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{{short description|American minister}}
{{multiple issues|
{{BLP primary sources|date=February 2014}}
{{POV|date=March 2013}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2013}}
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{{Infobox Minister {{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kip McKean | name = Thomas McKean
| image = | image =
| imagesize = | imagesize =
| caption = | caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|05|31}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|05|31}}
| birth_place = ], ], United States | birth_place = ], ], United States
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| education = ] | education = ]
| spouse = Elena Garcia-Bengochea | spouse = Elena Garcia-Bengochea
| website = {{URL|http://www.kipmckean.org/}} | website = {{URL|www.kipmckean.com}}
| children = 3 | children = 3
}} }}


'''Thomas Wayne "Kip" McKean II''' (born May 31, 1954) is a former minister of the ] and is a current minister of the City of Angels International Christian Church and World Missions Evangelist of the ]es, also known as the "Portland/Sold-Out Discipling Movement".<ref name="urlKip McKean.org » Biography of Kip McKean">{{cite web |url=http://www.kipmckean.org/ |title=Kip McKean.org » Biography of Kip McKean |format= |work=kipmckean.org |accessdate=2008-09-02}}</ref> '''Thomas Wayne "Kip" McKean II''' (born May 31, 1954) is an American minister. He was the founder of the ] and of the ]. He was former World Missions Evangelist of the International Christian Churches, also known as the "Portland/Sold-Out Discipling Movement".<ref name="urlKip McKean.org » Biography of Kip McKean">{{cite web |url=http://www.kipmckean.org/ |title=Kip McKean.org » Biography of Kip McKean |work=kipmckean.org |access-date=2008-09-02}}</ref>


==Early life and family== ==Personal Life and Education==
McKean's father was a ] in the US Navy. <ref name="Sentinel">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/355509158/|title=McKean obituary|publisher=The Orlando Sentinel|date=November 24, 2017}}</ref>
McKean was born in ], Indiana. He married ]-born Elena Garcia-Bengochea on December 11, 1976. Bengochea is a Women's Ministry Leader in the City of Angels International Christian Church. They have three children, Olivia, Sean and Eric.
McKean has a brother and a sister.<ref name="Sentinel"/> He is married and has three children."<ref name="BG1">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/443203270/|title=A Christian community falters|author=Farah Stockman|publisher=The Boston Globe|date=May 17, 2003|page=1}}</ref><ref name="BG4">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/443203284/|title=A Christian community falters|author=Farah Stockman|publisher=The Boston Globe|date=May 17, 2003|page=4}}</ref>


Kip baptized his brother, Randy, in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://icochistory.org/download/randall-kent-mckean-appointed-evangelist/|title=Randall Kent McKean appointed Evangelist|publisher=Boston Church of Christ|date=August 9, 1987}}</ref> Randy then served as an Evangelist in what became the denomination Kip founded, the ]. He served as an Evangelist until his retirement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://disciplestoday.org/from-evangelist-to-novelist/|title=From Evangelist to Novelist:Randy McKean publishes first novel|publisher=The International Churches of Christ|date=October 3, 2022}}</ref>
==Early work==
McKean was baptized in 1972 while a freshman at the ] in ].{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} His mentor, Charles H. "Chuck" Lucas, was the evangelist of the 14th Street Church of Christ at the time.


McKean graduated from the University of Florida in 1975 with a degree in Speech and Communications. He later attended ], but left over disputes with university academics about their liberal views on the Bible. He also faced criticism from other ministers for his own strict personal style. McKean also attended the ] for two years but never received a Master's degree.
In 1976, McKean was hired as campus ministers for the Heritage Chapel Church of Christ, located at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.


