London International Christian Church: An Extensive Review

I first encountered the London International Christian Church around 2018-2019 and initially concluded they were a cult. At that time, I left a Google review of my experience to warn others away from their grips. I've made a copy of that Google review for full transparency and disclosure.

My investigation surrounding the church began last year when a concerned family member contacted me after reading my Google review. This family member, deeply distressed, wanted to know more about the church. That concern from a stranger prompted me to research and write a more nuanced response.

This article is my attempt to document who they are, what they believe, arguments against their doctrines, why some people conclude they are a cult, and offer up my advice on how you can respond to them.

This task was no easy feat. On one side you have information published and controlled from within the organisation, which is largely uncritical of itself, whereas on the other side there is personal testimony of former members who, for one reason or another, are fiercely critical of both the old and new movements.

These polar extremes make it hard to reach informed conclusions. Therefore, my ambition while writing this article has been to avoid both heaps; it is both critical, and yet, impersonal in tone. It is rooted in my concern for the safety of people, and a desire to share my deeply held theological beliefs.

What is the history of the movement?

International Churches of Christ (ICOC) and International Christian Churches (ICC) are both splintered off from the Mainline Churches of Christ, which began as part of the Restoration Movement. This restoration movement is often credited to two individuals in particular, Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell.

Stone and Campbell, along with several others, were distressed by the increasing number of denominations and divides within the church. They sought to unify these many churches together, hence the name 'Restoration Movement'. To achieve success, they agreed to set Christ as their example, Scripture as their authority, discard all church tradition, and declare independence. Hence, they became a non-denominational autonomous group of churches with self-governance.

While restoration was the intention of Stone-Campbell, Kip McKean appears to have taken a different direction from the 1980s onwards. Tremendous success in his campus ministry emboldened him. He appears to have elevated himself to an extrabiblical title of World Mission Evangelist and then spent the past 44 years teaching others his private interpretation, which the church is founded upon, and is the only valid way of reading scripture or attaining salvation. He teaches this through his First Principles course.

Many things set his movement apart from the Churches of Christ, but two beliefs are particularly noteworthy:

1. His movement is made of true disciples; only they are true Christians.

2. Churches should be governed by a central leader without autonomy.

Most doctrinal beliefs (baptismal regeneration, doctrine of trinity, the divinity of Christ, the Bible as authority, and evangelising the nations) all persisted from the mainline Churches of Christ, and there are practically no doctrinal differences between the ICOC and ICC.

The main difference between his former movement and the current movement, according to an article they published but since removed, is that their leadership makes decisions with more prayer, mercy, and grace than the former movement.

Who are the leaders of the London International Christian Church?

The London International Christian Church (LICC) is part of the SoldOut Discipling movement, led by Kip McKean. It is the spiritual sequel to the Central London Church of Christ (CLCOC), which may be known to others as the London International Church of Christ (LICOC), which was part of the Boston Movement when it was led by Kip McKean between 1979 and 2001.

Kip McKean, alongside his wife, Elena McKean, resigned after their daughter 'fell from the faith', which led to a major decline in the former movement. News of their resignation came at a time when the church faced numerous allegations of bullying and manipulation. Kip's resignation letter admitted his sins were 'arrogance', 'anger', and that he was 'insensitive to the needs of weaker Christians and churches'. He also admitted failure to demonstrate 'humility in leadership' and for fostering 'an environment where people were afraid to speak up.' (Center for Studies on New Religions)

Years later, and long after his departure from the ICOC, serious allegations began to surface that Kip and his former leadership were aware, and protected, now convicted paedophile, David Saracino (Guardian, Daily Mail, Christian Post). Rumours of sexual misconduct, manipulation, bullying, intimidation, all linger today. An active community of former disciples continue to criticize both the former and current church leadership. One high-profile example includes allegations of protecting Jordan Ybarra, son of Stacy Ybarra, the current leader of the LICC's sister church in Phoenix.

One document that I saw states that Jordan Ybarra had been removed from fellowship and the congregation warned of his behaviour. This demonstrates some level of concern and safeguarding, which is to be commended.

Michael Williamson is the current 'Lead Evangelist' for the church and is also the 'World Sector Leader' for Europe. Williamson oversees leaders at all churches across the continent and is supported locally by a team of region leaders, each leading a number of house churches throughout the North, East, South, and West of London.

What does the London International Christian Church believe?

The LICC seem to hold many orthodox beliefs including the humanity and deity of Christ, the doctrine of trinity, and the inerrancy of Scripture. However, a number of their beliefs are at best unorthodox, and at worst a flagrant insult to denominational churches.

Below I summarise in my own words, with charity and critical restraint, their beliefs, whether explicit or implied, based on public statements by leaders within their movement. I combed through many primary sources and diligently found quotes that support the claims.

Primary sources which helped me to write these summaries include:

• My personal experience,

• Testimonies of former disciples,

• The ICC First Principles content,

• Online sermons by leaders,

• Published web documents.

Many other secondary sources contributed to my research. One indispensable resource was my Elder's copy of the now out-of-print booklet titled, 'As Angels of Light', authored by Steve Wookey. Steve, now a retired vicar, wrote his booklet in 1990 and it discusses many of the same—or similar—beliefs and practices of the Central London Church of Christ (CLCOC) as they were then.

The similarities between the movement then, and today, makes this now dated resource valuable as a historical backdrop to the movement thirty years later. I would like to thank his publisher for granting permission to upload a copy of As Angels of Light. Now, you too can benefit from his summary of the movement's beliefs in the 1990's.

You may also find it helpful to read the LICC's Five Core Convictions, which acts as a mission statement, and their What We Believe page, which is a summary of various beliefs. Accessing a copy of the First Principles course can also provide helpful insight into their beliefs, written as they would like to state them.

Without further delay, here is my summary of notable views held by all International Christian Churches, including the London International Christian Church:

1. Word of God

The LICC believes and teaches that both the Old and New Testament of the Christian Bible make up the infallible word of God. They passionately defend the claims of the Bible, and rightfully denounce relativism and subjectivity, which can come from private interpretation. This view against private interpretation is agreeable with most Christian denominations, and shared by the late great evangelical preacher, R.C. Sproul in his talk on private interpretation.

However, unlike most churches, LICC disciples must learn, memorize, and pass a quiz on a course called the First Principles.

This course, while covering passages found in Scripture, is never outwardly claimed to be the same level as Scripture. However, they also believe it is only possible to understand the Bible with the help of a discipler sharing these elementary truths. Completing this course appears to be a requirement to becoming a true disciple, which in turn is a requirement for baptism, which is itself a requirement for salvation in their systematic theology. Therefore, completing the First Principles course becomes a de facto requirement for salvation today, even if never stated as such.

One discipler, now a leader within a European church, told me it is impossible to properly understand the word of God without completing the First Principles course. In fact, all people invited to a bible study, whether aware or unaware, are being filtered into the first session of the course. A discipler sets up the study and sets out to establish a personal relationship with the new disciple—strictly for the purpose of converting them to their private interpretation of Scripture.

Lastly, they hold strong preferences that the Bible should be a physical copy. Disciples often gift a copy with a thoughtful comment if the would-be disciple does not own a copy for themselves. Digital copies are frowned upon, and leaders occasionally quip that true disciples prefer physical copies because they're not ashamed. This rationalisation verges on, if not explicitly states, all believers who use digital copies for convenience and edification are ashamed of the gospel.

'Now, you always bring the Bible to the Bible Study. And you want to make sure that he [the disciple] brings a bible. Now if he doesn't this time, you need to make sure to hold him accountable to bringing a bible. If he doesn't have one, you need to bring one for him.' Michael Williamson, in "The Word of God: First Principles Classes"

"For those of you who don't know the church has a set of studies to give someone the core foundations before making the decision to become a Christian. You don't become a Christian from birth. That's stupid, what baby goes 'I have faith in Jesus, absolutely'—no, you don't know. You don't know what sin is and if you thought "yeah I've been grown up in a Christian household I've been born as a Christian"—you're lost." Luke Snow, in "If you're Drying, you're Dying"

2. Discipleship

The London International Christian Church practices a strict form of discipleship. While most orthodox denominations use the term disciple, it carries unique significance to the LICC. They believe scripture expresses a strong relationship between the process of discipling and eternal salvation.

