take a sabbatical for an unspecified amount of time in order to focus on "marriage and family issues". All of the McKeans' adult children had disassociated themselves from the movement and though this was not the only issue for the sabbatical, it was a visible 'thorn' in Kip McKean's side.

At this time, the International Churches of Christ administration, under the leadership of Andy Fleming (a former missionary to [[Scandinavia]] and the [[Soviet Union]]), began to formulate a plan for a massive reduction in the overhead of the worldwide organization. The goal of this administrative plan was to refocus the resources of the local congregations on building up their own ministries as well as guaranteeing continued goodwill in future missions contributions. By the end of 2002, the overhead had been reduced by 67%, and Fleming resigned as the [[Chair (official)|Chairman of the Board]].

Recently the evangelists committee reported on the reforms that have been made and the progress being made "The Evangelists Committee is encouraged by the continued progress that God is producing in our worldwide fellowship of churches. More souls are being saved and our geographic regions are getting stronger, healthier, and more functionally dynamic. The American churches just completed their first American Leadership Conference hosted by the Boston Church. The ALC was a tremendous success, addressing the growth needs of our churches through workshops broken down by size. Douglas Arthur and the entire Boston leadership are to be commended for this inspirational conference.
The committee is also encouraged by the response to our upcoming 2012 World Discipleship Summit in San Antonio, Texas July 5-8, 2012. Already over 3300 have registered. The Summit will host 8 conferences going on at the same time. Each evening we will all come together for worship services of over 10,000. These will be the largest worship services in the history of our fellowship." <ref>http://www.icocco-op.org/content/view/143/1/</ref>

===McKean's Resignation===
In November 2002, the McKeans announced their resignations from their roles as World Mission Evangelist, Women's Ministry Leader and Leader of the World Sector Leaders.<ref>[http://ucd.discipleforum.com/icocmain/Documents/11_02/mckean_resignation.htm Kip McKean Resignation Letter Wednesday, November 06, 2002]</ref> The World Sector Leaders also announced the disintegration of their leadership group with the suggestion that a new representative leadership group including evangelists, elders and teachers, be formed with an initial meeting in May 2003.
McKean himself attributes the resignation to his daughter's decision to leave the ICOC,{{When|date=February 2009}} which "along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak, caused uncertainty in my leadership among the World Sector Leaders."<ref name="kip" /><ref name="portland1" /> Later in 2002 the remaining central leadership was officially dissolved at the 2002 'Los Angeles Unity Meeting'.<ref name="portland1">{{Cite web |url=http://www.portlandchurch.org/archives/archives.php?langID=1&artID=1|title=The Portland Story|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Portland International Church of Christ|year=2005 [[Aug.21]]|author=McKean, Kip}}</ref>

At the beginning of 2001 as a college student in Boston, the oldest of the McKeans’ children began to question her faith and ultimately decided to leave the church. This event, alongside a pattern of relational sins evident in her parents, caused uncertainty in McKeans’ leadership among many of the World Sector Leaders, as well as among the Kingdom Elders and Kingdom Teachers. In September 2001, the World Sector Leaders “encouraged” the McKeans to go on sabbatical. Applied to McKean were the qualifications of an elder, not an evangelist. The reasoning was that to “oversee” a church, one had to “manage his own family [well or] how can he take care of God’s church.” (1 Timothy 3:4-5) Also cited was Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and… he will not turn from it.” Left out from this quote is the phrase, “when he is old.” Disregarding what is obviously implied in the phrase “when he is old,” is that during their younger years children may not be faithful to God, but will return to the kingdom because of their good training when they are “old.” In the Scriptures, some of God’s and Israel’s greatest leaders had unfaithful children – Aaron, Samuel, and even the Old Testament’s Messiah, David – yet they continued to victoriously lead “all Israel.”<ref>[http://www.kipmckean.com/ Get Your Answers Here! - The Official Website of Kip McKean<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Aftermath===
In 2004, Kip McKean made an effort to again assert his leadership over the ICOC at a World Missions Jubilee in Portland, major ICOC church leaders rejected the concept due to mistrust in Kip's leadership. McKean had demonstrated a pattern of unrepentant leadership and relational sins that had surfaced in both his family life and in many of his relationships with his closest friends. He had stepped down other senior leaders for "family problems" but was having a difficult time applying those same standards to himself. This lack of humility and integrity had left many of his close friends disillusioned and mistrusting of McKeans leadership. In that same year the International Portland Church of Christ became a place of much controversy, and a calling of dis-fellowship-ment was made from leaders of ICOC against Kip McKean. McKean had demonstrated a pattern of unrepentant behavior and after letters detailing his needed repentance were ignored McKean and those complicit with his sins were disfellowshipped. In 2007 Kip moved to Los Angeles to start a new movement changing the name from ICOC to the International Christian Churches (ICC) [http://www.disciplestoday.com/Headlines/061208_McKeanStartsNewMovement.aspx Kip McKean Starts The International Christian Churches]</ref> to distinguish it from the ICOC.