McKean's negative academic experience, combined with his success as an evangelist, convinced him that seminary education was not effective at training evangelists. Instead he developed a mentoring "discipleship" approach modeled on the ]'s mentoring of ] and ] as well as McKean's own earlier mentoring by pastor Chuck Lucas who started the ] in ]. <ref name="Lapperman">{{cite web|url=https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/6bb8969f-7a79-474f-9547-06d43681d5fc/content|title=Factors Influencing The International Church Of Christ’s Decision Not To Require Formal Theological Training For Its Ministers From 1979-2002|author=James Lapperman|publisher=University of Cape Town Master's Degree in Social Science|date=February 2014}}</ref><ref name="BG4"/>
==Lexington Church of Christ and Boston Movement==
⚫ McKean moved to the Boston area in 1979 and began working with "would-be disciples" in the Lexington Church of Christ.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC">Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-3898-7, ISBN 978-0-8028-3898-8, 854 pages, entry on ''International Churches of Christ''</ref>{{rp|418}} He asked them to "redefine their commitment to Christ," and introduced the use of discipling partners. The congregation grew rapidly, and was renamed the Boston Church of Christ.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC" />{{rp|418}} In the early 1980s, the focus of the movement moved to Boston, Massachusetts where Kip McKean and the Boston Church of Christ became prominently associated with the trend. With the national leadership located in Boston, during the 1980s it commonly became known as the "Boston movement."<ref name = "Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC" />{{rp |418}}


==The International Churches of Christ== ==Lexington Church of Christ==
⚫ McKean moved to the Boston area in 1979 and began working in the Lexington Church of Christ.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC">Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ'', Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, {{ISBN|0-8028-3898-7}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8028-3898-8}}, 854 pages, entry on ''International Churches of Christ''</ref>{{rp|418}} He asked them to "redefine their commitment to Christ," and introduced the use of discipling partners. The congregation grew rapidly, and was renamed the Boston Church of Christ.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC" />{{rp|418}}

==International Churches of Christ==
{{main|International Churches of Christ}} {{main|International Churches of Christ}}
In the mid-1980s, McKean became leader of both Boston and Crossroads Movements, eventually splitting from mainstream Churches of Christ, to become the International Church of Christ (ICOC). In the mid-1980s, McKean became leader of both Boston and Crossroads Movements, eventually splitting from mainstream Churches of Christ, to become the International Church of Christ (ICOC).


The movement was first recognized as an independent religious group in 1992 when John Vaughn, a church growth specialist at Fuller Theological Seminary, listed them as a separate entity.<ref name="ReferenceA">Stanback, C. Foster. Into All Nations: A History of the International Churches of Christ. IPI, 2005</ref> ''Time'' magazine ran a full-page story on the movement in 1992 calling them "one of the world's fastest-growing and most innovative bands of Bible thumpers" that had grown into "a global empire of 103 congregations from California to Cairo with total Sunday attendance of 50,000", and which also raised concerns about authoritarian leadership, pressure placed on members, and whether the group should be considered a cult.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ostling |first=Richard N |title=Keepers of the Flock |work=Time |date=May 18, 1992 |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975536,00.html}}</ref> The movement was first recognized as an independent religious group in 1992 when John Vaughn, a church growth specialist at Fuller Theological Seminary, listed them as a separate entity.<ref name="ReferenceA">Stanback, C. Foster. Into All Nations: A History of the International Churches of Christ. IPI, 2005</ref> ''Time'' magazine ran a full-page story on the movement in 1992 calling them "one of the world's fastest-growing and most innovative bands of Bible thumpers" that had grown into "a global empire of 103 congregations from California to Cairo with total Sunday attendance of 50,000", and which also raised concerns about authoritarian leadership, pressure placed on members, and whether the group should be considered a cult.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ostling |first=Richard N |title=Keepers of the Flock |magazine=Time |date=May 18, 1992 |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975536,00.html}}</ref>


A formal break was made from the mainline Churches of Christ in 1993 when the movement organized under the name "International Churches of Christ."<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC"/>{{rp|418}} This new designation formalized a division that was already in existence between those involved with the Crossroads/Boston Movement and "mainline" Churches of Christ.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC"/>{{rp|418}}<ref name="Garrett 2002">Leroy Garrett, ''The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement'', College Press, 2002, ISBN 0-89900-909-3, ISBN 978-0-89900-909-4, 573 pages</ref> A formal break was made from the mainline Churches of Christ in 1993 when the movement organized under the name "International Churches of Christ."<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC"/>{{rp|418}} This new designation formalized a division that was already in existence between those involved with the Crossroads/Boston Movement and "mainline" Churches of Christ.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: ICOC"/>{{rp|418}}<ref name="Garrett 2002">Leroy Garrett, ''The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement'', College Press, 2002, {{ISBN|0-89900-909-3}}, {{ISBN|978-0-89900-909-4}}, 573 pages</ref>


