International Churches of Christ

The International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is a body of

International Churches of
decentralized, co-operating,[5] religiously conservative and
Christ
racially integrated[6] Christian congregations. Beginning with
30 members, they grew to 37,000 members within the first 12
years. In June 2022, the ICOC numbered their members at
118,094.[7] A formal break was made from the Churches of
Christ in 1993 with the organization of the International
Churches of Christ.[8]: 418

Its churches are located in 147 nations.[6] They consider

themselves non-denominational.[6] They are structured with the
intent to avoid two extremes: "overly centralised authority" on
An International Church of Christ
the one side and "disconnected autonomy" on the other
worship service
side.[6][9] In 2000, it was described as "[a] fast-growing
Christian organization known for aggressive proselytizing to Classification Protestant[1]
[US] college students" and as "one of the most controversial Orientation Restorationist
religious groups on campus".[10] The largest congregation, the
Polity Congregationalist
Los Angeles Church of Christ, has over 6000 members.[11]
The largest church service was held in 2012 at the AT&T Associations HOPE Worldwide[2]
Center in San Antonio, Texas, during a World Discipleship Disciples Today[3]
Summit, with 17,800 in attendance.[12][13] IPI Books[4]

Former members of the church have alleged that it is a cult[14] Region Global (144 nations)
and have accused it, along with the International Christian ["https://icocco-
Church, of covering up sexual abuse of children.[15][16] Janja op.org/church-list/"]
Lalich, an academic expert on cults and coercion, has stated
Official website International
that in her view, the ICOC has at minimum some of the
Churches of Christ
"hallmarks of a cult".[15] As of August 2023, the church was
(http://www.disciplest
the subject of multiple lawsuits.[16][14]
oday.org)

History

Origins in the Stone-Campbell Movement

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 a number of
branches of the Restoration movement and the ICoC was formed
from within the Churches of Christ.[17] Specifically, it was born
Crossroads Church of Christ in
1970s.
from a discipling movement that arose among the Churches of Christ during the 1970s.[8] This discipling
movement developed in the campus ministry of Chuck Lucas.[8]

In 1967, Chuck Lucas was minister of the 14th Street Church of Christ in Gainesville, Florida (later
renamed 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 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".[18]

The ministry grew as younger members appreciated many of the new emphases on commitment and
models for communal activity. This activity became identified by many with 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.[19]

From Gainesville to Boston: 1970s–1980s

Among the early converts at Gainesville was a student named Kip McKean who had been personally
mentored by Chuck Lucas. Thomas 'Kip' McKean, born in Indianapolis,[20] 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 the fastest growing Church
of Christ campus ministry in America.[17] 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 the 'Boston Movement'.[17] According to journalist Madeleine Bower, "the group
became renowned for its extreme views and rigid teaching of the Bible, but mainstream churches quickly
disavowed the group".[21]

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 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;
a number of universities banned ICOC recruiters; and ICOC became a prominent target of media and
anticult group opposition".[22]

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 the future
personality types.[23][24][25] 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.[23][24] 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 is a group
dynamic operating in that congregation that influences its members to change their personalities to conform
to the group norm".[26]

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 the leader of the movement.[27] It was at this
time that the Boston church initiated its program of outreach to the poor called HopeWorldwide.[2] Also in
1988 McKean, finding that running the organization single-handedly had become unwieldy, selected a
handful of men that he and Elena, his wife, had personally trained and named them World Sector
Leaders.[28] 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 the new church "planted" (a euphemism the church uses for "established")[29] some months earlier.
Within a few years Los Angeles, not Boston, was the fulcrum of the movement.[27]