As part of the First Principles course, new disciples are taught "Saved = Christian = Disciple." The implication being that these three terms are identical: all who are saved are called Christians, and all who are called Christians are true disciples.

Leaders frequently state that making more disciples is evidence you are a disciple, and therefore proof you are saved. Failure to disciple more people into the kingdom suggests a heart issue, and it may even attract suspicion of your status as a true disciple.

Their strictness on discipleship, sometimes referred to by others as heavy shepherding, manifests in many ways; how disciples spend time, where they go, how they spend money, how often they date, and even which house, district, city, or country they live. Disciples who fail to comply with 'advice' of their discipler prove they have a heart issue, which may also attract scrutiny of their eternal assurance.

Disciples who commit a serious violation may become 'marked'. Other disciples, the friends you made over the years, must stay away from you. If you return to the leaders and repent, you may be 'restored' to salvation.

They consider themselves the only true disciples and frequently allude to, or outright state, that only believers in their movement truly follow Christ; all other believers are unsaved.

"...he [speaking of a fictional disciple] saw from the scriptures who is saved and who is lost, and he saw that only true disciples are those who would be saved in the Ministry of Jesus and those are the only ones who are saved in God's 21st century Ministry of Jesus." Michael Williamson, in "Light & Darkness: First Principles Classes"

"A lot of people want to be saved they just don't want nobody to have control over them, they don't want God to have control. Don't control who I date, don't control my money, don't control where I live, don't control anything but I want to be saved. You can't become a disciple that way, that is not what the Bible teaches." Michael Williamson, in "Light & Darkness: First Principles Classes"

"It doesn't say go make people that believe in Jesus, it doesn't say go make people who believe in the gospel, it says go make a disciple! A disciple! You've got to be a disciple. You've got to make a disciple... and if you haven't made a disciple, it's because you're not a disciple. It's very simple. You know you're a disciple because you're making disciples. You know you're not a disciple because you've not been made into a disciple. Made into a disciple. You've got to be made!" Michael Williamson, in "Storming The Gates of Hell"

3. Original Sin is Denied

The London International Christian Church openly teach that original sin is a false doctrine introduced into the church in 549 A.D. This date provided reflects when original sin formally entered the Catholic Church lexicon at the Council of Orange, yet it was Augustine the bishop of Hippo (354 - 430 A.D) who coined the phrase one century earlier.

It appears to me they provided this date to discredit the idea as novel, introduced much later, and which cannot be found in scripture. However, the doctrine of trinity wasn't formalised until 325 A.D at the Council of Nicaea, and the hypostatic union wasn't formalised until 451 A.D at the Council of Chalcedon. Both are doctrines they believe. The date has no effect on whether a doctrinal statement is true or false; it is either supported by the Bible or it isn't.

Their scriptural argument rests on three passages stating a son shall not be punished for their father's iniquity, nor a father for his son's iniquity (Ezekiel 18:20, Deuteronomy 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6). While they deny that sin is passed down, they do readily admit that it has consequence: your parent's sin may influence you, it may cause you to sin, it may hurt you, but you are never punished for the sins of another.

Their view on original sin stands opposed to most mainstream denominations, both those that support, and reject, infant baptism.

"There is no such thing as original sin." Michael Williamson, in "Light & Darkness: First Principles Classes"

"Ezekiel 18:20 teaches there is no original sin; each person is responsible for his own actions and will be judged accordingly. Therefore babies are born sinless and will be saved if they die." Kip McKean, in "First Principles"

"I've got to destroy the family idols in my life. The Catholic church teaches that you inherit sin—you don't. You inherit the consequences; if your dad or mum is an alcoholic there is going to be repercussions on you. There is going to be deep hurt, there is going to be abuse, there is going to be things that you need to work out in your discipleship. But you don't inherit their sin. Baptising infants is a false doctrine. Ezekiel chapter 18 verse 20, the sins of the father belongs to the father and the sins of the of the son belong to the son. Colossians chapter 2 verse 12 says you need to have your own personal faith in order to get baptised—not your parents faith. You can't get baptised as an infant on your parents faith and then have the confirmation to relearn why you got baptised as a baby. Stupid! But when you hear it out loud you go "oh yeah that does sound stupid". Who teaches that? The Baptists, the Presbyterians, the Catholic Church, the Pentecostal Church, Church of England, Anglican Church, uh and pretty much all the other ones." Luke Snow, in "If you're Drying, you're Dying"

4. Faith Alone is Denied

The London International Christian Church teach that persevering faith, which is a faith that continues until the day you die, is of eternal consequence to a disciple. However, their definition of faith differs from mainstream churches. Consequently, the LICC reject the biblical claim to be saved through faith or belief alone (sola fide). On this point the ICC movement stands squarely opposed to all reformation churches.

The LICC leaders routinely and explicitly preached that a belief, trust, or faith in Christ, is not sufficient for salvation. Your faith, they say, must be rooted in God's salvific work through baptism into Christ's death. Salvation is the reward for the following events in their stated order:

• You must hear the message—the word of God—and be taught by a discipler the first principles and elementary truths so you can understand.

• You must hold a personal belief and conviction that Jesus is God, he is raised from the dead, and he was crucified for your sins.

• Repent from your sins, turning away from all sinful practices and submitting yourself as a disciple to a discipler.

• Confess your sins, in detail, to your discipler and before God, that you may be forgiven all your sins.

• A full immersion baptism and you must believe it is the moment of salvation and washing away of your sins.

While faith is undoubtedly important to the LICC, they believe scripture never teaches faith alone is sufficient to stand righteous or blameless before God. They explicitly and routinely teach that, if you are not baptised, you are destined for hell. To them, baptism is the definite moment of salvation, which must then be followed by a ministry of discipleship as confirmation you are truly saved.

"He knows no matter how many times you pray Jesus into your heart, you're still going to hell... That is not how you are saved by praying Jesus into your heart. You are saved by obedience to the scriptures..." Luke Snow, in "If you're Drying, you're Dying"

'Only the person that believes and is baptised as a true disciple is saved... The only person who is truly saved after you're baptised is somebody making disciples.' Michael Williamson, in "Persecution: First Principles"

"And we see here that God is the one who defines the structure of how to get saved. It says in verse 21, and Peter preaches and 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Now we have to understand what that means. It doesn't mean we have to say a prayer; we have to have this fuzzy feeling inside—oh yeah, feels safe. No, no, we've got to go by the Bible. We've got to let the Bible define what the Bible teaches... So we see the very first thing in order for us to call on the name of the Lord to be saved is to have faith that Jesus from God, that we have killed him with our sin, and that God raised him from the dead. Now that is the first thing, but it's not the only thing...A lot of people want to have Jesus as their Messiah, the Saviour; but unless Jesus is your Lord, he cannot be your Saviour. So God has made him both Lord and Messiah... "...those who accepted his message (Acts 2:41); what does it say? Did they pray Jesus into their heart? They accepted Jesus as Lord and saviour? Does it say that? Does it say: 'well baptism is the outward sign of an inward praise'? No! Those who accepted his message were baptized! ...You see we've got to preach against the false doctrine that is out there. There are so many teachings out there that lead people straight to Hell. Well, what if somebody is on the death bed, doesn't have a chance to get baptised? They have the chance to get baptised! We have baptist people in hospitals because we believe in biblical baptism, and they died and they went to heaven. You had the chance to save them, but you decided to teach them a false doctrine and to let them go to hell! The blood is on your hands! How dare you teach false doctrine? How dare you! You can offer salvation to people. So you've got to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, repent of your sins meaning become a disciple, be baptised for the forgiveness of your sins and receiving of the Holy Spirit. That is the only way in. The question is, have you been saved the way God instituted? If not, you've got to get saved and you've got to get urgent about it." Kaspar Tambaur, in "Structure, Order and Protocol"

5. Christ Alone is Denied

The London International Christian Church actively preach against the doctrine of Christ Alone and stand opposed to the Reformation.