<!-- A chart should be here, here’s the URL: http://www.icocinfo.org/totalmembers.html-->
What followed was a period of increased sovereignty among local churches, Many in leadership positions issued public apologies for their lack of gentleness and participation in overly authoritative leadership practices and some resigned or were asked to leave. By 2004, Boston, [[Atlanta]], and New York had lost a number of their members, and a small number of congregations severed their ties with the ICOC.<ref name="threat">{{Cite web|url=http://www.newcovpub.com/icc/update2005.htm|title=ICOC Update 2005: Is the Threat Resurfacing?|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=New Covenant Publications|year=2005|author=Greeson, Timothy}}</ref>
<!-- In 2003, the central leadership attempted to "reopen the door" with the mainline Church of Christ.<ref name="kip" /> -->

Local fellowships varied in their reactions to the changes. ICOC Chronicler Chris Lee asserts that three groups emerged, a conservative group which seeks a return to the former, authoritarian structure; a moderate group that, "while they recognize that reform is necessary, feel that the current rate of reform is sufficient"; and a reformist group which advocates radical restructuring.<ref name="3factions">{{Cite web|url=http://www.reveal.org/abouticc/factions.html|title=Three Major Factions|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Reveal|year=2005 September|author=Lee, Chris}}</ref> The latter group is exemplified by Henry Kriete of the London Church of Christ, who penned an influential<ref>[http://tolc.org/falters.htm A Christian community falters – Loss of leader, governing body hurts group formed in Boston<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> 2003 letter criticizing the "four systemic evils … [of] our corrupted hierarchy, [namely] our obsession with numbers, our shameful arrogance … [and] our seduction by mammon."<ref name="kriete">{{Cite web|url=http://www.reveal.org/library/stories/people/hkriete.htm|title=Honest to God|accessdate=2007-07-09|year=2003 February 2|author=Kriete, Henry}}</ref>

The International churches of Christ are now a family of churches who have affirmed the "co-operation agreement" (see www.icocco-op.org) and who are committed to brotherhood, partnership and unity between disciples and churches. At the end of 2009, the ICOC has about 92,524 members in 574 churches in 145 countries.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

A positive development has been the creation of the "Disciple Bible Academy" which is being rolled out worldwide to help improve the education of ICOC ministers. The first session in Johannesburg, South Africa was launched in 2011 <ref>http://www.sa-icoc.org/node/184</ref>

Another exciting program has been the "Disciple Adventure Program" where people of all ages can go and serve 3rd world churches or hard to evangelise nations for 3 months to a year. <ref>http://discipleadventures.disciplestoday.org/</ref>

====Portland Discipling Movement====
{{main|International Christian Churches}}
In 2003, Kip McKean was invited to return to Oregon's failing Portland International Church of Christ, he preached his first sermon on July 23 to a congregation of some 60–70 parishioners. Six months later, membership had doubled, and by mid-2005 an average of 425 coreligionists visited the church every Sunday.<ref name="portland1" />

Its subsequent revitalization and the continuing uncertainty within the ICOC movement prompted a handful of other congregations to join with McKean.<ref name="kip" /> This new movement, currently numbering twenty congregations in eight nations, has been termed the 'Portland Movement' or 'International Christian Churches';<ref name="coa dir">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofangelsicc.org/index.php/church-directory/|title=Church Directory|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=City of Angels International Christian Church|year=2007 February 26|author=CyberEvangelist}}</ref><ref name="dt start">{{cite journal | author=Disciples Today Editorial Advisory Board, Roger Lamb (publisher)| title=Kip McKean Starts The International Christian Churches| journal=Disciples Today| year=2006 December 1| url=http://www.disciplestoday.com/Headlines/061208_McKeanStartsNewMovement.aspx| format= – <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=intitle%3AKip+McKean+Starts+The+International+Christian+Churches&as_publication=Disciples+Today&as_ylo=2006 December 1&as_yhi=2006 December 1&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup>}} {{Dead link|date=June 2008}}</ref> it comprises an estimated 800 members.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/i/international-christian-churches/|title=International Christian Churches|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Steven Alan Hassan's Freedom of Mind Center|year=2007}}</ref> Strangely, apart from their LA congregation, many of their churches are growing slower than the ICOC congregations they broke away from.

