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104-704: 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". McKean's father was a Rear Admiral in the US Navy. McKean has a brother and
208-457: A diocesan news leaflet or similar publication (and sometimes they might include both). It has been estimated that the collective readership of parish magazines exceeds that of many national newspapers. Parish magazines were arguably foreshadowed by the sporadic printed notices or pastoral letters , issued to the local community by parish clergy or by the more senior clergy and found very occasionally amongst 19th-century parish archives. However
312-616: A church that he called the International Christian Church. The Christian Chronicle reports that the ICOC's reported membership peaked at 135,000 in 2002, before dropping to 89,000 in 2006. ICOC leaders reported that a mid-2012 survey revealed that membership had grown again to 97,800 members in 610 churches across 148 countries. On November 23, 1991, two Singapore Newspapers, The New Paper (English) and Lianhe Wanbao (Chinese), published articles stating that
416-448: A daily basis and recruited into the church. Anyone criticizing the authority of a discipler was publicly rebuked in group meetings. Those who left the ICOC were to be shunned , and disciples were told that only those baptized within the ICOC were saved; all other people were damned. Furthermore, anyone that left the church would also lose their salvation. A 1999 study found that a substantial minority of former ICOC members included in
520-487: A few surviving copies can still be traced. During the 19th and early 20th centuries quite a few individual parishes or subscribers had their annual sets of magazines bound up each year (with or without the national insets) and this has undoubtedly assisted in their survival. A number of examples may be traced via the online catalogues of individual county record offices, or via the Access to Archives website. In recent years
624-419: A few “outstanding parish magazines”, including those from St Martin-in-the-Fields ; Southwark Cathedral ; St Barnabas, Dulwich ; Immanuel Church, Streatham ; Church Brampton (Northants.); All Saints, Margaret Street ; St. Stephen's, Westminster ; Holy Trinity, Brompton ; Chesterfield Parish Church ; Morden (Surrey); St. James’s, Milton, Portsmouth , and St Mark's Church, Kennington . Clearly this list
728-610: A heavy focus on US college campuses. Under his leadership, the ICOC experienced rapid growth but also faced criticism. In March 2024, the ICOC numbered their members at 112,000. The ICOC is organized with a cooperative leadership structure broken down into regional families that have their own representative delegates. Viewing the Bible as the sole authority, the ICOC emphasizes being a non-denominational church united under Christ. It advocates salvation through faith and baptism, rejects "faith alone", and emphasizes global unity. Historically,
832-429: 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". The ministry grew as younger members appreciated the new emphasis on commitment and models for communal activity. This activity became identified by many with
936-573: 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. 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
1040-643: A number of branches of the Restoration movement, and the ICOC was formed from within the Churches of Christ . Specifically, it was born from a discipling movement that arose among the Churches of Christ during the 1970s. This discipling movement developed in the campus ministry of Chuck Lucas. In 1967, Chuck Lucas was minister of the 14th Street Church of Christ in Gainesville, Florida (later renamed
1144-571: A number of universities banned ICOC recruiters; and ICOC became a prominent target of media and anticult group opposition". In 1985 a Church of Christ minister and professor, Dr. Flavil Yeakley, administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test to the Boston Church of Christ (BCC), the founding church of the ICOC. Yeakley passed out three MBTI tests, which asked members to perceive their past, current, and five-year in
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#17327720552501248-448: A result of the church's "aggressive evangelizing tactics" and use of 'discipling' or 'shepherding' practices, whereby new members were provided spiritual guidance and had their personal lives closely supervised by more established members. "Members were taught that commitment to the church superseded all other relationships", write Bromley and Melton. As a result, "the main branch of the Churches of Christ disavowed its relationship with ICOC;
1352-401: 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
1456-615: 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
1560-457: A small number of very early parish magazines have been reprinted in facsimile – either as curiosities or as a contribution towards the study of social history within their local area. They include a number of the early volumes of John Erskine Clarke's original Parish Magazine . For similar reasons other compilers have produced anthologies relating to particular parishes. Early and more recent magazines are also sometimes seen advertised for sale on
1664-610: 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
1768-521: Is a body of decentralized, co-operating, religiously conservative and racially integrated Christian congregations. Originating from the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement , the ICOC emerged from the discipling movement within the Churches of Christ in the 1970s. Kip McKean , a key figure until 2003, expanded the church from Gainesville to Boston and it quickly became one of the fastest growing Christian movements with