The ICoC: 1990s

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.[8]: 419 By the early
1990s some first-generation leaders had become disillusioned by
the movement and left.[8]: 419 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.[17] TIME magazine ran a full-page story The Evangelization Proclamation,
on the movement in 1992 calling them "one of the world's fastest- issued in 1994, pledged that the
growing and most innovative bands of Bible thumpers" that had ICOC would establish a church in
grown into "a global empire of 103 congregations from California every major country within six years.
to Cairo with total Sunday attendance of 50,000".[30] A formal
break was made from the Churches of Christ in 1993 when the
group organized under the name "International Churches of Christ." [8]: 419 This new designation
formalized a division that was already in existence between those involved with the Crossroads/Boston
Movement and "original" Churches of Christ.[8]: 418 [31] Growth in the ICOC was not without criticism.[32]
Other names that have been used for this movement include the "Crossroads movement," "Multiplying
Ministries," and the "Discipling Movement".[18] Since each city had a single church, its membership might
be large and geographically disperse; if so, it was divided into regions and then sectors of perhaps a few
small suburban communities. This governing system attracted criticism as overly-authoritarian,[33] although
the ICOC denied this charge. "It's not a dictatorship," said Al Baird, former ICOC spokesperson; "It's a
theocracy, with God on top."[30]

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 the mainstream Churches of Christ, a 1.6 million-member body from which it
grew".[34]

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.[17] By 1999, the Los Angeles church reached a Sunday
attendance of 14,000.[27] By 2001, 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.[17]

The ICoC: 2000s

Once the fastest-growing Christian movement in the United States, membership growth slowed during the
later half of the 1990s.[35] In 2000, the ICOC announced the completion of its six-year initiative to establish
a church in every country with a population over 100,000.[28][36] 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.[17] 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.[27] 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 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 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 the source of his decision.[17]

Referring to this event, McKean said:

This, along with my leadership sins of arrogance, and not protecting the weak caused
uncertainty in my leadership.[37]

The period following McKean's departure included a number of changes in the ICoC. Some changes were
initiated from the leaders themselves and others brought through members.[38] 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.[38]

Critics of the ICOC claim that Kip McKean's resignation sparked numerous problems.[39] 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.[40][41] According to the paper, "the ICOC has attempted to address the following
concerns: a top down hierarchy, discipling techniques, and sectarianism".[42] In the years following
McKean's resignation, the central leadership was replaced with "the co-operation agreement" with over
90% of the churches affirming to this new system of global co-ordination.[43]
Over time, McKean attempted to re-assert his leadership over the ICOC, yet was rebuffed. The Elders,
Evangelists and Teachers wrote a letter to McKean expressing concern that there had been "no repentance"
from his publicly acknowledged leadership weaknesses.[44] McKean then began to criticize some of the
changes that were being made, as he did in the 1980s toward Mainline Churches of Christ.[45] After
attempting to divide the ICOC he was disfellowshipped in 2006[45][46] and founded a church that he called
the International Christian Church.[45]

The ICOC: 2020 plans

In 2010 the Evangelists Service Team formulated a "2020

vision plan", that all the regional families of churches
have a plan to evangelize their geographic area of the
world. The plan encompasses the need to strengthen
existing small churches and plant new churches.[47]
The Johannesburg Church of Christ Choir
They plan to build and strengthen those churches through
a "best-practices" approach to ministry: oversee and
support those churches through strong regional relationships and provide additional training for their
ministers and congregations through the newly formed "Ministry Training Academy" being rolled out
across the world, and provide global co-ordination and co-operation through "Service Teams" that
specialize in "Campus Ministry", "Youth & Family Ministry" and other specialized ministries.[48]

Church governance
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.[49][50] Mike
Taliaferro, from San Antonio Texas, says "The co-operation plan is
a far better way of co-ordinating and unifying a church family of The 2000-member church in Jakarta,
the size and global nature of the ICOC. No longer can one man Indonesia
make sweeping decisions that affect all the churches, considering
that many of those churches he may never have visited. Building
unity and consensus through prayer and discussion takes time but is
worth it. The spiritual fruit of the Delegates Conference in
Budapest is testimony to the success of this much less authoritarian
approach to that which we had in the past."[51] "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.[49]
The Church in Singapore, which
numbers over 1000 congregants
One church
The ICOC holds that the Bible teaches the existence of a single universal church. One implication of this
doctrine is that, while Christians may separate themselves into different, disunified churches (as opposed to
just geographically separated congregations), it is not actually biblically right to do so. While no one claims
to know who exactly is part of "the universal church" and who is not, the ICOC believes that anyone who
follows the plan of salvation as laid out in the scriptures is added by God to his "One Universal
Church".[52]