Bolstered by his recent successes, McKean set his sights on establishing a Portland Movement church in his former capital city of Los Angeles. In preparation, he dispatched an anonymous email in October 2006 to Angelino ICOC members, inviting them to a 'bible talk' session where he attempted to regain trust between the ICOC and the new Portland Movement. This came to the attention of ICOC leaders who responded with a letter advising members to avoid contact with McKean's new organization.<ref name="la_letter">{{Cite web |url=http://www.laicc.net/Content/Articles/2006/10/FGL_10_08_06.pdf|title=To: The Ministry Staff and Small Group Leaders of the LA Church of Christ|accessdate=2007-07-09|year=2006 October 6|author=The LA Leadership Group (the elders and region evangelists of the LA Church of Christ)|format=pdf}}</ref> Four months later, McKean led a 'mission team' of 42 Portland-area parishioners to Los Angeles where they joined with 28 local supporters who had begun a new LA church seven months prior. The new group is now called the City of Angels International Christian Church. In its first calendar year it has had 101 baptisms and 29 restoration and had sent out a mission team to New York City.<ref name="kip_la_letter">{{Cite web |url=http://www.eugenesaints.org/?p=549|title=Heartfelt Letter from Los Angeles: by Kip and Elena McKean|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Eugene International Church of Christ|year=2007 April 7|author=McKean, Kip & Elana}}</ref>

In August 2008, the Portland International Church of Christ with Evangelist Steve Johnson broke away from McKean's "new movement" and "extended the hand of fellowship" to the ICOC.<ref name="urlPortland Breaks with McKean. Extends the Hand of Fellowship to the ICOC | ICOC Hot News">{{cite web |url=http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/632 |title=Portland Breaks with McKean. Extends the Hand of Fellowship to the ICOC |format= |work= |accessdate=2008-08-29 |unused_data=ICOC Hot News}}</ref> A group of 13 local supporters continued their support of the ICC and began the Portland International Christian Church in September 2008. In the first 8 months, they have seen 22 baptisms, 14 people restored and only 35 of the 260 members of the former Portland church have joined them.

==Church organization and services==
The ICOC directly administers or partners with over a dozen organizations. Some function as appendages of the church, others are entirely unrelated in their mission and activities. Of these, the largest and most well-known is HOPE worldwide,<ref>www.hopeww.org</ref> a charitable foundation started by members of the ICOC, which serves as the primary beneficiary of the church's charitable donations for the poor (though it is funded through other sources as well). Founded in London in 1986, HOPE worldwide moved to a global scale the following year.<ref name="timeline" /> It sponsored the largest ever blood drives to be held in [[Brazil]] and [[Mexico]] in 1994, and opened an orphanage in [[Hong Kong]] the same year. Now nearly 2.5 million poor people are served each year through the International church of Christ volunteers and HOPE worldwide.

The International Church of Christ (ICOC) is a fellowship of congregations who are bonded by the cross of Christ. We make our best efforts to love God and each other. We believe that the Bible is the word of God and is a marvelous guide for daily living. We appreciate the forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ and are eager to share this good news with others.<ref>http://www.icoc.org.uk/article.asp?ID=37</ref>

===Congregational leadership===
Church government is congregational, rather than denominational. Elders in some cases, or where there are not elders, evangelists, with the assistance of leading men of the congregation, are seen as the spiritual leaders of the congregation.

====Evangelist ====
The evangelist, also known as preacher, or minister, prepares and delivers sermons, teaches Bible classes, performs [[wedding]]s, and sometimes performs baptisms. The baptismal rite, however, is not restricted to ministers. This position is typically paid, to allow the evangelist to disentangle himself from secular employment and focus on studies. For most congregations the evangelist leads the local church in much the same way as most church pastors. He is often assisted by groups of men that have been elected by the local congregation or appointed by the evangelist. In many cases, church elders from what were formally regarded as 'pillar churches' act as advisers to the smaller congregations.

===Congregational Co-operation===
Church leadership is congregational rather than denominational. The International Churches of Christ have no formally recognized headquarters, or hierarchical church government. Rather, the congregations are a network<ref>[http://icocco-op.blogspot.com/ News and connections for the Co-operation Churches of the International Churches of Christ]</ref> with each congregation participating in various means of service and fellowship with other congregations. Regional families of churches co-operate in evangelism and benevolence projects to see the gospel and compassion of Christ spread to their area of the world.

Between 10 000 and 18 000 people are expected at the ICOC Discipleship Conference being held in San Antonio in July 2012 <ref>http://www.icocconference.org/about/2012-world-discipleship-summit</ref> This will be the largest gathering in the history of the ICOC.

=== HOPE Worldwide===
HOPE worldwide is an international charity that delivers community-based services to the poor and needy.<ref>[http://www.hopeww.org/index.htm HOPE Worldwide ]</ref> Today the organization operates on every inhabited continent and serves more than 1,000,000 people each year.