1872-514: Is a group dynamic operating in that congregation that influences its members to change their personalities to conform to the group norm". By the end of 1988 the churches in the Boston Movement were for all practical purposes a distinct fellowship, initiating a fifteen-year period during which there would be little contact between the CoC and the Boston Movement. By 1988, McKean was regarded as
1976-638: Is a non-profit organization established by the ICOC that supports disadvantaged children and the elderly. It relies on donations from ICOC churches, companies and individuals and on government grants. As of September 1997 , HOPE Worldwide was operating 100 projects in 30 countries. As of 2023 , the organization reported serving on average more than one million people per year, in more than 60 countries. HOPE Worldwide received grants from US president George W. Bush 's AIDS program for its work in several countries, and arranged for Chris Rock to visit South Africa for an AIDS prevention event. The ICOC considers
2080-471: Is consistent with their historical roots in the Churches of Christ , which believe that Christ established only one church, and that the use of denominational creeds serves to foster division among Christians. This belief dates to the beginning of the Restoration Movement ; Thomas Campbell expressed an ideal of unity in his Declaration and address : "The church of Jesus Christ on earth
2184-475: Is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." The ICOC is opposed to abortion, recreational drugs, and non-marital sexual relations. Homosexuals are welcome, but they must lead a life of chastity. Members' romantic partners require approval by the church. A typical Sunday morning service involves singing, praying, preaching, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper . An unusual element of ICOC tradition
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#17327720552502288-438: Is in the hands of 10 elders ruling by consensus". Critics of the ICOC claim that Kip McKean's resignation sparked numerous problems. However, others have noted that since McKean's resignation the ICOC has made numerous changes. The Christian Chronicle , a newspaper for the Churches of Christ , reports that the ICOC has changed its leadership and discipling structure. According to the paper, "the ICOC has attempted to address
2392-530: Is taking place in the quality of our parish magazines. There is, of course, plenty of opportunity for further advance . Other efforts have also been more recently made on the Church of England website to provide additional help for parish magazine editors. Another (subscription-based) website The Parish Pump issues monthly contributions of new material which may also be used or adapted. Competitions have been held for some years under different sponsors to identify
2496-713: 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. Though the church is not static, neither is it ad hoc – the leased locale is converted into a worship facility. "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 reach out to more people in order to help them become Christians." This practice of not owning buildings changed when
2600-668: 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 . 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
2704-536: The Bible the inspired word of God. 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
2808-682: The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , in contrast to the CoC, consider permissible practices that the New Testament does not expressly forbid. The ICOC teaches that "anyone, anywhere who follows God's plan of salvation in the Bible and lives under the Lordship of Jesus, will be saved. Christians are saved by the grace of God, through their faith in Jesus Christ, at baptism." They claim that " faith alone " (e.g., saying
2912-608: The Day of Pentecost as described in 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, through their faith in Jesus, at baptism. The ICOC has over 700 churches spread across 155 nations, with each church being a racially integrated congregation made up of a diversity of people from various age groups, economic, and social backgrounds. They believe Jesus came to break down
3016-486: The Sinner's Prayer ) is not sufficient unless an individual by faith obeys God and gets baptized, believing that baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. The belief in the necessity of baptism is in agreement with the prevailing view in the Churches of Christ and Restoration Movement . It is in contrast with the beliefs of Baptist churches that teach that faith alone is adequate for salvation. Originally,
3120-592: The anti-cult movement . The church has been barred from recruiting students on campuses or has been denied student organization status at numerous universities. The ICOC has its roots in a movement that reaches back to the period of the Second Great Awakening (1790–1870) of early nineteenth-century America. Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell are credited with what is today known as the Stone-Campbell or Restoration Movement . There are
3224-454: The 'Boston Movement'. McKean taught that the church was "God's true and only modern movement" and under his leadership, it "envisioned and implemented a tightly structured community that returned to the doctrines and lifestyles of the first-century Christian churches, with the goal of evangelizing the entire planet within a generation". According to journalist Madeleine Bower, "the group became renowned for its extreme views and rigid teaching of
Kip McKean - Misplaced Pages Continue