This 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.[53]: 23, 24 [54][55] 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
is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one."[56]: 688

Ministry Training Academy

The current education and ministerial training program in the ICOC is the Ministry Training Academy
(MTA). The MTA consists 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.[57]

ICOC's relationship with mainstream Churches of Christ

With the resignation of McKean, some efforts at reconciliation 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 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. Harding University is contemplating a distance learning
program geared toward those ministers who were trained in the International Churches of Christ.[58] A
video chronicling the "First forty years of the ICOC" details these developments.[59]

Beliefs and practices of the ICOC

Beliefs

The ICOC considers 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
the Day of Pentecost as described in Acts 2 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Acts%202&version=nrsv).
They believe that anyone who follows the plan of salvation as laid out in the scriptures is saved by the
grace of God. They are a family of over 700 churches spread across 155 nations of the World. They are
racially integrated congregations made up of a diversity of people from various age groups, economic, and
social backgrounds. They believe Jesus came to break down the dividing wall of hostility between the races
and people groups of this world and unite mankind under the Lordship of Christ (Ephesians 2:11-
22).[60][61][62]

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. Christians
ought to be united.[63] The ICOC like the Christian Church, in contrast to the CoC, consider permissible
practices that the New Testament does not expressly forbid.[64]

Pepperdine University, affiliated with Churches of Christ, published a document in 2010 highlighting the
core beliefs of the ICOC that are shared with its counterpart:

GOD: FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT

1. The eternal purpose of any Christian is to know God and to glorify him as God,
and let our life shine so others will see God. Our devotion and ultimate loyalties
are to the Father, who is over all and in all and through all; to Jesus the Son, who
has been declared both Lord and Christ; and to the Holy Spirit, who lives in us
and empowers us to overcome the workings of the sinful nature (Acts 2.22–36,
Rom 8.12–28).
2. The cornerstone of our faith is our belief in Jesus Christ. Everything we hold
dear in our faith originates from his words and his way of life (John 3.16, John
12.47–48, I John 2.5–6).
3. The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God. It is sharp, powerful,
effective, challenging, exposing, and encouraging when it is revered, studied,
preached, taught, and obeyed because it is from our Creator and therefore
relevant for all generations (1 Tim 4.13, 2 Tim 3.16–17,4.1–5, Heb 4.12–13).

GOSPEL: THE WORK OF GOD

4. Our salvation totally depends on the work of God, prompted by his own mercy
and grace, not our good deeds. That work redeems those who hear, believe and
obey the Gospel message through baptism into Christ through their faith in God's
power and continue to remain faithful unto death (Rom 2.7, Acts 2.22–37, Eph
2.8–10, Col 2.12, Heb 10.32–39, Jas 1.12).
5. Our earthly mission involves every member's participation in the Great
Commission to "Seek and save what was lost," in bringing the good news of
Jesus Christ to all parts of the world. As we go about this mission, our testimony
must be consistent with a Christ-like life of doing good deeds and supporting and
encouraging other Christians and churches around the world. In imitation of
Jesus' mission, we are committed to remembering the poor by demonstrating
compassion to those who suffer by regularly doing whatever we can to lessen
their burdens and supporting group benevolent efforts through international
agencies such as HOPE worldwide and others (Matt 28.19–20, Acts 10.37–38,
Col 3.1–6, Luke 19.10, Gal 2.10, Jas 1.27).
6. Our motivation to love God, love each other and love the lost is prompted by
God's love for us, demonstrated in its greatest form by the sacrificial death of
Jesus Christ on a cross for our behalf (2 Cor 5.14–21,1 John 3.16, Luke
10.27).[65]
The ICOC teaches that "Christians are saved by the grace of God, through faith in Christ, at baptism."[6]
Scriptures used to support this view include Ephesians 2:10 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Ephesians%
202:10&version=nrsv), Romans 3:22 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Romans%203:22&version=nrsv),
Acts 2:38 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Acts%202:38&version=nrsv) and Matthew 28:18–20 (https://
bible.oremus.org/?passage=Matthew%2028:18–20&version=nrsv).[6] They claim that "faith alone" is not
sufficient, supported by James 2:14–26 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=James%202:14–26&version=nrs
v), unless an individual by faith obeys God in baptism, believing that baptism is necessary for the
forgiveness of sins. The ICOC maintains that anyone, anywhere, who follows God's plan of salvation as
found in the scriptures is saved.[6]