=== Chemical Recovery Ministry===
The goal of the Chemical Recovery Ministry is to help the [[Substance dependence|addict]] have a hope and a future.<ref>[http://www.chemicalrecovery.org/news.php Chemical Recovery Ministry]</ref>

===Other affiliated organizations===
The following companies and institutions are informally operated or managed by the ICOC:
* Athens Institute of Ministry<ref>[http://www.icocinfo.org/links.html icocinfo.org affiliated Organizations]</ref>
* Discipleship Publishers International (DPI) — begun 1992 as the publishing ministry of the Boston Church of Christ but never the official publishing arm of the ICOC; Christian writing and audio teaching<ref>[http://www.dpibooks.org/Default.aspx?tabid=30 IPI]</ref>
* Baltic Nordic Missions Alliance
* European Bible School
* Florida Missions Council
* FunInTheSon.org (Does not work at the moment)
* Illumination Publishers International (IPI) — Christian writing and audio teaching<ref>[http://www.ipibooks.com/Default.aspx?tabid=30 IPI]</ref>
* International Missions Society, Inc. (IMS)<ref>[http://www.missionssociety.org/cms/index.php IMS]</ref>
* KNN/Disciples Today.net, a production of ''Kingdom News Network'' (KNN) — non-profit religious corporation in Illinois<ref>[http://www.disciplestoday.com/about.aspx disciplestoday.com/about us]</ref>
* Taiwan Mission Adventure
* Upside Down — official monthly publication discontinued in 1993.<!-- appropriate? -->
* Discipleship Publications International — publishing ministry begun by the Boston Church of Christ in 1992, but never the official publishing arm of the ICOC. Now a separate non-profit organization; primarily prints spiritual literature<ref>[http://www.bigchurchdirectory.com/By-Denomination/International-Churches-of-Christ/General-Information/1-58-2909-46703-0-Discipleship-Publications-International.html bigchurchdirectory.com -about DPI]</ref>


==Institutional Description==
===Self-identification===

Members hold to the biblical and historical belief that the church was founded by Jesus Christ, and that its doctrines and practices were established long before these other traditions, movements, structures, councils, ''et cetera''. Members also do not typically consider themselves to be members of a [[religious denomination|denomination]], but prefer to simply be known as Christians (in contrast to, for example, a Catholic Christian, a Presbyterian Christian, a Baptist Christian, ''et cetera''.), with no other religious title needed or preferred. Thus, a collective group of Christians is a church of Christ. However they refer to one another as Disciples most often. (This stems from the New Testament where followers of Christ were called Disciples before Christians.)

====Belief and practice====

The ICOC teaches that:
*People are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus.
*Every individual Christian is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.<ref>[http://www.nashvillechurch.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=3 Nashville church – What We Believe]</ref>
*Every disciple must be baptized by being fully immersed under water to be saved.

The basic theology of the International Churches of Christ is Christian, including belief in the [[Virgin birth of Jesus|virgin birth]], the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|deity of Christ]] , the bodily [[Resurrection of Jesus]], the [[Holy Trinity]], and the personhood of the [[Holy Spirit]].<ref name="carm">{{Cite web|url=http://www.carm.org/icc/icc_what_is.htm|title=What is the International Church of Christ?|accessdate=2007-07-12|publisher=Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry|year=2003}}</ref> McKean explains, "[We are] very fundamental in our following of the Bible, so we have convictions that are narrower than some groups about what it means to be a Christian. We don't apologize for our beliefs."<ref name="register.guard">{{cite news|newspaper=Register-Guard|location=Eugene, Oregon|title=Evangelical church's plans for Eugene raise concerns|first=Jeff|last=Wright|date=January 26, 2004|page=A1}} as reproduced on {{cite web|url=http://www.reveal.org/library/news/register-guard.html|title=Evangelical church's plans for Eugene raise concerns|publisher=REVEAL|accessdate=2011-02-23}}</ref>

Like the Mainline Churches of Christ, the ICOC recognizes the Bible as the sole source of authority for the church and believes that the current denominational divisions are inconsistent with Christ's intent. The ICOC, in order to unify congregations, taught that there should only be one church in each City.<ref>Kip McKean, [http://www.christianchronicle.org/article1713762~Interview_with_Kip_McKean "Interview with Kip McKean,"] ''Christian Chronicle,'' January 2004</ref> Both organizations teach the necessity of [[Immersion baptism|baptism by immersion]], and both reject [[infant baptism]], teaching that [[Believer's baptism|baptism is for believers]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/19970617021342/http://www.du.edu/~sullyatt/icc/ Shadrach's Furnace<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The ICOC teaches that only those "baptized as a disciple" will receive salvation.