3328-419: The 1970s, McKean and the churches he has led (e.g., ICOC and its predecessors and successors) made recruiting on college campuses a priority. Church bulletin A parish magazine or parish bulletin , also called church bulletin , is a periodical produced by and for an ecclesiastical parish . It usually comprises a mixture of religious articles, community contributions, and parish notices, including
3432-404: The 90's finished. In 2000, the ICOC announced the completion of its six-year initiative to establish a church in every country with a city that had a population over 100,000. In spite of this, numerical growth continued to slow. Beginning in the late 1990s, problems arose as McKean's moral authority as the leader of the movement came into question. Expectations for continued numerical growth and
3536-665: The Bible, but mainstream churches quickly disavowed the group". David G. Bromley and J. Gordon Melton , sociologist and historian of religion respectively, note how International Churches of Christ grew quickly in the 1980s, but that "Even as ICOC developed, however, its relationships with several established institutional sectors deteriorated". The church's "doctrine signaled the movement's self-perceived superiority to other Christian churches in teaching that it alone had rediscovered biblical doctrines critical to individual salvation and insisting on rebaptizing new members to ensure their salvation". They note that further tensions developed as
3640-517: 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
3744-461: The Christian community. The church and Louis were ordered to pay Impact's legal fees. In 2022, the ICOC and the International Christian Churches were named in multiple US federal lawsuits. They alleged that between 1987 and 2012, leaders of the two churches covered up the sexual abuse of children, some of whom were as young as three, and financially exploited members. The lawsuits alleged that
3848-482: The Churches 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. Despite improvements in relations, there are still fundamental differences within the fellowship. Early 2005 saw a second set of dialogues with greater promise for both sides helping one another. Founded in 1991, HOPE Worldwide
3952-767: 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
4056-710: The Crossroads Church of Christ). That year he started 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 , the 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
4160-530: 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. Nearly a year later, in November 2002 he resigned from the office and personally apologized citing arrogance, anger and an over-focus on numerical goals as
4264-508: The Gestetner machine or Roneo machine - offered cheaper alternatives, which many editors were soon to adopt. Sometimes groups of parishes - possibly based on a rural deanery - would reduce overall costs by working together to produce a corporate magazine, with contributions from each village. A few parishes eventually opted for simpler magazines or adopted newspaper-style formats, aiming to deliver these without charge to every household in
Kip McKean - Misplaced Pages Continue
4368-547: The ICOC and its leaders created a "system of exploitation that extracts any and all value it can from members". The lawsuits alleged that members were forced to give 10% of their income as a tithe to the church and additionally to fund twice-yearly special mission trips, which drove some to depression and suicide. The Los Angeles ICOC responded to the lawsuits by stating: "As the Church's long-standing policies make clear, we do not tolerate any form of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, or sexual coercion, and we will fully cooperate with
4472-547: The ICOC is the Ministry Training Academy (MTA). In 2013, the MTA finalized a curriculum consisting of twelve core courses that are divided into three areas of study: biblical knowledge, spiritual development, and ministry leadership. Each course requires at least 12 hours of classroom study in addition to course work. An MTA student who completes the twelve core classes receives a certificate of completion. With
4576-660: The ICOC taught that only baptisms within ICOC member churches were legitimate and hence only members of ICOC churches had had their sins forgiven and were saved. This is known as the One True Church (OTC) doctrine. In 2003, however, after the departure of McKean, the leadership of ICOC issued letters of apology stating that they had been "too judgmental" in applying this doctrine. As a consequence, many within ICOC began to accept that baptisms outside of ICOC churches, particularly those of family members who belonged to other Christian denominations, could be legitimate. This
4680-421: The ICOC was an independent worldwide movement that had grown from a small congregation to 125,000 members and had planted a church in nearly every country of the world in a period of twenty years. In his 2001 book The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions , David V. Barrett wrote that the ICOC was "currently causing perhaps more concern than almost any other" evangelical church in
4784-420: The ICOC was not without criticism. Other names that have been used for this movement include the "Crossroads movement," "Multiplying Ministries," and the "Discipling Movement". One Church is formed per city, and as it expands it is broken down into "sectors" that oversee "zones" which have their own neighborhood Bible study groups. Claims that this structure too authoritarian were responded to by McKean saying, "I
4888-589: The ICOC, including decentralization and a dismantling of its headquarters and central leadership. Some changes were initiated from the leaders themselves and others brought through members. Most notable was Henry Kriete, a leader in the London ICOC, who circulated an open letter detailing his feelings about theological exclusivism and authority in the ICOC. This letter affected the ICOC for the decade after McKean's resignation. Christianity Today reported in 2003 that following McKean's resignation, "leadership now
