Kip McKean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thomas "Kip" McKean (born May 31, 1954) is a Christian preacher, religion reformer, and a formerly influential leader in the International Churches of Christ. Currently, he is the minister of the City of Angels International Christian Church and head of the International Christian Churches organization, which has also been called the "Portland Movement".

Contents

[edit] Early life and family

The son of an admiral, McKean was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is purportedly named after his ancestor Thomas McKean, signer of the Declaration of Independence. McKean married Havana-born Elena Garcia-Bengochea on December 11, 1976. She is presently the Women's’ Ministry Leader in the City of Angels International Christian Church. They have three children, Olivia, Sean and Eric.[1]

[edit] From Gainesville to the Boston Church of Christ

McKean was baptized as a Christian in 1972 while a freshman at the University of Florida in Gainesville. His mentor, Charles H. "Chuck" Lucas, was the evangelist of the 14th Street Church of Christ, part of the mainstream Churches of Christ, a 19th Century movement with aspirations toward a return to "First Century Christianity" as practiced in the New Testament. The church moved into a larger building with a new name, the Crossroads Church of Christ, and, through an aggressive student-based evangelism program Lucas had established, they made many new converts (along with a number of community and campus detractors) as its membership quickly grew. In 1975, McKean left Gainesville as part of a campus ministry program called "Campus Advance". Two years later, at the Memorial Drive Church of Christ in Tulsa, OK, McKean lost financial and church eldership support and moved on to other congregations. McKean became head of the Lexington (Massachusetts) Church of Christ in 1979 and carried on Lucas' brand of church ministry that focused on evangelism. The church grew rapidly and soon became the Boston Church of Christ. The Boston church then expanded its influence among other Churches of Christ, becoming known as "the Boston Movement" and, eventually, the International Churches of Christ, with McKean and his wife Elena considered the highest authority within the hierarchy of the movement. In 1990, the McKeans moved to Los Angeles to lead the Los Angeles Church of Christ, where they presided over the rapid growth of the ICOC throughout the 1990s.[2]

[edit] Resignation

In 2001, after much internal questioning of his leadership and following a fallout from both outside the Church and within it regarding many leaders' purportedly well-meaning but often intrusive and controlling methods of "discipling the body of Christ", Kip McKean announced that he was taking a sabbatical to focus on "marriage and family issues". In 2002, the McKeans announced their resignations as head of the Los Angeles church.[3]

[edit] Portland movement

A year later in 2003, they moved to Portland, Oregon to lead the Portland International Church of Christ. Since 2005, the congregations under Kip McKean's leadership have been considered separate from other International Church of Christ congregations and they have shown a tendency to call their organization within a city "International Christian Church".[4] This group under Kip McKean's influence has been called the "Portland Movement". In 2007, McKean moved to Los Angeles to lead a congregation of his new movement known as the City of Angels International Christian Church.[5]

[edit] Controversy and criticism

McKean was a figure in Steven Hassan's popular book on cults, Combatting Cult Mind Control. Many former members of McKean's churches claim they were manipulated to join the churches and to give money. McKean continues to be a controversial figure within the Churches of Christ.

[edit] References

  1. ^ tolc.org A Christian community falters - Loss of leader, governing body hurts group formed in Boston, by Farah Stockman, Boston Globe, 17 May 2003.
  2. ^ Short history of the ICOC
  3. ^ Kip McKean Resignation Letter Wednesday, November 6, 2002
  4. ^ Smallest groups that current affiliated with Kip McKean and the "Portland movement"
  5. ^ Kip McKean Starts The International Christian Churches

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] News and Opinions

[edit] Generally positive

[edit] Generally critical

Languages