The ICOC does not affirm some of the [[perpetuity of spiritual gifts]], [[original sin]], the [[Perseverance of the saints|perseverance]] of [[saints]], [[predestination]]; it does acknowledge [[incarnation]], [[Atonement in Christianity|atonement]], [[eternal conscious punishment]], and [[amillennialism]]. Its view on Ephesians 2:8–9, or works-based salvation, is somewhat more complex: though ostensibly denying works-based salvation, in practice "works of faith" (as in baptism where God works to save someone) are deemed requisites of salvation.<ref name="ideology">{{Cite web|url=http://members.aol.com/djrtx/docchart.htm|title=International Churches of Christ Doctrinal Positions|accessdate=2007-07-12|publisher=RESOURCE|year=1998 September 16}}</ref>

A recent development has been the introduction the "One Year Challenge" for many of the thousands of graduating University students to take a year off and go and serve the poor in 3rd world countries and help strengthen churches in other parts of the world.<ref>[http://www.disciplestoday.org/content/view/2828/393/ Disciples Today | International Churches of Christ News - Apply Now for Campus One Year Challenge<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

====Discipling Relationships====

The Discipling relationships are based on the following scriptures;
Ecclesiates 4:9–12; Proverbs 11:25; Proberbs 27:17; Hebrews 10:25; James 5:16

====Modern disciples====

[[Disciple (Christianity)|Disciples]] are student-followers of Jesus Christ.

===Practices===
====Sunday Worship====

[[Image:BostonGardenNHL.jpg|thumb|Prior to the building’s demolition in 1998, the [[Massachusetts]] congregation held Sunday services in the [[Boston Garden]] stadium.<ref name="alt religions" />]]
Sunday morning prayer involves singing, praying, preaching, and the sacrament of the [[Eucharist|Lord's Supper]]. One unique element in ICOC tradition is the lack of established church buildings. Congregations meet in rented spaces: hotel conference rooms, schools, public auditoriums, conference centers, small stadiums, or rented halls, depending on the number of parishioners; the location may vary from month to month.<ref name="upenn">{{cite journal | author=Qin Wang| title=International Churches of Christ| year=1996 April 25| url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~rs133/Resources/StudentPapers/icc.html }} {{Dead link|date=January 2010}}</ref><ref name="nashville">{{cite journal | author=David Frey| title=The Fear of God: Critics Call Thriving Nashville Church a Cult| journal=InReview Online| year=1999 July| url=http://www.rickross.com/reference/icc/ICC223.html}}</ref><ref name="action2">{{cite journal | author=Pam Martin| title=Church or Cult?| journal=WSB-TV Action News 2 | year=2001 April 27| url=http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/wsbtv/specialreports/church_cult0427.html| archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20010603222524/http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/wsbtv/specialreports/church_cult0427.html| archivedate=June 3, 2001}}</ref> Though the church is not static, neither is it "''ad hoc''" — the leased locale is often furnished with an elaborate stage and sound-system.<ref name="nashville" /> Parishioners are proud of these unrooted tabernacles, negatively referring to traditional churches as "religious".<ref name="top10">{{cite journal | author=Steven E. Rauch| title=International Church of Christ| journal=Christian News & Views| year=1994| url=http://cnview.com/on_line_resources/international_church_of_christ.htm}}</ref> "From an organizational standpoint, it's a great idea", observes [[Boston University]] [[Chaplain]] Bob Thornburg. "They put very little money into buildings…You put your money into people who get more people."<ref name="nashville" />

This practice of not owning buildings changed when the Tokyo Church of Christ became the first ICOC church to build its own church building. This building was designed by the Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.<ref>[http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/mellin/arch671/winter2000/mchan/precedents/maki.html Tokyo Church of Christ] page on the McGill University website (accessed February 21, 2011)</ref> This became an example for other mega ICOC churches to follow suit.

====Bible Talks====

''Bible Talk'' small groups of disciples that meet usually once a week. They can meet almost anywhere, including college dormitories, restaurants, and members' houses. Bible Talks, or 'Family Groups', are designed so that disciples can read the Bible together and build relationships with others in the church. All are encouraged to invite guests as a way for the guest to be introduced to the Church in a more informal setting.<ref name="organization">{{Cite web|url=http://www.reveal.org/abouticc/iccorg.html|title=The Organization of the International Churches of Christ, prior to the Henry Kriete Letter, 2003|accessdate=2007-07-12|publisher=Reveal|year=2006 Jan}}</ref>

==='Discipling'===
The practice of ''discipling'' is one of the central elements of the ICOC methodology. Members believe that this practice is based upon and encouraged by biblical passages. {{cquote|I believe it is biblical for us to imitate the relationship Jesus had with the apostles and the relationships they had with one another. For example, the apostles had a student/teacher or younger brother/older brother relationship with Jesus. They also had adult/adult relationships with each other. Jesus paired the apostles for the mission. (Matthew 10) Both types of relationships are essential to lead people to maturity. Another text that demonstrates the student/teacher relationship is in Titus 2 where the older women are to train the younger women.<br> — Kip McKean<ref name="flock" />}}

One of the most criticized aspects of discipling in the early years was the degree of control that older members exhibited in their "discipling" relationships. The older members were charged with monitoring the spiritual growth and mentoring the younger members. Some members say the partnership was more like having a good friend than anything else.<ref name="citypaper" /> The practice has been labelled by detractors as "dictatorial" because the discipler may also give input on the secular daily activities of others and give advice about life issues they may be facing. Many changes have been made to this practice in recent years to reflect the growing maturity of this body of believers.