4992-438: The ICOC, together with its affiliates the International Christian Church, the City of Angels International Christian Church, HOPE Worldwide and Mercy Worldwide, "indoctrinated" the plaintiffs, keeping them isolated while they were sexually exploited and manipulated through the ICOC's "rigid" belief system. The lawsuit also named ICOC leaders, founder Kip McKean and the estate of Chuck Lucas, as defendants. The plaintiffs alleged that
5096-421: The ICOC, yet was rebuffed. Sixty-four Elders, Evangelists and Teachers wrote a letter to McKean expressing concern that there had been "no repentance" from his publicly acknowledged leadership weaknesses. McKean then began to criticize some of the changes that were being made, as he did in the 1980s toward Mainline Churches of Christ. After attempting to divide the ICOC he was disfellowshipped in 2006 and founded
5200-820: The ICOC. Sociologist Dr. Joseph E. Lee posits that the strict discipling program helped lead to a lowering of barriers between races and classes. He found this to be a general characteristic of organizations (e.g., martial arts schools) with strong formal beliefs and discipline. Kathleen Jenkins found that "Discipling [...] created tightly bound networks that threw members into frequent contact with disciples from different backgrounds who intimately and routinely intervened in all aspects of an individual's life. These intimate racially and ethnically diverse discipling networks provided members with social resources such as childcare, teen counseling, tutoring, employment opportunities, domestic help, and other kinds of assistance in day-to-day living". According to Joseph Yi, writing in 2009, with
5304-539: The Los Angeles International Church of Christ, where they presided through the 1990s. 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
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#17327720552505408-526: The Singapore Central Christian Church (a member of ICOC) was a "cult". The church sued the papers, alleging defamation . An initial court ruling held that what the papers had written was fair and in the public interest. An appeals court, however, overruled the lower court, stating that the papers had stated that the church was a cult as if that was a fact, when it was not a fact, but a comment. The papers were each ordered to pay
5512-614: 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. This became an example for other ICOC churches to follow. A distinguishing feature of the ICOC under McKean was an intense form of discipleship . McKean's mentor, evangelist Chuck Lucas, developed this practice based in part on the book "The Master Plan of Evangelism" by Robert Coleman. Coleman's book taught that "Jesus controlled
5616-556: The United Kingdom. Barrett writes that "In the last decade ICOC has attracted a huge amount of criticism and hostility from anti-cultists", noting that it had been made aware of various criticisms "but unlike some of the other movements founded in the 1970s, does not yet have appeared to reached the point in its development where it becomes sensitive to the genuine distress of some of its members and their families have experienced, and willing to modify some of its practices to reduce
5720-902: The authorities in any investigations of this type of behavior". The lawsuits were voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs in July 2023. The International Churches of Christ are a family of over 750 independent churches in 155 nations around the world. The 750 churches form 34 Regional Families of churches that oversee mission work in their respective geographic areas of influence. Each regional family of churches sends Evangelists, Elders and Teachers to an annual leadership conference, where delegates meet to pray, plan and co-operate world evangelism. "Service Teams" provide global leadership and oversight. The Service Teams consists of an Elders, Evangelists, Teachers, Youth & Family, Campus, Singles, Communications & Administration, and HOPEww & Benevolence teams. The education and ministerial training program in
5824-429: The church S$ 20,000. The New Paper had to pay the founder of the church, John Philip Louis, S$ 30,000. The papers also had to pay the legal fees of the church and its founder. In the same ruling, the appeals court held that an article that had also characterized the church as a cult, in the bi-monthly, Singapore-based, Christian magazine Impact , was written fairly from the standpoint of a Christian publication written for
5928-480: The church practiced exclusive baptism and strict "discipling", but since 2002, has shifted to a more decentralized, voluntary discipling approach. The ICOC also promotes racial integration, opposes abortion and recreational drugs, and engages in international service through the HOPE Worldwide. David V. Barrett noted in 2001 that in the 1990s the ICOC "attracted a huge amount of criticism and hostility" from
6032-659: The church, McKean viewed discipling as "the most efficient way to achieve the movement's stated goal: 'to evangelize the world in one generation'". The church's emphasis on discipling during this period was the subject of criticism. A number of ex-members expressed problems with discipling in the ICOC. Critics and former members allege that discipling "involved public scorn as a way to humiliate vulnerable members, to keep them humble". Jenkins notes that "[t]his ICOC structure has been greatly criticized by anti-cult organizations, university officials (the ICOC has been banned from several campuses), and ex-members". Discipling under McKean
