The International Christian Church (ICC) is a religious movement that began in the 1980s as an offshoot of the mainline Church of Christ. The ICC has been controversial due to its controlling and cult-like practices. Here is an overview of the ICC’s history, beliefs, and practices.
History of the ICC
The ICC emerged from a movement called the Crossroads Movement, led by a preacher named Chuck Lucas. In 1967, Lucas started a new ministry to reach hippie youth in Gainesville, Florida. This ministry grew into the Crossroads Movement, which planted new churches across the U.S. using aggressive and confrontational evangelism techniques. By the late 1970s, Crossroads had over 100 churches and 50,000 members.
In 1985, Kip McKean and a group of Crossroads leaders split off to form their own group, which became known as the International Churches of Christ (ICC). McKean criticized Crossroads for lacking commitment and zeal. He pushed for more demanding standards in the ICC, including disciplined outreach programs, strict membership requirements, and centralized leadership. Under McKean’s authoritarian leadership style, the ICC grew rapidly through aggressive evangelism campaigns on college campuses.
By the late 1990s, the ICC claimed over 185,000 members with churches in 171 countries. However, controversy mounted due to the group’s cult-like control over members. Leaders exercised rigid authority, and members needed their permission to date, get married, or make life decisions. In 2002, over 100,000 members left the ICC. McKean stepped down as leader, and the organization attempted reforms.
Today the ICC continues under more local leadership, though some controlling elements still remain. There are an estimated 110,000 members in 650 congregations worldwide. The church goes by various names, including the Boston Movement, the London Church of Christ, and the San Diego Church of Christ.
Beliefs and Practices of the ICC
The International Christian Church holds to basic evangelical theology with an emphasis on ecclesiology. They see themselves as the one true church established to prepare for the second coming of Christ. Here are some key beliefs and practices:
Baptismal Regeneration
The ICC teaches that water baptism is essential for salvation. They believe baptism remits sins and adds a person to the true church. They cite verses like Acts 2:38, John 3:5, and 1 Peter 3:21 to support this view. Based on this belief, they re-baptize Christians who join from other churches.
Autonomous Ecclesiology
Each ICC congregation is self-governing under its own elders and deacons. They reject denominational hierarchies and affiliations. However, critics argue the ICC functions like a rigid denomination due to its centralized control and uniformity across congregations.
Elder Leadership Model
Congregations are led by a group of elders who make decisions by consensus. Elders are usually selected from a pool of older, seasoned members. The ICC teaches that God grants elders authority to shepherd the church (Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17).
Discipling Relationships
Every member gets paired with a “discipler” who mentors them in spiritual growth and accountability. Disciplers control many aspects of a member’s life and report back to church leaders. This hierarchical discipleship structure undergirds the ICC’s authority system.
Aggressive Evangelism
Members are required to participate in disciplined outreach programs aimed at baptizing new converts. Recruiting new members is top priority. Common outreach tactics include street evangelism, campus outreach, and new member follow-up studies.
Total Commitment
The ICC preaches “true discipleship” demanding members’ full commitment and obedience. This often leads to a legalistic environment pressuring conformity. Members who don’t meet expectations may be publicly reprimanded or shunned.
Congregational Unity
The ICC stresses unity within and between its congregations. Members who foster division or disunity are disciplined. This emphasis on unity has produced conformity across ICC churches worldwide.
No Clergy-Laity Distinction
The ICC rejects any special distinction between clergy and laity. All Christians have gifts and callings from God. However, in practice, ICC leaders still wield significant authority and control over members.
A Cappella Worship
ICC congregations sing a cappella during worship without instrumental accompaniment. They believe the New Testament gives no authorization for using instruments in the church assembly.
Controversies and Criticisms
Throughout its history, the ICC has faced heavy criticism and controversy for its cult-like practices, including:
- Authoritarian leadership structure
- Controlling member’s lives through discipling
- Enforcing rigid conformity to ICC standards
- Public shaming and shunning of non-conforming members
- Claiming to be the one true church
- Forbidding outside friendships and contacts
- Mandating that members ask permission for life decisions like jobs, education, marriage, etc.
- Pressuring recruits to detach from family who aren’t members
Critics, including many ex-members, have accused the ICC of being a cult that uses mind control, emotional manipulation, and abuse of authority. The church underwent reforms in the early 2000s to curtail some of these practices. However, problems still remain due to ingrained authoritarian attitudes.
Presence on College Campuses
One reason the ICC expanded so rapidly was its active recruitment on college campuses. ICC members systematically target students through various outreach efforts:
- Student mixers, parties, and social events
- Bible studies advertised as open forums
- Leafleting, posters, and banners
- Dorm-storming invites
- Approaching students in high-traffic areas
- Leveraging student religious clubs for access
Once students show interest, they receive intense one-on-one recruitment from ICC members. This includes repeated studies and constant contact until the student commits to membership. Tactics are often aggressive with the goal of baptizing students before they go home for school breaks.
School officials have sometimes banned ICC groups from campus for harassing students. But most campuses allow their presence under religious freedom policies. Students should be aware that friendly invitations often disguise the ICC’s ultimate motives.
Comparison to Mainline Churches of Christ
The ICC emerged from the mainline Churches of Christ but soon diverged from its parent movement. Here are some key differences:
- The mainline CofC rejects authoritative hierarchies, while the ICC adopted a rigid authority structure.
- The CofC stresses autonomy of local congregations, while the ICC functions as a centralized, uniform organization.
- The CofC has a diversity of attitudes on issues like worship styles, while the ICC demands conformity across all congregations.
- The ICC emphasizes discipleship structures and discipling relationships foreign to the CofC.
- The CofC promotes unity among Christian churches, while the ICC believes it is the only true church.
These differences have led the mainline Churches of Christ to disassociate from the ICC as an aberrant movement. Most CofC congregations view the ICC as a cult-like group outside mainstream Christianity.
Reasons for Concern
The ICC raises several concerns that students, families, and others should consider when encountering this group:
- Their controlling practices can limit members’ personal and intellectual freedom.
- Their teachings foster an elitist view that they are the only true Christians.
- Their aggression and manipulation in recruitment raise ethical concerns.
- Their top-down authority structure enables abuse and limits accountability for leaders.
- Their conformity and enforcement of standards can suppress independent thinking.
While the ICC officially renounced abuse and authoritarianism in reforms enacted in the early 2000s, many underlying problems still remain. Cautious discernment is advised, especially for college students targeted for recruitment.
Conclusion
The International Christian Church began as an offshoot of the mainline Churches of Christ but soon adopted beliefs and practices found nowhere in mainline Christianity. Their authoritarian structure, elitist ecclesiology, aggressive outreach methods, and controlling discipling relationships have raised valid concerns.
The ICC promises community, mentorship, and purpose for new converts. But their conformity-oriented system also risks limiting personal freedom and stunting intellectual growth. Students and families should carefully weigh these factors when the ICC comes recruiting on campus or in their community.