In 1990, the McKeans moved to ] to lead the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, where they presided through the 1990s.<ref>{{Wayback |date=20021211100838 |url=icoc.org/icocmain/whoweare/history/history.htm |title=Short history of the ICOC}}</ref> In 1990, the McKeans moved to ] to lead the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, where they presided through the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icoc.org/icocmain/whoweare/history/history.htm |title=Short history of the ICOC |access-date=2017-05-06 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021211100838/http://icoc.org/icocmain/whoweare/history/history.htm |archive-date=December 11, 2002 }}</ref>


===Resignation from the International Churches of Christ=== ===Resignation from the International Churches of Christ===
Beginning in the late 1990s, McKean's moral authority as the leader of the movement came into question.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Expectations for continued numerical growth and the pressure to sacrifice financially to support missionary efforts took its toll. Added to this was the loss of local leaders to new planting projects. In some areas, decreases in membership began to occur.<ref>Wilson, John F. "The International Church of Christ: A Historical Overview." Leaven (Pepperdine University), 2010: 1-5</ref> At the same time, realization was growing that the accumulated cost of his leadership style and associated advantages were outweighing the cost. In 2001, McKean was asked by a group of long-standing elders in the ICoC to take a sabbatical from overall leadership of the ICOC.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> On 12 November 2001, McKean wrote that he had decided to take a sabbatical from his role as the leader of the ]. He issued the following statement: Beginning in the late 1990s, McKean's moral authority as the leader of the movement came into question.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Expectations for continued numerical growth and the pressure to sacrifice financially to support missionary efforts took its toll. Added to this was the loss of local leaders to new planting projects. In some areas, decreases in membership began to occur.<ref>Wilson, John F. "The International Church of Christ: A Historical Overview." Leaven (Pepperdine University), 2010: 1-5</ref> At the same time, the realization was growing that the accumulated cost of his leadership style and associated advantages were outweighing the benefits. In 2001, McKean was asked by a group of long-standing elders in the ICOC to take a sabbatical from overall leadership of the ICOC.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> On 12 November 2001, McKean wrote that he had decided to take a sabbatical from his role as the leader of the ]. He issued the following statement:
⚫ {{blockquote|text=During these days Elena and I have been coming to grips with the need to address some serious shortcomings in our marriage and family. After much counsel with the Gempels and Bairds and other World Sector Leaders as well as hours of prayer, we have decided it is God's will for us to take a sabbatical and to delegate, for a time, our day-to-day ministry responsibilities so that we can focus on our marriage and family.<ref name="McKean Resignation">{{cite web|url=http://www.upcyberdown.org/icocmain/Documents/11_02/mckean_resignation.htm |title=International Churches of Christ |date=14 December 2002 |access-date=27 December 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021214174427/http://www.upcyberdown.org/icocmain/Documents/11_02/mckean_resignation.htm |archive-date=14 December 2002 }}</ref>}}


⚫ One year later, In November 2002, McKean announced his resignations from his roles as World Missions Evangelist and head of the world sector leaders.<ref name="McKean Resignation Letter">Kip McKean, '''', November 6, 2002</ref> He cited ongoing family problems, apologized for his own arrogance and said that his sins "have weakened and embittered many in our churches", and "these sins have surfaced in my family as well as the church."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/march/15.26.html|title=Boston movement' founder quits|date=March 2003 |access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> A year earlier one of his children had left the church.<ref name="portland1">{{cite web |url=http://www.portlandchurch.org/archives/archives.php?langID=1&artID=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927224407/http://www.portlandchurch.org/archives/archives.php?langID=1&artID=1|archive-date=2007-09-27|title=The Portland Story|access-date=2007-07-09|publisher=Portland International Church of Christ|date=2005-08-21|author=McKean, Kip}}</ref> Referring to this event, McKean said: "This, along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak caused uncertainty in my leadership among some of the World Sector Leaders."<ref name="portland1" /> Additionally, his over emphasis on numerical goals, not seeking discipling in his own life and claiming God's victories as his own, were cited by McKean as the reasons for his resignation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cesnur.org/2002/mckean.htm |title = Kip McKean Resigns}}</ref>
⚫ {{cquote| During these days Elena and I have been coming to grips with the need to address some serious shortcomings in our marriage and family. After much counsel with the Gempels and Bairds and other World Sector Leaders as well as hours of prayer, we have decided it is God's will for us to take a sabbatical and to delegate, for a time, our day-to-day ministry responsibilities so that we can focus on our marriage and family.<ref></ref><ref>McKean, Kip, Upcyberdown website, November 12, 2001</ref> }}