6136-474: The church, and he 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, who had led the International Churches of Christ, issued a statement that he was going to take a sabbatical from his role of leadership in the church: 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
6240-694: The circulation of the Parish Magazine was eventually extended to over two hundred churches. Whilst Clarke’s inset continued to appear until 1895, competitors soon emerged and it was eventually overtaken by other alternatives. Many publishers began to produce rival insets - over thirty such examples have been described and listed. The last two of these national examples, Home Words and The Sign finally merged in 2009. For an analysis of these insets up to 1918 see Jane Platt, '"A sweet, saintly Christian business"? The Anglican Parish Magazine, 1859-1918' (Lancaster University PhD thesis, 2010). One or two of
6344-445: The commercial publications then appearing. He later produced a sixteen-page periodical, which bore on the page headings the literal title The Parish Magazine . It contained general interest material, often with a strong moralising edge. The idea was that this inset should be offered to parishes to include within their own localised covers, which would very often comprise no more than four printed pages. Starting with fifty-four parishes,
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#17327720552506448-558: The converts at Gainesville was a student named Kip McKean who was converted by Chuck Lucas. McKean was introduced to the Florida Church of Christ's controversial recruitment style in 1967. Born in Indianapolis , McKean completed a degree while training at Crossroads, and afterward served as campus minister at several Churches of Christ locations. By 1979 his ministry grew from a few individuals to over three hundred making it
6552-577: The current best parish magazines. These have included the award of the John King Trophy for the winning magazine in the annual Award Scheme which is organised by the Association for Church Editors. Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has stated: “A good parish magazine is a wonderful resource that places the local church at the heart of the community it serves". The book Better Parish Magazines also offered brief details of
6656-469: The departure of McKean in 2002 the ICOC transitioned from a top-down organization to a "loose federation of autonomous local churches". This led to a change in discipling practices. One of the local ICOC churches, the Chicago Church of Christ, made discipling voluntary and not mandatory. Instead of a top-down hierarchy, they adopted a "servant leadership" model. The ICOC has been accused of using
6760-413: The discipline of life in the movement too demanding or oppressive". He concluded that "There are probably far more ex-members of ICOC than current members", though noted ICOC attempts to discourage members from leaving and that communal living arrangements and the fact that the ICOC encouraged the breaking-off of friendships with non-members made it difficult for some to leave. Membership growth stopped as
6864-410: The dividing wall of hostility between the races and people groups of this world and unite mankind under the Lordship of Christ Like the Churches of Christ, the ICOC recognizes the Bible as the sole source of authority for the church and it also believes that the current denominational divisions are inconsistent with Christ's intent, believing instead that Christians ought to be united. The ICOC, like
6968-452: The earlier insets had also been produced on a regional or diocesan basis. Eventually the assortment of Diocesan Magazines which were increasingly appearing in many areas would often include a short monthly news bulletin in a design which could similarly be included as a parish magazine inset. Many parishes nevertheless have at different times opted to issue periodicals produced entirely from within their own community and not including any of
7072-566: The fastest growing Church of Christ campus ministry in America. McKean then moved to Massachusetts, where he took over the leadership of the Lexington Church of Christ (soon to be called the Boston Church of Christ). Building on Lucas' initial strategies, McKean only agreed to lead the church in Lexington as long as every member agreed to be 'totally committed'. The church grew from 30 members to 3,000 in just over 10 years in what became known as
7176-462: The first regular parish magazine is generally recognised as being started in January 1859 by Rev. John Erskine Clarke , Vicar of St Michael's, Derby . (Rival claims have sometimes been made for Rev. W. J. E. Bennett 's Old Church Porch , issued at Frome in 1854.) Erskine Clarke had prepared a number of publications which were particularly aimed at children and which were designed to counteract
7280-460: The following concerns: a top down hierarchy, discipling techniques, and sectarianism". In September 2005, nine members were elected to serve as a Unity Proposal Group. They subsequently developed a 'Plan for United Cooperation', published in March 2006. In September 2012, it was reported that around 93% of ICOC churches supported the plan. Over time, McKean attempted to re-assert his leadership over
7384-572: 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
7488-487: The forces of radical change in the larger American society that characterized the late sixties and seventies. The campus ministry in Gainesville thrived and sustained strong support from the elders of the local congregation in the 'Crossroads Church of Christ'. By 1971, as many as a hundred people a year were joining the church. Most notable was the development of a training program for potential campus ministers. Among