Reformers contend the only way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. He alone is the High Priest. He alone is the Anointed One. Nothing we do adds to his salvation plan. However, reformers also accept that preaching the word of God is part of that plan, and the word penetrates our hardened hearts, softening us towards God, which leads a person to respond in faith that Christ died for their sins.

Despite a denial of this important doctrine, the LICC remain a congregation of Christians. They believe the only way to God the Father is through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Disciples join his body through faith, repentance, and water baptism—all of which are agreeable with mainstream denominations. Therefore, despite their denial of Christ Alone, they maintain it is through Christ you are saved.

Their heavy focus on discipleship seems to be key in understanding why they reject the phrase 'Christ Alone'. The idea of not having to submit to a discipler for salvation would undermine their church structure, and doctrinal emphasis on discipleship.

"When somebody says they just want to follow Christ alone, these people are super wicked prideful. They don't want any leadership in their lives.'" Michael Williamson, in "The Church: First Principles"

6. Perseverance of the Saints is Denied

The London International Christian Church teaches that disciples can, and must, persevere to the end in order to attain salvation. However, that perseverance comes from submission to their rules, through their own efforts, it is not considered a promise that rests upon the grace of God.

While some Christians, but not all, believe it's possible to fall away, it is generally considered rare, never trivial, and never weaponized. However, the SoldOut Disciples routinely share records on how many people fell from faith, how many were restored, and discuss publicly their poor retention rate. Matt Sullivan, the lead evangelist for the Miami International Christian Church, quoted statistics of the movement and shared a worldwide total of 2,511 fallaways and 261 restorations within the year (Faith for the Fallaways). Evidently, they keep track and statistically only a few seem to return.

Most denominations emphasise the positive benefits of persevering in faith. Believers are taught to encourage one another to run the good race, to fight the good fight. Leaders within the SoldOut movement appear to frequently embrace the negatives, reminding people that a fiery hell awaits fallaways.

"'I warn you as I did before those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God'. There is no such thing as once saved always saved, it's very clear. He says you live like this, you're not going to heaven." Michael Williamson, in "Light & Darkness: First Principles Classes"

"People are going to fall away, it's always going to happen right, because we're calling people to full commitment to the kingdom of God. But some of those we know is just because they couldn't stay pure for one year. We know some of those are just because they don't believe they can read the bible every day. Some of those don't believe they can pray every day, and if they just stuck to it, they would still be saved today." Michael Green, in "Media that makes Disciples"

"Dry, where there is false doctrine, after false doctrine, after false doctrine of people trying to communicate Christianity that aren't living it at all. And you think I'm talking about Jehovah's witnesses? You think I'm talking about the Mormons, the Catholics, the Church of England? What about you? 'Hey, come to my church it's awesome'—you don't think that. No way you think that. No way you think that. If you thought that this room would be full. We would be spilling out of the front door, spilling out of the back door and I would be sweating way more. Dry!" Luke Snow, in "If you're Drying, you're Dying"

7. Baptism

The London International Christian Church believe and teach that baptism is the moment of conversion and a requirement for salvation. Their views are not shared by most other denominations.

They teach that both infant baptism and believer's baptism are false doctrines. It must be a full immersion baptism, and it is only valid if you believe baptism is the moment you become a Christian. If you believe you were a Christian before or after your baptism, it did not count.

Once baptised, God is not with you unless you make disciples. According to their formula, "Disciple = Christian = Saved", failure to make a disciple after baptism would disqualify you as a disciple, and therefore from salvation.

"You cannot pray Jesus into your heart. Another false teaching that has crept into the church that you can just pray Jesus into your heart to be saved. No. Baptism is what saves you, it's right here." Michael Williamson, in "Light & Darkness: First Principles Classes"

'Only the person that believes and is baptised as a true disciple is saved... The only person who is truly saved after you're baptised is somebody making disciples.' Michael Williamson, in "Persecution: First Principles"

"To become a Christian, you have to have faith in Jesus; you have to repent; you have to get baptised as a disciple. If you didn't get baptised as a disicple, you're not saved. Then you've got to go make disciples. He says, 'only then am I with you.' Because there's a lot of people who get baptised as disciples but don't make disciples, and God is not with them. Even in our fellowship, if you do not make disciples, God is not with you." Michael Williamson, in "Things Taught by Demons"

8. Spiritual Gifts

The London International Christian Church believes that spiritual gifts ceased at the closing of the canon. This view is shared with Christians in other denominations, however their specific argument for cessationism is disputed even within cessationist circles.

"...But when perfection comes, the Greek word for perfection is Teleiois, it means the complete thing. Okay, perfection is in the neuter gender. First of all, this is not talking about Jesus, Jesus isn't neutral about anything. It didn't say when 'neutral comes'. Jesus isn't neutral, can you imagine? And there are people who teach this is talking about Jesus. It isn't talking about Christ. It's written in a Neuter Gender; masculine, feminine, Jesus never represents himself as the neutral God, he's not a neutral God. That's the world they want Jesus to be neutral but he's not neutral, he's always written in a masculine sense." Michael Williamson, in "The Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit: First Principles Classes"

'When people tell you they got the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are lying to you guys. Only the apostles had the ability to pass on the gift to someone, so the Apostle would still have to be alive to pass the gifts onto pastor whoever he was leading some group saying he can do miraculous things.' Michael Williamson, in "The Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit: First Principles Classes"

'Check this out: where there are prophecies they will cease—uh oh. Where there are tongues they will be stilled—uh oh. Where there is knowledge it will pass away—uh oh. For we know in part and that is truth. They didn't know the whole word of God, it hadn't been written yet...' Michael Williamson, in "The Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit: First Principles Classes"

"Can you prove from the Bible that the speaking of tongues of today is gibberish?" Kaspar Tambaur, in "Structure, Order and Protocol"

9. Church Governance

All International Christian Churches share a belief in central governance. They reject all autonomy and self-governance. Many denominations disagree on governance structure, but it is rarely a barrier for working together in the gospel.

Instead of elders, bishops and priests, they have a central leader, Kip McKean, and use titles such as 'World Sector Leaders' and 'Lead Evangelists'. Michael Williamson, the World Sector Leader for Europe, and Lead Evangelist for the LICC, has several layers beneath him who lead specific regions, houses, or discipler-disciple relationships.

'...we have central leadership. And really guys, it's so important, so crucial that you enjoy, appreciate, and are grateful for central leadership. Why? Because it's the key to unity. We are united around a godly leader... and there is no autonomy and no self-governance which kills the family.' Prisca, in "Sisters Classes: Winter Workshop 2016"

"We believe in a central leadership. Throughout God’s Word, when His people were unified, there was a strong central leadership and godly central leader. (Examples: Moses, Joshua, David and of course Jesus and the Apostles) 1 Corinthians 4:15-17 and Titus 1:5 teaches that local congregations had an overseeing evangelist, who unified the disciples “everywhere in every church.” In the first century, congregations were a collective movement – not autonomous, not self-governing." Kip McKean, in "First Principles"

10. Non-denominational Church

The London International Christian Church assert they are a non-denominational church, but this title misleads people on their true beliefs. It's not so much that they don't align or affiliate with a specific denomination, rather they think all other denominations are not true Christians.

They wrongly teach this view by misrepresenting all other churches and claiming they all teach false doctrines such as infant baptism and that all of them are going to hell for these beliefs. Any attempts for a disciple to learn about alternative views is unfaithful and an idol in their life.

'Make no bones about it, they [Kip McKean et al] are the only church since the first century to imitate the faith of the scriptures and go biblically correct by what the Bible teaches; the SoldOut movement is the only, one church, that God is calling you to be a part of... your former church didn't make you into a disciple—they are not the one church called out of darkness into his light.' Michael Williamson, in "The Church: First Principles Classes"

"What does the bible say when you have a doctrine of man that goes above the doctrine of God? Hypocrite, liar, heart is far from God, deceived, lost, merciless, not saved, not a disciple—going to hell. There is only one church, there is only one truth and if you are not following it you are dry bones and you are not saved." Luke Snow, in "If you're Drying, you're Dying"

How can we respond to the LICC's errant views?