His resignation was acknowledged by a letter from the elders the following day.<ref name="Elder's Response">Al Baird and Bob Gempel, , November 7, 2002</ref>
⚫ In November 2002, McKean announced his resignations from his roles as World Missions Evangelist and leader of the world sector leaders.<ref name="McKean Resignation Letter">Kip McKean, '''', November 6, 2002 (also available at ])</ref> He cited family problems, apologized for his own arrogance and said that his sins "have weakened and embittered many in our churches", and "these sins have surfaced in my family as well as the church."<ref></ref> A year earlier one of his children had left the church.<ref name="portland1"/> Referring to this event, McKean said: {{cquote|This, along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak caused uncertainty in my leadership among some of the World Sector Leaders."<ref name="portland1" />}}


⚫ After a period leading an ICOC congregation in Portland, Oregon, he started a new church separated from the ICOC. This movement was named the ''International Christian Church'' by him.<ref name="ReferenceC">Harding, Ron. "The Biography of Kip McKean" kipmckean.com. June 18, 2012</ref> The period following McKean's resignation from leadership and departure was followed by a number of changes in the ICOC.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
His resignation was acknowledged by a short letter from the elders the following day.<ref name="Elder's Response">Al Baird and Bob Gempel, , November 7, 2002</ref> Later in 2002 the remaining central leadership was 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|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070927224407/http://www.portlandchurch.org/archives/archives.php?langID=1&artID=1|archivedate=2007-09-27|title=The Portland Story|accessdate=2007-07-09|publisher=Portland International Church of Christ|date=2005-08-21|author=McKean, Kip}}</ref>

⚫ After a period leading an ICOC congregation in Portland, Oregon, he started a new movement separated from the ICOC. This movement was named ''International Christian Church'' by him.<ref name="ReferenceC">Harding, Ron. "The Biography of Kip McKean" kipmckean.com. June 18, 2012</ref> The period following McKean's resignation from leadership and departure was followed by a number of changes in the ICoC. Some changes were initiated from the ICoC leaders themselves and others forced through members who brought to light underlying concerns and discontent with the ICoC's leadership.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>


==International Christian Church== ==International Christian Church==
⚫ On 15 October 2006, McKean published in the Portland ] the first of a three-part series entitled, "Partners in the Gospel."<ref>Kim McKean, , {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825080140/http://sermons.usd21.org/ |date=2015-08-25 }} (accessed 12/06/2013)</ref><ref>Kip McKean, , {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825080140/http://sermons.usd21.org/ |date=2015-08-25 }} (accessed 12/06/2013)</ref><ref>Kip McKean, , {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825080140/http://sermons.usd21.org/ |date=2015-08-25 }} (accessed 12/06/2013)</ref> Though the names "Portland Movement" and "Sold-Out Discipling Movement" had been used for over a year, these three articles were the first formal announcement of the birth of the International Christian Church. It was only after this October 2006 date that any church affiliated with the Portland Church changed their name to ICC.
{{main|International Christian Church}}
⚫ On 15 October 2006, McKean published in the Portland Church Bulletin the first of a three-part series entitled, "Partners in the Gospel."<ref>Kim McKean, (accessed 12/06/2013)</ref><ref>Kip McKean, (accessed 12/06/2013)</ref><ref>Kip McKean, (accessed 12/06/2013)</ref> Though the names "Portland Movement" and "Sold-Out Discipling Movement" had been used for over a year, these three articles were the first formal announcement of the birth of the International Christian Church. It was only after this October 2006 date that any church affiliated with the Portland Church changed their name to ICC.