7592-636: The future of traditional parish magazines clearly depends on sufficient volunteers coming forward. Obviously their survival will also be affected by the widespread decline in organised religion in the UK. In January 2014 the Daily Telegraph reported on the imminent closure of the Haworth Parish Magazine – allegedly one of the oldest in continuous existence – after 115 years. The newspaper suggested that many similar publications were on
7696-516: The future personality types. While over 900 members were tested, 835 individuals completed all three forms. A majority of those respondents changed their perceived or imagined personality type scores on the three tests in convergence with a single type. After completing the study, Yeakley observed that "The data in this study of the Boston Church of Christ does not prove that any certain individual has actually changed his or her personality in an unhealthy way. The data, however, does prove that there
7800-545: 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
7904-477: The leader of the movement. It was at this time that the Boston church initiated its program of outreach to the poor called HopeWorldwide. Also in 1988, McKean selected a handful of couples that he and Elena, his wife, had personally trained and named them World Sector Leaders. In 1989 mission teams were officially sent out to Tokyo, Honolulu, Washington, DC, Manila, Miami, Seattle, Bangkok, and Los Angeles. That year, McKean and his family moved to Los Angeles to lead
8008-563: The lives of the apostles, that Jesus taught the apostles to 'disciple' by controlling the lives of others, and that Christians should imitate this process when bringing people to Christ." Under McKean, "discipling" entailed members being "assigned a more senior adviser who is always available and frequently present in their lives, even at intimate moments, which mentors them through relationship difficulties. In this practice, individuals interact with other group members in hierarchical relationships". According to Kathleen E. Jenkins's ethnography of
8112-542: The mainstream Churches of Christ, a 1.6 million-member body from which it grew". Growth continued globally and in 1996 the independent organisation "Church Growth Today" named the Los Angeles ICOC as the fastest growing Church in North America for the second year running and another eight ICOC churches were in the top 100. By 1999, the Los Angeles church reached a Sunday attendance of 14,000. By 2001,
8216-632: The mass-produced insets. Being largely dependent on volunteers, they have often varied their format according to local circumstances, and in some parishes they have seemingly had a rather intermittent existence. Where insets were included, these might often have originated at completely different dates from their cover magazines, or else have been merely the short-term choices of particular local editors. This makes it highly likely that most surviving collections of insets will be incomplete. Where parishes opted to go it alone they clearly had to rely on locally-written material of variable quality. In fact throughout
8320-508: The movement and left. 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". A formal break
8424-440: The new church "planted" (a euphemism the church uses for "established") some months earlier. Within a few years Los Angeles, not Boston, was the fulcrum of the movement. In 1990 the Crossroads Church of Christ broke with the movement and, through a letter written to The Christian Chronicle , attempted to restore relations with the Churches of Christ. By the early 1990s some first-generation leaders had become disillusioned by
8528-607: The parish in the appropriate county record office or diocesan record office – indeed the preservation of archive copies is explicitly required under the current guidance for the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 . Sometimes a conscientious editor may also have donated copies to a local library. However comparatively few parishes have managed to preserve long runs on a very systematic basis. Whilst some examples doubtless remain in private collections there are also likely to be hundreds of magazines for which only
8632-518: The parish magazine was used while Tony Blair was Prime Minister as a basis for a section in the satirical magazine Private Eye entitled St Albion Parish News . In this the Rev A R P Blair was presented as the Vicar of St Albion. A humorous paperback entitled Father Ted: The Craggy Island Parish Magazines was issued in 1998 to accompany the popular Irish/British television comedy series Father Ted . It
8736-528: The parish. With the growth of inter-church cooperation after the Second World War , other magazines became ecumenical and were jointly published in association with local Methodist , United Reformed or Roman Catholic congregations. Alternatively they might eventually be absorbed into more general community titles, and some of the latter are now further issued in an online version. This pattern could become more widespread in years to come, since
8840-459: The possibility of causing such distress". In 1998, Ron Loomis, an expert on cults and leader of a cult-awareness program at the College of Lake County , called the ICOC "the most intensive cult in existence since the mid-1970s". Barrett also noted in 2001 that as with other new religious movements , membership turnover in the ICOC was high, with "many leaving after a few months because they find
8944-489: 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, realization was growing that the accumulated costs of McKean's leadership style and associated disadvantages were outweighing the benefits. In 2001, McKean's leadership weaknesses were affecting his family, with all of his children disassociating themselves from