The ICOC teaches on the basis of James 2:20–26 (https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=James%202:20–26&v

ersion=nrsv) that the "Sinner's Prayer" is not biblical.[6] Steven Francis Staten argues that the sinner's
prayer represents "a belief system and a salvation practice that no one had ever held until relatively
recently."[66] The evangelical preacher Francis Chan has made statements that contradict the sinner's prayer
and emphasizes baptism and the Holy Spirit.[67] David Platt, head pastor of The Church at Brook Hills and
author of the book Radical in an article in Christianity Today: "Is it possible for people to say they believe
in Jesus, to say they have accepted Jesus, to say that they have received Jesus, but they are not saved and
will not enter the kingdom of heaven? Is it possible? Absolutely, it's possible. It's not just possible; it is
probable". While he affirmed that people calling out to God with repentant faith is fundamental to being
saved, he said his comments about the "sinner's prayer" have been deeply motivated "by a concern for
authentic conversions".[68]

In agreement with the prevailing view in the Churches of Christ, and Restoration Movement the ICoC
believes that it is necessary to have an understanding of Baptism's role in salvation.[69]

Practices

Sunday worship

A typical Sunday morning service involves singing, praying,

preaching, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. An unusual
element of ICOC tradition is the lack of established church
buildings. Congregations meet in rented spaces: hotel conference
rooms, schools, public auditoriums, conference centers, small
stadiums, or rented halls, depending on the number of parishioners.
Though the church is not static, neither is it "ad hoc" — the leased An ICOC Church Service in the
locale is converted into a Worship Facility. "From an organizational Boston Garden. Prior to the building's
standpoint, it's a great idea", observes Boston University Chaplain demolition in 1998, the
Bob Thornburg. "They put very little money into buildings...You Massachusetts congregation held
put your money into people who reach out to more people in order Sunday services in the Boston
to help them become Christians."[70] Garden arena.[18]

This practice of not owning buildings changed when the Tokyo

Church of Christ became the first ICOC church to build its own church building. This building was
designed by the Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki.[71] This became an example for other ICOC churches
to follow suit.

One Year Challenge

To provide an international service opportunity for college-age students, the ICOC has a program called the
"One Year Challenge" (OYC), where graduating students take a year off and go and serve another church
in the Third World[72] or a recently planted church in the First World looking to reach younger people with
the gospel.[73] The One Year Challenge program currently operates in ten countries, including: China,
Taiwan, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Haiti, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, The U.K. and The U.S.[74]

Discipling

Discipling entails 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".[75]

Kip McKean, who was the leader of the ICOC until 2001, said:

I believe it is biblical for us to imitate the relationship Jesus had with the apostles and the
relationships they had with one another. For example, the apostles had a student/teacher or
younger brother/older brother relationship with Jesus. They also had adult/adult relationships
with each other. Jesus paired the apostles for the mission. (Matthew 10) Both types of
relationships are essential to lead people to maturity. Another text that demonstrates the
student/teacher relationship is in Titus 2 where the older women are to train the younger
women.

