Thomas McKean
Personal details
Born (1954-05-31) May 31, 1954
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 former minister of the International Churches of Christ and is a current minister of the City of Angels International Christian Church and World Missions Evangelist of the International Christian Churches, also known as the "Portland/Sold-Out Discipling Movement".[1]

Lexington Church of Christ

McKean moved to the Boston area in 1979 and began working in the Lexington Church of Christ.[2]: 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.[2]: 418 

The 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.[3] 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.[4]

A formal break was made from the mainline Churches of Christ in 1993 when the movement organized under the name "International Churches of Christ."[2]: 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.[2]: 418 [5]

In 1990, the McKeans moved to Los Angeles to lead the Los Angeles International Church of Christ, where they presided through the 1990s.[6]

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.[3] 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.[7] 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.[3] 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.[8]

One year later, In November 2002, McKean announced his resignations from his roles as World Missions Evangelist and leader of the world sector leaders.[9] 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."[10] A year earlier one of his children had left the church.[11] 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."[11] 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.[12]

His resignation was acknowledged by a letter from the elders the following day.[13]

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.[14] The period following McKean's resignation from leadership and departure was followed by a number of changes in the ICOC.[3]

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."[15][16][17] 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.[18]

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.[19]

In 2008, McKean began the benevolent arm of the movement: Mercy WorldWide.[18] [20]

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."[18][21]

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".[22] The federal lawsuits were withdrawn by the plaintiffs in July 2023[23] and replaced by four Los Angeles Superior Court Cases with similar claims of sexual abuse of minors [Case Nos. 23STCV16423, 23STCV16430, 23STCV18426 and 23STCV24432].[23][24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kip McKean.org » Biography of Kip McKean". kipmckean.org. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stanback, C. Foster. Into All Nations: A History of the International Churches of Christ. IPI, 2005
  4. ↑ Ostling, Richard N (May 18, 1992). "Keepers of the Flock". Time.
  5. ↑ 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
  6. ↑ "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)
  7. ↑ Wilson, John F. "The International Church of Christ: A Historical Overview." Leaven (Pepperdine University), 2010: 1-5
  8. ↑ "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)
  9. ↑ Kip McKean, Kip McKean Resignation Letter, November 6, 2002
  10. ↑ "Boston movement' founder quits". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  11. 1 2 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.
  12. ↑ "Kip McKean Resigns".
  13. ↑ Al Baird and Bob Gempel, Elders' response to McKean Resignation, November 7, 2002
  14. ↑ Harding, Ron. "The Biography of Kip McKean" kipmckean.com. June 18, 2012
  15. ↑ Kim McKean, Partners In The Gospel (Part 1), UpsideDown21 Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 12/06/2013)
  16. ↑ Kip McKean, Partners In The Gospel (Part 2), UpsideDown21 Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 12/06/2013)
  17. ↑ Kip McKean, Partners In The Gospel (Part 3), UpsideDown21 Archived 2015-08-25 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 12/06/2013)
  18. 1 2 3 Harding, Ronald (15 October 2020). The Untold Story: Chronicles Of Modern-Day Christianity. SOPI. ISBN 979-8698411703.
  19. ↑ "Author explores past experiences with Boston movement". Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  20. ↑ "Mercy Worldwide Splash Page Splash Page". Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  21. ↑ "International Christian Church Splash Page". Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  22. ↑ Yeung, Ngai; Moskow, Sam (2023-02-28). "Church leaders concealed sexual abuse of young children, lawsuits allege". Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  23. 1 2 Marks, Andrea (3 August 2023). "This Church Promised to Save Their Souls. Defectors Say It Was a 'Cult'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Case Summary - Online Services -LA Court". Los Angeles County Superior Court-Case Search. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
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