9048-434: The previous month‘s christenings , marriages , and funerals . Magazines are sold or are otherwise circulated amongst the parishioners of the relevant church or village. They are almost invariably produced by volunteers, usually working alongside the resident clergy. From their earliest days they have frequently been augmented by the inclusion of a nationally-produced magazine supplement or a regionally produced insert, such as
9152-430: The resignation of McKean, some efforts at healing between the International Churches of Christ and the mainstream Churches of Christ are being made. In March 2004, Abilene Christian University held the "Faithful Conversations" dialog between members of the Churches 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
9256-437: 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
9360-409: The source of his decision. Referring to this event, McKean said: This, along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak caused uncertainty in my leadership. Ronald Enroth writes that McKean "was forced to step down because of his own rule that leaders must resign if their children leave the church". The period following McKean's departure included a number of changes in
9464-454: The study "reached clinically significant levels of psychological distress, depression, dissociation, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms". Two-thirds of them had sought psychotherapy after leaving the church. Nonetheless, many disciples, including some who left, got a great deal out of the structure of the discipling system. The found "meaning and community" and formed close friendships across racial and class lines within
9568-444: The tactic of " love bombing ", which David Barrett describes as "showing a great deal of love, affection and attention to prospective members to draw them in", resulting in the criticism that "vulnerable or lonely people, and this includes many students, will be attracted by this". Journalist Alasdair Belling has noted that this attention and praise "slowly becomes more conditional over time". Starting from his own college days in
9672-504: The verge of extinction in their traditional form – victims of the digital age and the increasing use of parish websites or online social networking. However a few might eventually be rebranded as glossy quarterly periodicals. Parish magazines, being frequently produced by largely untrained volunteers with often variable talents, have always been likely to be uneven in quality. Hence they have sometimes had to face derogatory criticism from certain quarters. Many efforts have been made over
9776-506: 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
9880-400: 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
9984-417: The years a significant variety of different formats will be found. A great many magazines have been redesigned, renamed or relaunched to reflect changing circumstances, or else they have been revived after an apparent hiatus. The earliest magazines had to be printed using expensive movable type methods. However from the 1900s onwards the invention of the stencil duplicator or mimeograph - frequently known as
10088-537: The years to help conscientious local editors in producing better magazines. In 1949 the Church Assembly (the forerunner of the Church of England General Synod) published a book Better Parish Magazines and How to Produce Them , with the Bishop of London William Wand commenting in the foreword: One of the most encouraging signs of the times for ecclesiastical administrators is the very rapid improvement that
10192-405: Was described as "a collection of the lead character's favourite editions of his parish magazine". One reviewer commented: "Every page looks exactly like a tatty church magazine, written with extensive use of a plastic stencil and an ancient typewriter, complete with terrible drawings and tacky-looking adverts". Surviving examples of early parish magazines are usually included within the archives of
10296-539: Was in no sense official, and the author was seemingly most familiar with examples from London and the south-east. Incidentally, the same list concluded by making especially favourable reference to The Anvil , not a parish magazine but reaching an increasing number of readers all over the country . The Anvil was the creation of the Rev. Marcus Morris of Birkdale , near Liverpool, who subsequently established Eagle magazine and other weekly titles for children. The format of
10400-527: Was made from the Churches of Christ in 1993 when the group 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 "original" Churches of Christ. In September 1995, the Washington Post reported that for every three members joining the church, two left, attributing this statistic to church officials. Growth in
10504-433: Was mandatory. All disciples (i.e., baptized members) had to be paired with and mentored by a more mature Christian . They had to check in with their discipler frequently, such as daily or weekly, and was held accountable by them. This included the activities and Church contribution a disciple would give (typically 15-30% including "special contribution) . Disciples were also held accountable for how many new people they met on
10608-417: 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. International Churches of Christ The International Churches of Christ ( ICOC )
10712-474: Was renamed the Boston Church 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
10816-422: Was wrong on some of my initial thoughts about biblical authority". Al Baird, former ICOC spokesperson adds, "It's not a dictatorship," ; "It's a theocracy, with God on top." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in 1996 that "The group is considered so aggressive and authoritarian in its practices that other evangelical Protestant groups have labeled it 'aberrational' and 'abusive'. It has been repudiated by
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