— Kip McKean[30]

According to Kathleen E. Jenkins's ethnography of the church, McKean viewed discipling as "the most
efficient way to achieve the movement's stated goal: 'to evangelize the world in one generation'".[76]

The church's emphasis on discipling has been the subject of criticism. A number of ex-members have
expressed problems with discipling in the ICOC.[26] Critics and former members allege that discipling
"involved public scorn as a way to humiliate vulnerable members, to keep them humble".[77]

US college campuses
The ICOC has a history of over fifty years of evangelizing on
college campuses.[48]

U.S. News & World Report ran an article in 2000 discussing

proselytizing on college campuses. The article's author, Carolyn
Kleiner, describes the ICOC as "[a] fast-growing Christian
organization known for aggressive proselytizing to college
students" and as "one of the most controversial religious groups on The ICMC held in Chicago in 2009
campus". Kleiner states that "some ex-members and experts on
mind-control assert [it] is a cult". Furthermore, "[a]t least 39
institutions, including Harvard and Georgia State, have outlawed the organization at one time or another for
violating rules against door-to-door recruiting, say, or harassment." In response to the question "A zealous
group to be sure, but is it a cult?", U.S. News & World Report also quotes ICOC spokesperson Al Baird,
who says "We're no more a cult than Jesus was a cult" and Professor Jeffrey K. Hadden, who agrees with
Baird, saying "every new religion experiences a high level of tension with society because its beliefs and
ways are unfamiliar. But most, if they survive, we come to accept as part of the religious landscape".[10]
Academics have complained that their students who get involved with the group tend lose interest in their
studies.[78]

Court cases and lawsuits

The Central Christian Church in Singapore, a part of the ICOC family of churches, won a court case
(SINGAPORE HIGH COURT – SUIT NOs 846 and 848 of 1992 Judges LAI KEW CHAI J Date 29
August 1994 Citation [1995] 1 SLR 115) in which the judge ruled against a newspaper that had accused
the Church of being a cult. An expert on religious studies testified that the Central Christian Church's
practices were "neither strange, unnatural or harmful."[79]

Since December 2022, the ICOC along with Kip McKean and the International Christian Churches have
been named in a number of lawsuits, alleging 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.[16] Two lawsuits were filed on 13 July before Los Angeles County Court, based on allegations
that first appeared in six federal lawsuits filed in December 2022 and early 2023. The federal lawsuits were
withdrawn by the plaintiffs in July 2023. According to a report in Rolling Stone, the plaintiffs' "attorney
says they plan to temporarily shelve federal RICO claims related to the alleged 'pyramid scheme' and to
refile all of them — with an emphasis on the abuse claims — in state courts".[14]

See also
Christianity portal

Churches of Christ
History of Christianity
Restorationism
Second Great Awakening
Non-denominational Christianity
John Oakes (apologist)

Notes
1. “Though some in the Movement have been reluctant to label themselves Protestants, the
Stone-Campbell Movement is in the direct lineage of the Protestant Reformation. Especially
shaped by Reformed theology through its Presbyterian roots, the Movement also shares
historical and theological traits with Anglican and Anabaptist forebears." Douglas Allen
Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, "Protestant Reformation", in 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
2. "HOPE worldwide" (http://www.hopeww.org). hopeww.org.
3. "Disciples Today" (https://disciplestoday.org). International Churches of Christ. Retrieved
6 September 2023.
4. "IP > Featured Items" (http://www.ipibooks.com). ipibooks.com.
 5. ICOC Cooperation Service Team Chairmen (28 August 2009). "Plan for United Cooperation
Summary" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130925220131/http://www.icocco-op.org/content/v
iew/85/65/). icocco-op.org. International Churches of Christ Co-operation Churches.
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References
Jenkins, Kathleen E. (2005). Awesome Families: The Promise of Healing Relationships in
the International Churches of Christ. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
ISBN 9780813536637. JSTOR j.ctt5hj239 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hj239).

External links
Official website (http://www.dtoday.net/)
Official history (http://www.icochistory.org/)

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