R.C. Sproul helpfully articulated that the reformation blessed us with the Bible in many languages that laymen could understand and study in privacy. However, he added that these rights, to read and interpret Scripture, come with responsibility to understand the correct interpretation. We cannot have private interpretations.

Sproul wanted his audience to understand that the Bible is neither subjective nor relative; it cannot mean one thing to you, another, and contradictory thing to me, and yet another, and contradictory thing, to someone else. Likewise, he encouraged and pleaded that people approach scripture with humility. You must be prepared to accept that you're wrong. He argued that where contradiction exists between two or more people, at least one person is wrong, but perhaps both.

I have carefully and humbly examined the scriptures to see whether there are shortcomings in both my own understanding, and the publicly expressed beliefs of the LICC church. I would encourage that you too consider these beliefs, and search Scripture for the treasures of Christ.

1. Word of God

There is no disagreement with the LICC that the Bible is the inerrant and authoritative word of God. We agree that God is the author, that Scripture trains believers in all righteousness, and even that there are 66 books written by 40 different authors. Therefore, despite any disagreement, we hold a significant common ground on which to discuss matters of scripture.

I have broken this section down into smaller points to make it easier to follow, and hopefully make it clear where most orthodox churches disagree with the LICC:

• A Bible Church vs. New Testament Church

• Be Silent Where The Bible Speaks, And Speak Where The Bible Is Silent

• Interpretation of Scripture

1a. A Bible Church vs. New Testament Church

All ICC churches state they are a Bible Church, and not a New Testament Church. This statement can be found in their Five Core Convictions and First Principles course.

It's unclear what they mean with their statement. Most, if not all, evangelical churches preach both the Old and New Testament. If all they meant by the comment is a reaffirmation of their beliefs, that they are committed to teaching from both books, then little to no distinction exists between them, myself, and most denominations.

However, the frequency and manner they make this statement suggests to me that they don't believe other denominations faithfully teach, or apply, the Old Testament. If this is what they mean, it is not only blatantly untrue, but it serves to seriously discredit their movement on account of their distorted view of reality.

1b. Be Silent Where the Bible Speaks, And Speak Where the Bible Is Silent

The second statement all ICC churches state in their core conviction is: be silent where the Bible speaks and speak where the Bible is silent.

This statement reveals their departure from the goal of unity which gave rise to the Restoration movement. Thomas Campbell, father of Alexander Campbell, once said "where the Scriptures speak, we speak; and where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent." His ambition was to settle disputes between denominations by sticking to what scripture taught, but without creeds.

Kip McKean's modern twist leads his disciples into treacherous waters. They redefine aspects of the Bible where it proves inconvenient to submit, and read in their existing beliefs where it does not belong. This difference can be summarised as exegesis (reading out of scripture what is there) versus eisegesis (reading into scripture what we already believe). Their preference for eisegesis is evidenced many times, but perhaps never more clearly than in the First Principles course.

During the course, disciples are told to forget everything they've been taught, put it on a shelf, and then take it down again as they follow the course. At the end of the course, disciples must forget everything they left on the shelf. Herein lays the fatal problem: their course covers specific interpretations they believe, confined to supporting passages, and makes little effort to faithfully discuss the opposing views. Naturally, this leads to straw man arguments and disciples who are unequipped to grapple with alternative interpretations.

See this article by GotQuestions on exegesis vs eisegesis, including a helpful video and detailed explanation.

1c. Interpretation of Scripture

Errors in their teaching become pervasive by minimising the literary and historical context of passages. This process begins during the First Principles course, but is reinforced through their disciplers, teachers, preachers, and ICCM courses.

What becomes clear from the outside is how frequently sermons repeat the same talking points. This recycling of ideas is a byproduct of rarely, if ever, addressing the real meaning of a text. As a result, preachers bumble through verses supporting the same rote arguments, but sprinkled with a few benign jabs and witty slogans.

By comparison, most exegetical churches focus on the literal, allegorical, tropological, and anagogical meaning of a passage. This less literal or rigid interpretation is not less biblical, quite the opposite! Jesus taught that the Old Testament, which never mentions his name, points to him (Luke 24:27). In fact, text that doesn't mention him at all is frequently used by the apostles.

2. Discipleship

There is no disagreement that people in the first century called Jesus a teacher, or that his followers were called disciples.

It is also agreed by most denominations that Jesus commanded us to evangelise the world and make disciples. For concerned family members, who may not be aware, we call this The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:14-20). The process of telling people the good news of Jesus is a critical part of serving God, and the foundation of the modern evangelical Church.

Disagreement on discipleship centres around the conduct of leaders. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people, who are traumatised by the ICOC and ICC leaders. A lack of safeguarding, and a total disregard over public criticism, makes it difficult to conclude the leaders care for the well-being of the disciples.

For those inside, or who recently left, finding your identity again can be a difficult journey. It is a process to take step-by-step, and day-by-day. However, try not to throw the baby out with the bath water; God loves you and calls us to be his children. Your identity as a Christian is defined by Christ, not the ICC. You may also find some support, advice, and sympathy in Facebook groups filled with ex-disciples.

3. Original Sin

Formalised by Augustine, the doctrine of original sin summarises the biblical teaching that Adam's sin and subsequent fall results in mankind's mind, will, emotions, and flesh to become corrupted by sin (Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:1-5, Romans 3:10-11).

Paul writes all were made to sin through one man (Romans 5:12) and Jesus taught all who practice sin are slaves to sin (John 8:34). Our seared conscience inclines our hearts to sin and leads us down a path of death (Proverbs 14:12).

The objection raised by Kip McKean and ICC church leaders is based on passages in the Bible, especially three verses (Ezekiel 18:20, Deuteronomy 24:16, 2 Kings 14:6). All three of them teach 'the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son'. However, in their appropriate context none of these discuss original sin at all.

The Israelites groaned that it was the sins of others for which they were punished (Ezekiel 18:1-4). They did not take responsibility for their own sin and stated that God's ways were not just (Ezekiel 18:25, 29). God made clear that he is just, and they were not punished for the sins of others; they, themselves, had sinned against him and needed to repent (Ezekiel 18:30).

Crucially, Jeremiah picks up the Israelite proverb and reveals that it points forwards to the day of judgement (Jeremiah 31:27-30). Therefore, all will be judged according to their own iniquities (Jeremiah 31:30), but before then, God would establish a new covenant—writing his law on their hearts—and remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:33). You can be confident that all are born and die in sin because of Adam, and that all will be judged for their own iniquity. God reveals through Scripture that both statements are true.

4. Faith Alone

The mainstream Protestant confession states Christ is Lord and He alone pardons sin. Acceptance that his unmerited grace pardons you, and a confessed faith that he will do so, is sufficient to be justified. The term justification simply means, God, by his judicial decree, declares you blameless and righteous by faith.

The most obvious support can be found in Paul's letter to Romans where he writes 'if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved' (Romans 10:9). However, other passages also clearly illustrate justification by faith (Galatians 2:16) and salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The LICC attempt to rebut these arguments by stating baptism marks the moment when believers call upon the Lord. They base their argument on Saul recounting the story of his conversion (Acts 22:16). Their argument is understandable, and indeed persuasive; however, they are conflating two concepts.

Calling upon the Lord is apparent in the Old Testament where baptism is never mentioned. Seth and the people, after naming his son Enosh, called upon the Lord (Genesis 4:26). Abraham responded by calling on the name of the Lord for he had promised a land for his son (Genesis 12:8). David praised God at the Feast of Thanksgiving and called upon his name (1 Chronicles 16:8). Isaiah prophesied that God would open himself to a people who did not call on his name (Isaiah 65:1).