===Political Hierarchy===
[[File:International Churches of Christ congregational hierarchy.png|right|350px|thumb|The hierarchal structure of the ICoC at the time of McKean’s resignation in 2002, indicating which positions were salaried.]]
{{More footnotes|date=September 2008}}By 1988 the budding Boston Movement had congregations in more than eight cities across the globe, and Kip McKean found that running the organization single-handedly had become unwieldy. He selected a handful of men that he had personally trained and assigned each a number of churches in a geographic region, naming them 'World Sector Leaders' and giving himself the title 'Leader of the World Sector Leaders' in perpetuity. In 1994, the subservient position of ''Geographic Sector Leaders'' was added.<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kipmckean.com/timeline.htm|title=Brief History of the ICOC|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=KipMcKean.com|year=2007 May 6 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070620183301/http://www.kipmckean.com/timeline.htm |archivedate = June 20, 2007}}</ref>

The leader of each congregation is referred to as an Evangelist, and the Evangelists at in the several 'pillar churches' outrank the others. Larger churches may have an Assistant Evangelist or some number of ''elders'' – older, married men with at least one baptized child.

Since each city has a single church, its membership may be large and geographically disperse; if so, it was divided into ''regions'' and then ''sectors'' of perhaps a few small suburban communities, overseen by Region Leaders and Sector Leaders (known collectively as Zone Leaders).{{Syn|date=August 2008}} The Sector Leader was usually{{Who|date=September 2008}} the lowest-tier salaried official, with those below him <!-- with all those below him? --> being volunteers only.<ref name="organization" />

This governing system attracted criticism as overly-authoritarian,<ref name="citypaper" /> but the ICOC denies this charge. "It’s not a dictatorship," said Al Baird, former ICOC spokesperson; "It’s a theocracy, with God on top."<ref name="flock">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kipmckean.com/images/flock2.jpg|title=Keepers of the Flock|accessdate=2007-07-12|publisher=Time|year=1992 May 18|author=Ostling, Richard N. |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061214083831/http://www.kipmckean.com/images/flock2.jpg |archivedate = December 14, 2006}}</ref>

This distinct structure, which defined the International Church of Christ's polity for most of its existence, may no longer accurately represent its actual functioning: in the years following McKean's resignation, the central leadership was shaken and largely disbanded, and local churches have become increasingly autonomous. Most no longer report to the Los Angeles headquarters, and some have ceased to collect Special Missions Contribution for the central administration.<ref name="organization" /> Local opinion of Kip McKean varies, with some congregations still (unofficially) supporting him and others condemning the man and his past influence on the organization, often with veracity.<ref name="organization" />

===Future plans===
This family of churches have formulated a "20/20" Vision Plan to plant churches in the cities of the world where they do not have churches by the year 2020. They plan to build and strengthen those churches through a "best practices" approach to ministry. Oversee and support those churches through strong regional relationships and discipling. Train their ministers and congregations through the newly formed "Disciple Bible Academy" being rolled out across the world and provide global co-ordination and co-operation through "Service Teams" that specialize in "Campus Ministry", "Youth & Family Ministry" and other specialized ministries.<ref>[http://www.icochotnews.com/?q=node/1309 International Churches of Christ 2020 vision plans | International Churches of Christ - ICOC Hot news - all the latest news<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== Controversy and Criticism ==

Some of the practices of the International Churches of Christ have drawn criticism from school officials, members' families, former members and, in some cases, former leaders. The primary sources of complaint are the exacting expectations that is, the high commitment expected of members in terms of [[time]] and [[money]], (There are both a Sunday service and a midweek bible study and members are asked to tithe to support the work of the church). One of the key doctrines of the International Churches of Christ has been the "One True Church" doctrine (recognizing repentant disciples who are baptized as part of the one universal church). The International Churches of Christ teaches that a person is saved by grace through a personal faith and the power of God at the point of repentance and [[baptism]] by immersion, and that once baptized, you are added to God's heavenly kingdom, and to the church here on earth.

The International Churches of Christ have been surrounded by controversy over the years; media sources from ''[[Christianity Today]]'' (an [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] periodical) to town newspapers to popular magazines (such as ''[[Rolling Stone]]'') have included articles about members and by former members. There have been TV exposés such as "Believe It or Else" on ABC's 20/20, on 10/15/1993. Criticism has also come from inside the church; for example, Henry Kriete of the London Church of Christ has said during the McKean era of the 1980s and 1990s that his leadership style resulted in the London church:<ref name="kriete" />

* As ‘lead evangelists’, we have routinely forced our administrators to ‘get in line’ or be ‘loyal to us’ – as plans and programs and pet projects are railroaded through to the dismay of all. Henry Kriete Letter—Spring 2003

