International Christian Church
| International Christian Church | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Christian, Restorationist, Christian Fundamentalism, Non-Denominational |
| Orientation | Whole Bible, Discipleship |
| Polity | non-congregationalist |
| Associations | MERCYworldwide, UpSideDown21, Discipleship Media, International College of Christian Ministries |
| Region | 31 nations |
| Founder | Thomas McKean & Elena McKean |
| Origin | 2006 Portland, Oregon |
| Separated from | International Churches of Christ |
| Members | Claimed: 5,000 |
The International Christian Church (ICC) is a conservative fundamentalist Christian denomination. One of the foundational beliefs of the church is "the evangelization of all nations in one generation." Beginning in 2006 with 800 members in 16 churches, now eleven years later the ICC claims a worldwide membership of 5,000. The ICC's primary pillar church is in Los Angeles California and is currently lead by Tim & Lianne Kernan.
The International Christian Church, which refers to itself as the "Sold-out Discipling Movement" (SODM) was formed in 2006 by Kip McKean after his dismissal from the International Churches of Christ (ICOC). McKean sent out a mission team to begin a new congregation in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2006 and then led a team to Los Angeles in 2007 to start the City of Angels ICC..
In August 2008, the Portland International Christian Church, the founding church of the ICC, made the decision to break ties with McKean and the ICC. The church chose to realign itself with the ICOC family of churches. Four other churches, initially listed with the Portland Movement, followed Portland's lead and disassociated themselves from the International Christian Churches. Not only churches are distancing themselves from the SODM, members themselves leave in large numbers. As one of the ICC Evangelists wrote:
Each new member is taught the foundation of the Bible through a series of studies that emphasize a personal relationship with God, the necessity of discipleship within the christian life, and the importance of being involved in a christian community. The church also takes each member through classes about baptism and repentance of sin. Additionally these classes are offered annually to the church as a whole to teach members how to conduct them within their individual communities.
The general practice of the church is to publish a weekly "Good News email" which discusses the people joining the church. Websites themed "Why I left the ICC" have sprung up to provide another perspective of all the people leaving the church. The International Churches of Christ disfellowshipped McKean due to similar complaints of unbiblical leadership practices.
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