In all these examples, calling upon the name has never meant baptism. Therefore, you should have confidence that God forgives and saves those who trust him and call upon his name, and then you should get baptised. However—as Paul said when asked how to be saved—you must believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

5. Christ Alone

All International Christian Churches believe that Jesus is Lord and Messiah; that our sins put him on the cross; that he lived, died, and rose again; that we are saved by baptism into the covenant established by the blood of Jesus. So far, so good. However, they clearly emphasise a faith by works.

Disciples are not saved by faith—they're saved by baptism. Once baptised, every action is scrutinised or controlled by your house group leader, discipler, region leader, world sector leader, and world evangelist. If you choose to work and pay your bills, you're not prioritising Jesus; if you're not clapping or cheering enough, you're not committed; if you're not making at least one disciple per year, you're unfruitful and not part of the vine.

They routinely appeal to scripture as support for their rationalisations, but it's clear they believe in a form of faith by works. On one occasion the Lead Evangelist, their equivalent to an overseer but without the biblical qualifications, openly denied the doctrine of Christ Alone as 'wicked sinful prideful' because they don't want leadership in their life.

If you belong to this church or know somebody that does, it's important to know that Christ is the sole offspring and heir of promise (Galatians 3:16), it is for him and through him that all things exist (Hebrews 2:10), He alone is the High Priest who passed into the heavens (Hebrews 4:14), He alone is the source of salvation (Hebrews 5:19), and He once and for all offered Himself as a living sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:10).

I could keep listing the numerous ways that Christ is the head of the church and preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:15-20), but I will finish by saying nobody was worthy to open the scroll and break the seals except Him alone (Revelation 5). Therefore, we can trust the Holy Spirit when He teaches those who believe in Jesus Christ are saved (Romans 10:13).

You can learn more through my Knowing God resources on the Son of God.

6. Perseverance of the Saints

There are many passages that discuss Christians falling away and much debate exists on whether it is possible or not. However, to some extent these debates fall short of addressing the true flaw in the beliefs held by LICC leaders.

Not only do they believe their disciples will fall away, but they do so at alarming frequency. Even minor infractions on their 'one and true' interpretation of scripture can constitute as falling away. Debates between 'no man may pluck from my hand' (John 10:28), or, 'it is impossible to again restore those who fall away' (Hebrews 6:4-6) somehow stand far removed from the conversation.

In response we should remind disciples, ourselves, and our loved ones, that those who believe in their heart and confess with their lips that Jesus Christ is Lord have eternal salvation.

7. Baptism

Baptism is one of the major doctrinal differences between the International Christian Churches and other denominations. They reject all baptisms from outside their church and believe you can only be saved through baptism.

There are several points to help you, or somebody you know, untangle the doctrinal mess created by the LICC's errant view of baptismal regeneration:

• There is one body and one baptism.

• Baptism is not the sole moment when we call upon the name of the Lord.

• Belief is the only doctrinal requirement to be baptised.

• There is no need to be rebaptised.

7a. One body, one baptism

The LICC correctly teach from Ephesians 4:4-6, which says there is one body and one baptism. However, I believe they are mistaken with its application.

Paul—speaking about Jews and Gentiles—wrote in the second chapter that the Lord Jesus Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14) and reconciled both (Jews and Gentiles) into one body, with access to the Father, through one Spirit (Ephesians 2:16, 2:18). The mystery is that Gentiles were heirs to the promise and part of the same body (Ephesians 3:6). Paul's statement—one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father of all—must be understood as Jews and Gentiles are united, not that there is one baptism out of multiple 21st century views.

We can have confidence that no matter where we came from, what we have done, or who we thought we were in the past, we are all one universal church.

7b. Calling Upon the Lord at Baptism

The LICC teach that Romans 10:13 combined with Acts 22:16 teaches that you 'call upon the name of the Lord' at the point of baptism.

While it may very well be true that baptism is a moment where we call out to the Lord, it isn't necessarily the first, last, or only moment we do so. This phrase is found abundantly throughout the Old Testament and never means baptism. It is almost exclusively used in reference to prayer whether to praise, give thanks, or cry for help.

One argument we can anticipate is "that was then, this is now". This appeal allows their leadership to disregard all previous references without any biblical grounds to believe praying was superseded. However, it is worth noting three points that make these passages difficult to ignore:

1. Jesus Christ manifested and made God's name known among the people (John 17:6, 17:26) and prayed that God would keep us in his name (John 17:11) and all who believe would be in the Father and Son (John 17:20-21).

2. He taught us to call upon the Lord's name in prayer when he instructed us to pray 'hallowed be your name' (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:2).

3. Seth and Enosh called upon the Lord prior to the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic and New Covenant.

We can therefore have confidence that all who offer up thanksgiving, praise, and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be saved. All who call to the Lord for their salvation should get baptised, but it is not the requirement for salvation.

You can learn more about calling out to the Lord in my dedicated article which includes every reference in Scripture.

7c. Belief is the only doctrinal basis for baptism

The LICC rejects baptisms outside of their movement. They maintain only true disciples can baptise new disciples. This creates a rather obvious logical flaw:

If only true disciples can make new disciples, then Kip McKean must prove he, and his mentor, Charles Lucas, were baptised by an unbroken line of true disciples. An inability to prove this lineage casts a shadow of doubt over the whole movement. Were they baptised by false disciples?

The alternative, which I suspect, but cannot prove that they believe, is that God anointed him, Kip McKean, to lead the church after thousands of years.

However, scripture is quite clear that the commandment from God is to believe in Jesus Christ and love one another (1 John 3:23). We can know we abide in him by his Holy Spirit, which is witnessed by us confessing Jesus Christ is the Son of God (1 John 4:15, 1 Corinthians 12:3). The one who believes in Jesus Christ has overcome the world (1 John 5:5) and has eternal life (1 John 5:13).

There are no verses that teach you must hold a specific doctrinal basis for baptism to be an authentic Christian, although a robust Christology is recommended.

7d. There is no need to be rebaptised

The LICC rejects baptisms outside of their 'true church' and therefore does not consider themselves as offering 'rebaptism'.

However, leaders within the ICC will baptise disciples again if it is later deemed the disciple never truly repented the first time. Whatever they would like to call it, the disciple is immersed again into water and emerges again to walk in newness of life.

There is little, if any, biblical precedent to this approach. An appeal to Acts 19 offers very little shelter for their beliefs. Paul does not ask 'who baptised you', or 'where were you baptised', or 'when were you baptised'. His concern was they hadn't heard of the Holy Spirit and so he asks, 'into what then were you baptised?' (Acts 19:3). This leads Paul to baptise them in the name of the Lord Jesus, which they hadn't done beforehand (Acts 19:5). Discrediting the baptism of those who were previously baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is not supported by this passage.

We can respond by having confidence that if you have believed in your heart and confessed with your lips that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and then baptised in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Bible says you are saved.

8. Spiritual Gifts

Doctrinal differences on spiritual gifts is not a significant part of how the LICC differentiate themselves, but it is an area where they fall into error. I believe they error in how they reach their conclusions, but not necessarily the conclusion itself.

Greek, like many languages, has grammatical genders that do not define the biological sex, characteristics, or personality of a noun. While it's true that most nouns or adjectives related to Jesus are masculine, the grammatical gender of Teleiois in 1 Corinthians 13:10 could be neuter for grammatical consistency with its comparative word Meros, which means to be 'in part'. Another plausible reason, which would not eliminate the conclusion it refers to Christ, is that the author focuses on the broader idea of perfection but still with an eschatological view.

In any case, the use of a neuter noun to describe Jesus would not entail that Jesus was neutral about something. This way of thinking is part of how the LICC trains people, and it may take some time to correct.

You can read more about spiritual gifts, and continuation vs cessationism in my relevant articles.

9. Church Governance

The ICC operates a central governance structure and local churches hold no autonomy or self governance. Leaders of the movement believe God's people are at their best under a single authoritative leader. Publicly, very little is revealed on their exact structure, but it appears Kip McKean remains that godly leader who unifies the people of God.