* Administrators have admitted to deceit in the name of compliance, and to ‘smoke and mirrors’ with the finances. Some of the more intimidated, have been involved in wholesale financial mismanagement…. Henry Kriete Letter—Spring 2003

* If we never pushed so hard to get money from our Christians, it would still matter a great deal to God, but not nearly as much as it does now, because of our constant asking and coercive ‘getting’. We have demanded extraordinary monetary sacrifice from our members, but comparatively, it appears we have demanded so little from ourselves. Henry Kriete Letter—Spring 2003

* Coercive giving is practiced, wide-scale. Of course there are may sincere and generous disciples who love to give, but the fact remains, our entire scheme for collecting the contribution is not based on the heart, or about love offerings, or true concern about the spiritual impact our system of ‘getting’ has on the rank and file Christian. That is not what is most important. Accountability, intense scrutiny and follow up and man made pressures are the order of the day. When a Christian is cajoled into a ‘multiple’, tracked down for their tithe, categorized on official spreadsheets for everyone to know so that sector leaders ‘can be on top’ – all to maintain budgets that we have created, this is coercive. Henry Kriete Letter—Spring 2003

Since the 2003 breakup of the centralized leadership; some congregations have made many reforms, while others have maintained former practices. Some current members admit that alleged abuses did happen prior to 2003, but maintain that such practices have since been reformed or discontinued.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

Much of the criticism has focused on:
* The ICOC's teaching on "the one true church"
* High commitment expectations for members
* Personality changes

===One true church===
{{Refimprove section|date=October 2010}}

The ICOC’s stance on being a part of “the one true church” has been one of much controversy and confusion both inside and outside of the ICOC. While the ICOC has never had an official doctrine on the subject, one has often been assumed from the doctrines it does hold.

Specifically, the ICOC holds that the bible teaches the existence of a single universal church. One implication of this doctrine is that, while Christians may separate themselves into different, disunified churches (as opposed to just geographically separated congregations), it is not actually biblical to do so, and so such separations are not likely to take place between groups of Christians being obedient to the Bible. As Jesus prayed for the unity of his true followers in Acts 17 the division seen in the Christian world is wrong.. And so there is controversy over who exactly is part of "the universal church" and who is not. The ICOC believes that anyone who follows the plan of salvation as laid out in the scriptures is added by God to his "One Universal Church".<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref>[http://www.columbiachurch.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=63 Columbia Church of Christ - What about other churches? Are we the only Christians?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The ICOC sees God at work in many congregations around the world who are not necessarily affiliated with the ICOC. Christian Churches, Churches of Christ and other biblically sound churches have faithful disciples and Christians in them.<ref>[http://www.getgroundedforlife.com/grounded/Download.html Grounded<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2011}}

===High commitment expectations for members===

The ICOC teaches that every member needs to be a fully devoted follower of Christ. The ICOC bases the above findings on the following scriptures, Acts 2:42–47, Luke 14:25–27 and Mark 10:17–22. Members are expected to come to the church services on Sunday and Midweek and join a Bible Discussion Group where relational and spiritual needs can be met. This is not a legalistic requirement but a shepherding structure that can provide a structure for spiritual growth. Under the McKean era of the 1980s and '90s, absurd applications of full commitment occurred in very rare situations.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} Former convert Sarah Cope-Faulkner recounts, "I attended 20 meetings a week and became estranged from my family and friends. I was up at 4am for Bible study, and I spent all my time trying to please everyone."<ref name="letusprey">{{cite journal | author=Wallis, Lynne| title=Let us Prey| journal=The Guardian (UK)| date=1 October 2003| url=http://www.rickross.com/reference/icc/ICC318.html}}</ref>

Those type of absurd schedule demands are soundly rejected by the current ICOC leadership.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}}
.

=== Personality changes===

Researcher Flavil Yeakley has documented that ICOC members' perceptions of their interests and personalities suggest a shift towards [[personality type]] '[[ESFJ]]' (one of sixteen possible types) once joining the church. The researcher cautions that the method used does not prove an actual personality shift so much as the participant's perception that such a shift should take place. McKean has suggested that this simply indicates Jesus was of this personality type. Yeakley argues that one cannot apply a personality test to divinity; God, having no psychological weaknesses, would have full strength in all dimensions of personality.<ref>Yeakley, F. (Ed.). (1988). ''The Disciplining Dilemma''. Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company. p 19.</ref>

== Cultural, philosophical and doctrinal changes ==

Since late 2002/early 2003, many of the International Churches of Christ have gone in different directions. Some have chosen to stay with the distinctive International Churches of Christ characteristics and practices, whereas some have pursued reformation. Results of each course of action vary from church to church; some thrive having chosen to utilize a reformed or progressive approach, while others stagnate with traditional International Churches of Christ methodology.

As of 2005 there are three (sometimes overlapping) groups within the International Churches of Christ. There are those who have held firmly to what has traditionally distinguished the International Churches of Christ: discipling, Bible Talks (small groups), [[Baptism#Baptism in Churches of Christ|baptism]] and evangelism. Other churches are gravitating toward [[Evangelicalism]] and Protestantism.