Since 2006, the congregations under McKean's leadership have been called the International Christian Church.<ref> The previous citation was a dead link</ref> Since 2006, the congregations under McKean's leadership have been called the International Christian Church.<ref name="Harding2020">{{cite book |last=Harding |first=Ronald |date=15 October 2020 |title=The Untold Story: Chronicles Of Modern-Day Christianity |publisher=SOPI |isbn=979-8698411703}}</ref>


In April 2007, he and his wife Elena left the Portland International Christian Church to plant the City of Angels International Christian Church in Los Angeles. McKean and his wife were accompanied by 40 other leaders from the Portland ICC.<ref></ref> In April 2007, McKean and his wife Elena left the Portland International Christian Church to plant the City of Angels International Christian Church in Los Angeles. McKean and his wife were accompanied by 40 other leaders from the Portland ICC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianchronicle.org/article/author-explores-past-experiences-with-boston-movement|title=Author explores past experiences with Boston movement |date=November 2007 |access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref>


In 2008, McKean began the benevolent arm of the movement: Mercy WorldWide.<ref name="Harding2020" />
The International Christian Church has 38 congregations in 20 countries.<ref>http://www.caicc.net/2012/05/06/gods-soldout-movement/</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mercyworldwide.org |title=Mercy Worldwide Splash Page Splash Page |access-date=5 July 2023 }}</ref>


In 2012, the founding of the International College of Christian Ministries (ICCM) occurred. "Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate Degrees are granted according to the SoldOut Movement’s convictions."<ref name="Harding2020" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iccm.global |title=International Christian Church Splash Page |access-date=5 July 2023 }}</ref>
==Author==

McKean has written a short book entitled ''Go Make Disciples: The Dream''.<ref name=Dream>{{cite book|last1=McKean|first1=Madaline Evans, Debby Miller, Sheila Jones, Kim Walters, Kip|title=Go Make Disciples: the Dream|date=1997|publisher=Discipleship Publications International|location=Woburn, MA|isbn=1577820460|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=GVswAAAACAAJ&dq=kip+Mckean+"go+make+disciples:+the+dream"&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Kd1IVMDOGKXriQKb2oDYCg&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA}}</ref> He has also written ''First Principles Study Series''<ref name=1stPrinciples>{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=Hans Rollmann, Warren|title=Restoring the First-century Church in the Twenty-first Century: Essays on the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement|date=October 2005|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|page=532|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VH9LAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA532&dq=kip+Mckean+"first+principles"&hl=en&sa=X&ei=keBIVKCtOairjALk1IGADQ&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAA}}</ref> and ''Second Principles: Survey of the Old Testament.''{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
In late 2022 and early 2023, McKean was named as a defendant in several federal lawsuits alleging that the ] and the International Christian Church "covered up sexual abuse of children as young as three years old and financially exploited church members".<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Yeung |first1=Ngai |last2=Moskow |first2=Sam |date=2023-02-28 |title=Church leaders concealed sexual abuse of young children, lawsuits allege |language=en-US |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-28/church-sexual-abuse-allegations |access-date=2023-09-26}}</ref> The federal lawsuits were withdrawn by the plaintiffs in July 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Five Women Sue Christian Organization Alleging Cover-up of Child Sexual Abuse – MinistryWatch |url=https://ministrywatch.com/five-women-sue-christian-organization-alleging-cover-up-of-child-sexual-abuse/ |access-date=2024-10-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
Line 77: Line 73:


==External links== ==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Kip McKean}}
* , Official Website of Kip McKean. * , Official Website of Kip McKean.


{{authority control}}
{{Persondata

|NAME= McKean, Kip
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Thomas McKean
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Minister
|DATE OF BIRTH= 1954-05-31
|PLACE OF BIRTH= ], ], ]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKean, Kip}} {{DEFAULTSORT:McKean, Kip}}
]
] ]
] ]
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 02:56, 26 October 2024

American minister
Thomas McKean
Personal details
Born (1954-05-31) May 31, 1954 (age 70)
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
SpouseElena Garcia-Bengochea
Children3
EducationUniversity of Florida
Websitewww.kipmckean.com

Thomas Wayne "Kip" McKean II (born May 31, 1954) is an American minister. He was the founder of the International Churches of Christ and of the International Christian Church. He was former World Missions Evangelist of the International Christian Churches, also known as the "Portland/Sold-Out Discipling Movement".