Most churches submit to scripture's authority on the role of overseers, elders, pastors, or ministers. The qualifications for these individuals can be found in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3. Unfortunately, many leaders in the ICOC and ICC appear to have fallen into public disrepute, disqualifying them from leadership.

There are three points I would like to address on the topic of governance:

• Their current structure and how it operates.

• Theological arguments underpinning their structure.

• Our responsibility to discern and question.

You can read more in my articles on qualifications of eldership, as well as what the Bible says about women as pastors.

9a. Their current structure and how it operates

The International Christian Church uses, what I would consider, an unbiblical structure. These roles are never mentioned in the Bible, to which they claim to speak where Scripture is silent. However, this is an area where Scripture is not silent.

By choosing their own names, ICC churches allow themselves to bypass biblical requirements for leadership and insert their own preferred definitions.

Their structure, as I discern it, appears to represent a basic pyramid structure:

Committed disciples become disciplers, and eventually they lead bible talks. These leaders are eventually trusted to lead brother or sister households. Once established over multiple house churches, they become a region leader.

No documentation is clear about when progression is tied to completing their widely unrecognized master's degree, but it appears to be a requirement for senior leadership. You can find out more details on their website for the International College of Christian Ministry. World Sector Leaders tend to cover multiple countries and answer to the central leader, who at present appears to be Kip McKean.

As a result of their structure, any standard advice for young Christians to discuss spiritual matters with deacons or elder presents a challenge. Raising concerns over other people's behaviour, potentially even criminal behaviour, can easily be overlooked.

9b. Theological arguments underpinning their structure

The underlying argument of their governance structure is that God's people were at their best when unified around a single central leader, such as Moses, Joshua, David, Jesus, and the Apostles.

In support of their argument, they regularly refer to 1 Corinthians 4:15-17, which neither discusses central leadership nor autonomy and governance. This argument is a classic example of ICC leaders using eisegesis to add into a passage what isn't there to support their existing views.

A second passage they used on at least one occasion was Judges 21:25, which they concluded supports a central leader. However, this is an example of bad exegesis. If we consider the entirety of scripture, this verse acknowledges that Israel behaved sinfully AND they had no king, not that they sinned BECAUSE they had no king. When they asked Samuel, the last of the Judges, if he could appoint a King over them, God revealed that Israel had rejected him by not having him as their King (1 Samuel 8:7).

Samuel warns them that they will cry out to the Lord because of their earthly king, but Israel would not listen. Eventually, Samuel appoints Saul as king and during his farewell address makes it known they were wicked in asking for a king (1 Samuel 12:17), and so Samuel warns them not to depart from God, or God will wipe away Israel and their king (1 Samuel 12:25). Of course, as the story continues, both Israel and Judah turn to idols and God keeps his promise to sweep them away.

Lastly, they readily appeal to both Hebrews 13:17 and Romans 13:1-5 as a means of quelling any disciples who question their authority. This scripture ought to bring leaders to care for and consider the flock as equals, not as beneath them, but the LICC leaders seem to have placed themselves as spiritually superior to other disciples, and to other churches.

9c. Our responsibility to discern and question

Jesus warned that we must be discerning of false prophets and test the fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). Paul wrote that we must discern if people are preaching the same gospel (Galatians 1:8-9). John wrote that we must test the spirits of people (1 John 4:1-3), which Paul also warned (1 Timothy 6:3-4). When Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos preaching, they corrected him (Acts 18:26).

One argument against this precedent might be the case of Miriam and Aaron challenging Moses (Numbers 12). However, careful attention suggests that this passage would not restrict questioning godly leaders. God wasn't provoked by Miriam and Aaron questioning Moses' hypocrisy (Numbers 12:1), it was when they said they were like Moses (Numbers 12:2), and in doing so, diminished his role.

What we need to remember is that the Bible establishes a clear precedent to discern, scrutinize, and even challenge leaders when they error.

10. Non-denominational Church

The International Christian Church rejects all other churches and refers to themselves as the one and true church. This mindset has cascaded down and morphed from the early days of the Restoration Movement. They believed, what can now fairly be considered wrongfully, that they could unify all denominations into a single church.

While laudable, their hubris only added to the number of denominations. Their goal to unify the church has been lost on Kip McKean, who split away from the Mainline Churches of Christ, and started his own Boston Movement. Then, after he stepped down from his own movement, he split away again and formed the SoldOut Discipling movement.

It's important to address the concepts of Christian denominations, and how we work together to glorify God. Therefore, let us consider the following questions and the potential errors in the ICC view of denominations:

• What is the church?

• Why do we have denominations?

• How do these churches work together?

10a. What is the church?

The church is the body and bride of Christ; Jesus is the head of the church and the bridegroom (Ephesians 5:23, 2:31-32). This mystery is foundational. We know that all people who are part of this body will follow Christ into heaven, so understanding what it means to be part of the church matters.

The best way to describe the church is in two parts:

• The universal body of Christ; all believers everywhere and throughout time

• The local expression of Christ; all believers who gather in one place

The universal church encompasses all people throughout time who received the Holy Spirit and baptised into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). Jesus taught us that all who come to him are drawn by God and saved through believing the word (John 6:44-47). This applied not only to those taught by Jesus, but to all generations (John 17:20-21). As Paul states, all who call upon the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

Thanks to the book of Acts, we know the word of God can draw somebody near, and they can receive the Holy Spirit, even before water baptism (Acts 10:44-48), but equally it may happen afterwards (Acts 19:5-6). Critically, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as a Helper, and He glorifies Christ (John 16:14). Nobody believes in their heart and confesses with their lips that Jesus is Lord without the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).

This universal body is also experienced at specific points of time, locations, and in fellowship with different people. We call these gatherings the congregation, assembly, or the local church. While the universal church all unites around Jesus Christ as Lord, the local church is one expression of this bigger body, and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27).

10b. Why do we have denominations?

There were many misinformed people, and a great deal of misunderstanding, throughout the history of the church. Even where common understanding existed, we see that Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement (Acts 15:39). Likewise, Paul confronted Peter to his face (Galatians 2:11).

Church history, as well as oral and written tradition, helps us to pinpoint many disagreements over the centuries. Perhaps the two biggest divides are the Great Schism around 1054 A.D, and the Reformation starting around 1517 A.D. Shortly after the reformation, people, such as William Tyndale, began translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek. Everyone used the Latin Vulgate translated by Jerome, up to this point.

Ultimately, these denominations are largely all part of the universal church, but in disagreement over specific, but important doctrines. Members within these churches may range from strongly views on specific doctrines, all the way to those who attend because it is their nearest church to worship Jesus Christ. These denominations do not prevent us loving and glorifying God together.

10c. How do these churches work together?

Since these many denominations agree on the core message of Christ, and exist as part of the universal church, many denominations are happy to work together for the spread of the gospel. The technical term is called ecumenism, and many churches set boundaries on their doctrinal basis, and who they will work with.

The London International Christian Church doesn't appear to have an ecumenical policy, but their claims of being the one and only true church would make it difficult for other denominations to set aside differences. Imagining it from their perspective, there appears very little incentive to work with other churches they deny are Christian.

Another point of doctrine that preventing ICOC and ICC from partnering with other denominations would be their view of baptismal regeneration. If their disciples are willing to put aside these two views, they might find many Christians want to partner with them, to study, and to preach, the good news of Jesus Christ.

Is the London International Christian Church a cult?

Both the Boston Movement (ICOC) and SoldOut Discipling Movement (ICC) have been recipients of repeated accusations of being a cult. These accusations are well-documented online from secular and non-secular sources alike. These claims are serious, and should be considered carefully.

Accusers may have different motives for calling the church a cult:

1. Doctrinal differences over baptism as a requirement for salvation, which may be articulated crudely as a cult.

2. Overbearing leadership with practices described as intrusive, abusive, manipulative, coercive, isolating, and even as mind control.

Former member of the International Christian Church, Emmett Kellogg, created an extremely helpful video to unpack this topic. Beneath the video I have added my own thoughts, accompanied by some testimonies from former disciples, who describe their time, and how they felt about the leadership.