The Circle City Church (formerly the Indianapolis Church of Christ) is now an independent and non-denominational congregation, but has made several overtures to open dialog with the now largely independent congregations of the International Churches of Christ, including the Indianapolis International Church of Christ congregation.

=== ICOC and Churches of Christ relations ===

As part of the cultural, philosophical and doctrinal changes within the former International Churches of Christ (pre-2002), efforts are being made by some Progressive International Churches of Christ members to also reconcile with mainstream [[Churches of Christ]] and [[Christian churches and churches of Christ]]. In March 2004, [[Abilene Christian University]] ''(affiliated with the mainline [[Churches of Christ]])'' held the "Faithful Conversations" dialog between members of the Church of Christ and International Churches of Christ. Those involved were able to apologize and initiate an environment conducive to building bridges. A few leaders of the Church of Christ apologized for use of the word "cult" in reference to the International Churches of Christ. The International Churches of Christ leaders apologized for alienating the Churches of Christ and implying they were not Christians. Although a better atmosphere for cooperation and understanding was generated, there are still fundamental differences within the fellowship. Early 2005 saw a second set of dialogs with greater promise for both sides helping one another.

[[Harding University]] ''(affiliated with the mainline [[Churches of Christ]])'' is contemplating a distance learning program geared toward those ministers who were trained in the International Churches of Christ.<ref>[http://www.freewebs.com/sbeat/icoccocessay.htm The "''Church of Christ''" and the International Churches of Christ ]</ref>

== ICOC plan for United Cooperation ==

The most recent development is the effort to rebuild and restructure the overall leadership organization for the entire International Churches of Christ. Solicitations for governing structures and methods of inter-congregational relationships were requested by November 1, 2005,<ref>[http://www.icocco-op.org/content/blogcategory/6/24/ Prayer and Fasting Requested for Unity and Cooperation on November 1]</ref> with the goal of completing a final proposal by February 1, 2006.<ref>[http://www.icocco-op.org/content/blogcategory/7/23/ Questions and Answers Related to the 2006 Plan for United Cooperation]</ref> This effort is seen to have a purpose only to reorganize and coordinate missionary efforts across independent organizations by the now authority-phobic churches, many of whom can trace their roots back to their old egalitarian Church of Christ days, where a major ongoing issue was opposition at almost any cost to any sort or organized, centralized "missionary society". Yet, attitudes vary from church to church as to how much authority, if any at all, the new leadership structure should possess. It seems only a small band of churches welcome the old style back, while many prefer, and wait, for a "new improved" version that could provide an overall vision for this group of churches. According to www.icocinfo.org, an independent International Churches of Christ survey group,<ref>[http://www.icocinfo.org/about.html icocinfo.org about us]</ref> the membership of International Churches of Christ in 2005 is 92,474, which declined 12.5% from 2004.<ref>[http://www.disciplestoday.com/Headlines/061006_10ChurchesAddToUnityProposal.aspx ICOC Plan for United Cooperation.]</ref>

As of May 15, 2006 a total of 343 Churches agreed to and committed to the Plan for United Cooperation.<ref>[http://www.exigo.com/public/1421/WebSites/17/images/20070308_ChurchesUnityProposal.pdf List of Churches agreed to and committed to the Plan for United Cooperation. ]</ref>

Recently the "Evangelists Service team" formulated a "2020 vision plan", that all the thirty or so regional families of churches have a plan to evangelise their geographic area of the world. The plan encompasses the need to strengthen excisting small churches and plant new churches.<ref>[http://www.disciplestoday.org/content/view/2093/308/ Disciples Today | International Churches of Christ News - Evangelists Present 2020 Vision<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

===Plan for United Cooperation document===

Within the ICOC, there is a current push to have churches sign up for the so-called "Unity Plan". This plan is in no way connected to the churches deciding to follow Kip McKean's teachings."<ref>[http://www.disciplestoday.com/Headlines/images/20060311.APlanForUnitedCooperation.pdf Plan for United Cooperation document]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Early Christianity]]
*[[First Christian Church]]
*[[Restorationism (Christian primitivism)]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Restoration Movement}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:International Churches Of Christ}}
[[Category:Churches of Christ]]
[[Category:Christian missions]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Fundamentalist denominations]]
[[Category:Christian denominations, unions, and movements established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Christian new religious movements]]

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[[et:Rahvusvahelised Kristuse Kogudused]]
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[[hu:Krisztus Nemzetközi Egyházai]]
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Revision as of 20:46, 2 January 2012

The information I corrected came directly from the ICOC co-operation plan website. The previous information was outdated and unreferenced.

Help me if i did something inappropriate? JamieBrown2011 (talk) 20:46, 2 January 2012 (UTC)

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