Personal Life and Education

McKean's father was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy. McKean has a brother and a sister. He is married and has three children."

Kip baptized his brother, Randy, in 1973. Randy then served as an Evangelist in what became the denomination Kip founded, the International Churches of Christ. He served as an Evangelist until his retirement.

McKean graduated from the University of Florida in 1975 with a degree in Speech and Communications. He later attended Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, but left over disputes with university academics about their liberal views on the Bible. He also faced criticism from other ministers for his own strict personal style. McKean also attended the Harding Graduate School of Religion for two years but never received a Master's degree.

McKean's negative academic experience, combined with his success as an evangelist, convinced him that seminary education was not effective at training evangelists. Instead he developed a mentoring "discipleship" approach modeled on the Apostle Paul's mentoring of Timothy and Titus as well as McKean's own earlier mentoring by pastor Chuck Lucas who started the Crossroads Movement in Gainesville, Florida.

Lexington Church of Christ

McKean moved to the Boston area in 1979 and began working in the Lexington Church of Christ. He asked them to "redefine their commitment to Christ," and introduced the use of discipling partners. The congregation grew rapidly, and was renamed the Boston Church of Christ.

International Churches of Christ

Main article: International Churches of Christ

In the mid-1980s, McKean became leader of both Boston and Crossroads Movements, eventually splitting from mainstream Churches of Christ, to become the International Church of Christ (ICOC).

The movement was first recognized as an independent religious group in 1992 when John Vaughn, a church growth specialist at Fuller Theological Seminary, listed them as a separate entity. Time magazine ran a full-page story on the movement in 1992 calling them "one of the world's fastest-growing and most innovative bands of Bible thumpers" that had grown into "a global empire of 103 congregations from California to Cairo with total Sunday attendance of 50,000", and which also raised concerns about authoritarian leadership, pressure placed on members, and whether the group should be considered a cult.

A formal break was made from the mainline Churches of Christ in 1993 when the movement organized under the name "International Churches of Christ." This new designation formalized a division that was already in existence between those involved with the Crossroads/Boston Movement and "mainline" Churches of Christ.

In 1990, the McKeans moved to Los Angeles to lead the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, where they presided through the 1990s.

Resignation from the International Churches of Christ

Beginning in the late 1990s, McKean's moral authority as the leader of the movement came into question. Expectations for continued numerical growth and the pressure to sacrifice financially to support missionary efforts took its toll. Added to this was the loss of local leaders to new planting projects. In some areas, decreases in membership began to occur. At the same time, the realization was growing that the accumulated cost of his leadership style and associated advantages were outweighing the benefits. In 2001, McKean was asked by a group of long-standing elders in the ICOC to take a sabbatical from overall leadership of the ICOC. On 12 November 2001, McKean wrote that he had decided to take a sabbatical from his role as the leader of the International Churches of Christ. He issued the following statement:

During these days Elena and I have been coming to grips with the need to address some serious shortcomings in our marriage and family. After much counsel with the Gempels and Bairds and other World Sector Leaders as well as hours of prayer, we have decided it is God's will for us to take a sabbatical and to delegate, for a time, our day-to-day ministry responsibilities so that we can focus on our marriage and family.

One year later, In November 2002, McKean announced his resignations from his roles as World Missions Evangelist and head of the world sector leaders. He cited ongoing family problems, apologized for his own arrogance and said that his sins "have weakened and embittered many in our churches", and "these sins have surfaced in my family as well as the church." A year earlier one of his children had left the church. Referring to this event, McKean said: "This, along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak caused uncertainty in my leadership among some of the World Sector Leaders." Additionally, his over emphasis on numerical goals, not seeking discipling in his own life and claiming God's victories as his own, were cited by McKean as the reasons for his resignation.

His resignation was acknowledged by a letter from the elders the following day.

After a period leading an ICOC congregation in Portland, Oregon, he started a new church separated from the ICOC. This movement was named the International Christian Church by him. The period following McKean's resignation from leadership and departure was followed by a number of changes in the ICOC.