Heavy Shepherding

The International Christian Church falls into a category of churches called the Shepherding Movement, also known as the Discipling Movement. This movement began around the 1970s, and it is characterised by its strict discipleship practices, and the need for each disciple to submit to a designated shepherd. Common complaints of churches in this movement include forced uniformity, intrusion, intimidation, coercision, and manipulation.

Structurally, the ICC definitely pairs disciples with disciplers, but there are also reasons to believe the characteristics of abuse, intrusion, and manipulation may be at play:

1. Leadership's admission to past failures.

2. Unresolved lawsuits against leadership of the current and former movement.

3. Widespread and consistent testimony of former disciples.

4. Publicly available documents and sermons.

Throughout my observations of their online content, there was one instance of leadership having seriously failed to respect the autonomy of an individual, subjecting her to public shame, and using her traumatic experience to illustrate a point. You can find the details of this breach in the section below on safeguarding.

More often their behaviour, which I would consider unacceptable, took the form of jabs at the wider congregation. Questions over their commitment, their heart, and their willingness towards the Kingdom of God. Testimony of former disciples complemented my own experience, and leads me to the conclusion that the church leadership fail to adequately care for the wellbeing of their flock.

However, it is also fair to say that a lot of former disciples complaints stem from private encounters and personal experience. The scale and consistency of these complaints makes it difficult to dismiss their claims simply as a coordinated effort against their church. Equally, there's very little hard evidence available to the general public without being uncharacteristically thorough.

It is my opinion the movement is harmful and poses a credible risk to the wellbeing of vulnerable people who attend. But there are exceptions: some people thrive in this type of highly controlled community, and I have no doubt they would defend and justify the discipleship practice of their leaders.

"Our last point; Matthew 28. I pray we aren't bored of hearing Matthew 28. Some go 'yeah I've heard this one before'. Yeah, but you aren't doing it. We are a church of close to 200 disciples, we don't have anyone getting baptised today." Kaspar Tambaur, in "Structure, Order and Protocol"

"It's getting quiet [in the room]. Sometimes I worry about that, but other times I see that as biblical because when Jesus preached it said the Pharisees were silent. Silence is a sign of religiosity. Uncommitment." Luke Snow, in "If you're Drying, you're Dying"

Love Bombing

One tactic which showed up in my research is called love bombing. It is the practice of showing an individual excessive attention and affection. These claims can be found in the 1990 publication of 'As Angels of Light', testimonies shared by former disciples, and articles on mind control within the ICOC (Reveal). However, I found no evidence that the church formally or explicitly teaches disciples to do such a behaviour.

This approach is considered effective because it offers isolated individuals with significant attention and affection that they crave. Therefore, this tactic would be most effective against individuals who are isolated, lonely, and who may be interested in spirituality, but without much prior knowledge to rebut their claims.

Once a disciple is initiated into the church, loss of friendship remains a strong motivator to stay. However, these friendships are tested when they eventually choose to leave. Former disciples are labelled as 'fallaways', they are 'disfellowshipped', or in serious cases 'marked'. All of these terms carry a negative conotation, which could cause people to fear leaving.

While these friendships or relationships feel real in the moment, if friends are discouraged or forbidden to speak to you after leaving, then the friendships weren't authentic.

Public Praise

While many former disciples reasonably focus on the negative aspects of their own time within the church, it's also clear that many disciples had great times too. It's these good moments that often made it difficult for disciples to imagine leaving the church, and may even be motivation to strike towards greater sacrifices and greater praise.

Disciples who successfully recruited others through the First Principles course, and baptism, were often called out from the front for their successes. These successes were met with applause and howling from the audience, which was only further magnified through their international presence who like and comment on posts. Being part of the London International Christian Church clearly feels like you're part of something bigger than yourself.

Motives behind the praise do not appear to be nefarious, but these five minutes of fame go a long way in explaining why disciples tolerate bad behaviour.

Controlling your Accommodation

The London International Christian Church frequently refers to biological family as an entity that may lead you away from God, or in one instance, they called it a potential idol in life. Disciples are therefore encouraged to leave their family homes and live in a "sister household" or "brother household".

A former ex-disciple told me she believed that some people, hired as interns, were paid as little as £400 - £500 per month while living in London, and then subjected to living in small houses with many people. One disciple, she claimed, shared a bed with another disciple of the same sex. Other former disciples who shared their testimonies made similar allegations that they were subjected to sleeping in overcrowded homes or on couches.

By controlling where a person lives, the church retains significant leverage over the individual, and could easily prevent somebody from leaving or reporting bad behaviour for fear of repercussion. It's unclear what safeguarding policies are in place to prevent such behaviour, and online criticism suggests the issue may be pervasive.

If you, or your loved one, are part of this movement, then consider trying to find your own accommodation. Living independently provides people, regardless of which church they attend, some degree of independence and freedom. However, please note, if you are the boyfriend, girlfriend, fiance, or fiancee of a disciple, the ICC may be actively working to discourage your partner; suggesting they separate from you and commit to God—especially if you live together.

"Who is your God? You know who God is for you today? Whoever controls you. You controlled by the internet—you worship the internet. You controlled by your parents—you worship your parents. You controlled by yourself—you worship yourself. You're controlled by your nation—you worship your nation. You're not going to be able 'yeah black lives matter' and get into Heaven." Michael Williamson, in "Be Strong & Very Courageous"

Controlling your Relationships

At first, International Christian Churches are appealing to young Christians. They offer an entire ministry dedicated to singles and call it 'Dating in the Kingdom' or 'Kingdom Dating' for short. Many young Christian men and women, regardless of their denomination, find dating difficult. Therefore, it is easy to see the appeal of a church with a ministry for singles.

However, not all that glitters is gold. Many stories reported to me by former disciples suggest they, or others they knew, had been told to separate from their existing partner who did not attend an ICC church. Their movement is characterised by spiritual elitism, which dictates that all other Christians are unsaved. Therefore, the possibility of a relationship with a person outside of an ICC church is considered uncommitted before God.

One former member shared comments she received over her fiancé, also a Christian, who simply did not want to attend their church:

"He was called a net that I needed to drop. They told me I would be yoked with an unbeliever. They told me I was putting him above God. They said that others had given up their relationships for God."

Dating inside the church doesn't appear to be much easier. If a brother and sister are interested in dating, they must get approval from their discipler or church leaders. While most church leaders would be supportive of young couples who are behaving sensibly, the leaders at the LICC allegedely reject requests to date if they feel the pair would not be a good match.

Sometimes it can go the other way too: to become a leader, you need to have a partner. One disciple shared a story of leadership recommending a partner for him, even though there was no initial chemistry between the two. Furthermore, leaders were prepared to relocate the young woman to another country so their relationship could progress towards marriage. Disciples are then pressured and heavily discipled into marriage, even when they are unsure.

One such story, publicly available, comes from Jenny Hunter (Washingtonian), a member of the previous movement. Jenny wanted to become a leader, and to do that she needed to be married. She was initially interested in one man, but leadership refused to let them date because he was addicted to pornography and masturbation. They then partnered her with a man for the sake of ministry.

Another former disciple I discussed with shared that leaders often tried to marry people to stop them being tempted to leave the church. This type of meddling is serious, and with so many testimonies against the former and current movement, it seems hard to ignore. However, ultimately it is unclear from the outside exactly what happens behind closed doors.

'After you get that sin list you can go through it and call them to repent; break up with the girlfriend or boyfriend if they need to, stop smoking, drinking, whatever they're doing—get a hardline conviction. Stop being an introvert or an extrovert; that's a sin.' Michael Williamson, in "Light & Darkness: First Principles"

"Go on 4 dates per month and make them all special! All other times should be focused on spirituality, evangelism, studying with people. Be the best Christian you can be. A sister is looking for some who will lead them to heaven and the brother for someone who can help them get there." Michael Williamson, in "Dating In The Kingdom of God"

"Though there may be exceptions, in a dating relationship the sister should move to the brother's church when the relationship is serious, and the church leadership has planned this move. Thus, the sister is sent "commended" by her former church family." Kip McKean, in an email on "Protocol for Every Church"

Controlling your Money

The LICC exercises control over disciples by controlling financial decisions with long-lasting consequences.

There are two core ways they control disciples through money:

• Regular Contributions

• Special Missions Contributions

Regular Contributions

Leaders routinely demonstrated a behaviour of using people's monetary giving to guilt disciples into increasing their contribution, even when they did not have the funds to do so. Failure to contribute on a weekly or semi-annual basis was considered an issue of heart and willingness.

One former disciple shared that they joined during the first year of their university degree. They started by contributing £40 per month, but by the end of four years they were contributing as much as £200 per month. At this time, the student had little extra income to afford it.

As a student, this money came directly from student finance loans and grants, which should have been spent on supporting their studies.

Special Missions Contributions

On top of regular contributions, there are two annual special mission contributions. These special mission contributions include targets set between 10 to 20 times your weekly contributions. For example, if you gave £10 per week, leaders set your goal at £200 for a special mission contribution.

Although I wasn't able to attain official documents supporting the following claim, one disciples shared stories where they, or somebody they knew, had been encouraged to sell rings, wedding dresses, or other prized belongings. Some disciples tell extreme stories where they donated blood plasma to help raise funds for the special mission contributions.

It's unclear that the leadership are aware of this practice, but the fact it is happening suggests the pressure to contribute plays a significant role in the decision-making of disciples.

"You know, you've got to understand something: I think there are a lot of good disciples here who give a lot but there are some disciples who are holding a lot back. We have too many Cain disciples that I think need to be called to be sacrificial. You've got to understand, your contribution may be blocking the will of God in your life. They gave the contribution and then God gave them direction. If you give sacrificially, if you give faithfully today God will give you a new direction to the destiny of your life—today." Anthony Olmos, in "Contribution"

"Give to God first. Give your pledge and then if you need help with food or rent, then ask for help. Because God blesses you for giving to him first. On the 21st of June we are taking up special missions contribution. The goal for it is £91,000 and with less than two months to go, through God's grace, we have now gathered about 33% of that Goal, that is about £30,000. So let me ask you what is World Evangelism worth to you? What is the sacrifice worth to you? Is it not everything?! Today I am speaking to you, the individual who wants to give. I'm not talking to that hard-hearted individual who hasn't been giving for weeks and doesn't see it as an issue. If you haven't found a way to give it's because you're not really looking for a way to give. It's an issue of heart, it's an issue of willingness.'" Kaspar Tambaur, in "The Way, the Truth and the Life"

Controlling your Time

The International Christian Church, much like the International Church of Christ, regularly receives criticism that they seek to control your time.

Whether that means spending less time on your studies to attend mandatory midweek sessions, one-to-one sessions with disciplers, or sports and music activities in the evening. These events from the outside appear to be optional, but former disciples tell stories that the events were mandatory.

My impression as an outsider is that the church has a clear demographic: they want successful and sharp people with few physical or mental infirmities. Their vision demands a significant sacrifice and so nothing short of excellence will be helpful to them. The weak are last and the strong are first—the opposite of the Kingdom described by Jesus.

"You've got to have a plan to get a better job. You've got to disciple your people to be great. We don't extort our disciples, we call them to do great things. To not accept weak salaries because this is the Kingdom of God. I call you to give sacrificially, this winter workshop, although incredible and free to many of us, is not free. So if you can reach into that pocket and give like Abel did, God will see it today.'" Anthony Olmos, in "Contribution"

Lack of Safeguarding

In an open-air public church address, the lead evangelist, Michael Williamson, shared a horrific story of a young woman. This woman, sexually assaulted only a few hours prior, was used as part of his sermon on unbelief. He then proceeded to share details about her, which made it clear to the church who was the victim.

While much of his criticism takes aim at a young man who reported the incident to them, he also makes clear that she hadn't received advice—seemingly adding blame on to the victim. His voice, filled with contempt, reveals exactly the types of bullying and shaming for which the church is criticized.

Below is a part of the dialogue by Michael Williamson, who made these comments during a public preach, and then published to YouTube on the 22nd of August, 2023.

Please be aware that it may cause upset and discretion is advised:

"What, you want to become a single mom? You want to get raped? You say: ‘wow this is harsh’, well, then help me understand how this morning as a preacher I can get a phone call from a fallen away brother—check this out, check this out—listen to the extremes God has to go to [in order] to get people to repent. 4 o’clock in the morning I get a phone call from a brother that had joined our church and left away to go party, and go sin, go rave, go take some ‘molly’, smoke weed, sleep around—couldn’t talk him into staying faith. He wanted it. He left. He left." "4 o’clock in this morning he called me frantically, he called me frantically because a sister in one of our churches in America came over here to Europe and one of the only brothers who she had a contact with was him. And she didn’t know that he had fallen away and she called him screaming because five men had drugged her and were about to rape her. Five guys, this morning. They raped her." He finally got a hold of some of the disciples back in America, he got a hold of me this morning, the police are involved. She left her church to come over here—no advice. [She] went out. I don’t know all the details, all I know is that I’ve got to deal with it after this. And I messaged him, I said “hey bro, isn’t it interesting that the only person she called to help was her brother? And you’re not a brother anymore.” See, he struggled because his friends didn’t want to join the church with him. His friends “the church is a cult”, “the church is a cult”, and so he was sucked out of the Kingdom of God because he wanted to be in the world. And God had to take a sister, and her being raped, to help him see his own heart—and I still don’t know if he’s going to come back to God. He was very clear: ‘I just wanted to let you know, I just wanted to help out, I wasn’t necessarily saying I’m coming back’. See—we always need a modern day example of Jesus using some un… some person to bear the cross. A sister gotta get raped just to show you your heart bro, and you still don’t want to come back to the kingdom of God—because of your unbelief." Michael Williamson, in "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Growing"

Prepared Statements

Disciples within the London International Christian Church are prepared for, and taught to expect—criticism. They teach this during the persecution classes.

Accusations of being a cult are met with an inconsistent reasoning; being directly called a cult is proof they're the true church, but when they call other churches a cult, that doesn't make those churches true disciples.

A great example from my own testimony is when I refused to be discipled. I was called religious, and a Pharisee, all for claiming that my faith is in Christ as my only means for salvation.

"Biblically and technically, a real cult is anyone who divides from this truth. So, Catholicism is a cult. All the false teachings are technically a cult... Any church that is not called a cult is not imitating the first century church." Michael Williamson, in "Persecution: First Principles"

"Who was it that was persecuting Jesus? Religious people. Who do we get the most persecution from? People that are religious. People that are religious, people that think they're right with God or saved, and they persecute—you've got to teach people that are studying the Bible that religious people are some of the worst persecutors. They are the worst persecutors. Who killed Jesus? It wasn't all the pagans. It was the religious people." Michael Williamson, in "Persecution: First Principles"

How does the London International Christian Church respond to the criticism?

Content from the Persecution study in their First Principles, combined with sermons and testimonies, all illustrate a leadership team who do not handle scrutiny maturely, and who show little interest to entertain criticism.

Their Lead Evangelist, Michael Williamson, sneers and mocks as he retells of being called a cult. He feeds off these accusations and doubles down.

While no comment was requested from the London International Christian Church to respond, I hope this article is well-received and causes them to reflect upon many of the passages, opinions, and testimonies within.

"You know, they this about us: You guys, your church, you try to control everyone, you guys use mind control. Um, yeah, we want God to control our minds—sure. But yeah, that's some of the stuff that's said about us, people go online and say 'yeah, they try to control your minds'" Michael Williamson, in "Persecution: First Principles"

"So many people gossip about our church. They won't say it to our face. They're writing online, keyboard warriors out there: 'yeah, yeah, lemme tell you what I thought'; videos, youtubers right there, what about GodTube? Get off YouTube and get on GodTube. There's so many people that persecute. I don't have the energy to sit online and say nasty things about people, let alone about a church." Michael Williamson, in "Persecution: First Principles"