International Christian Church

On 15 October 2006, McKean published in the Portland church bulletin the first of a three-part series entitled, "Partners in the Gospel." Though the names "Portland Movement" and "Sold-Out Discipling Movement" had been used for over a year, these three articles were the first formal announcement of the birth of the International Christian Church. It was only after this October 2006 date that any church affiliated with the Portland Church changed their name to ICC.

Since 2006, the congregations under McKean's leadership have been called the International Christian Church.

In April 2007, McKean and his wife Elena left the Portland International Christian Church to plant the City of Angels International Christian Church in Los Angeles. McKean and his wife were accompanied by 40 other leaders from the Portland ICC.

In 2008, McKean began the benevolent arm of the movement: Mercy WorldWide.

In 2012, the founding of the International College of Christian Ministries (ICCM) occurred. "Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate Degrees are granted according to the SoldOut Movement’s convictions."

In late 2022 and early 2023, McKean was named as a defendant in several federal lawsuits alleging that the International Churches of Christ and the International Christian Church "covered up sexual abuse of children as young as three years old and financially exploited church members". The federal lawsuits were withdrawn by the plaintiffs in July 2023.

See also

References

  1. "Kip McKean.org » Biography of Kip McKean". kipmckean.org. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  2. ^ "McKean obituary". The Orlando Sentinel. November 24, 2017.
  3. Farah Stockman (May 17, 2003). "A Christian community falters". The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  4. ^ Farah Stockman (May 17, 2003). "A Christian community falters". The Boston Globe. p. 4.
  5. "Randall Kent McKean appointed Evangelist". Boston Church of Christ. August 9, 1987.
  6. "From Evangelist to Novelist:Randy McKean publishes first novel". The International Churches of Christ. October 3, 2022.
  7. James Lapperman (February 2014). "Factors Influencing The International Church Of Christ's Decision Not To Require Formal Theological Training For Its Ministers From 1979-2002". University of Cape Town Master's Degree in Social Science.
  8. ^ Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-3898-7, ISBN 978-0-8028-3898-8, 854 pages, entry on International Churches of Christ
  9. ^ Stanback, C. Foster. Into All Nations: A History of the International Churches of Christ. IPI, 2005
  10. Ostling, Richard N (May 18, 1992). "Keepers of the Flock". Time.
  11. Leroy Garrett, The Stone-Campbell Movement: The Story of the American Restoration Movement, College Press, 2002, ISBN 0-89900-909-3, ISBN 978-0-89900-909-4, 573 pages
  12. "Short history of the ICOC". Archived from the original on December 11, 2002. Retrieved 2017-05-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. Wilson, John F. "The International Church of Christ: A Historical Overview." Leaven (Pepperdine University), 2010: 1-5
  14. "International Churches of Christ". 14 December 2002. Archived from the original on 14 December 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. Kip McKean, Kip McKean Resignation Letter, November 6, 2002
  16. "Boston movement' founder quits". March 2003. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  17. ^ McKean, Kip (2005-08-21). "The Portland Story". Portland International Church of Christ. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  18. "Kip McKean Resigns".
  19. Al Baird and Bob Gempel, Elders' response to McKean Resignation, November 7, 2002
  20. Harding, Ron. "The Biography of Kip McKean" kipmckean.com. June 18, 2012
  21. Kim McKean, Partners In The Gospel (Part 1), UpsideDown21 Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 12/06/2013)
  22. Kip McKean, Partners In The Gospel (Part 2), UpsideDown21 Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 12/06/2013)
  23. Kip McKean, Partners In The Gospel (Part 3), UpsideDown21 Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 12/06/2013)
  24. ^ Harding, Ronald (15 October 2020). The Untold Story: Chronicles Of Modern-Day Christianity. SOPI. ISBN 979-8698411703.
  25. "Author explores past experiences with Boston movement". November 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  26. "Mercy Worldwide Splash Page Splash Page". Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  27. "International Christian Church Splash Page". Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  28. Yeung, Ngai; Moskow, Sam (2023-02-28). "Church leaders concealed sexual abuse of young children, lawsuits allege". Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  29. "Five Women Sue Christian Organization Alleging Cover-up of Child Sexual Abuse – MinistryWatch". Retrieved 2024-10-16.

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