The Rise of the Portland Movement: Flaunting a Dead Horse

Part 1: What is the relationship of Kip McKean to ICOC today?

”Kip had a huge influence on our movement … That influence is not there anymore, and each congregation is making their own decisions. We want to move forward. Please don’t believe that the comments he makes are as if he is speaking for all of us; that’s not the case. And that’s not going to be the case in the future.” – Gregg Marutsky

The reins of Episode 1 were firmly in the hands of Kip McKean. Eventually, the horse bucked and the rider hailed as “God’s man” is without a horse to command. Today that horse is embarrassed of its former master. Herewith lies our question as asked by the panellist of the 2004 Faithful Conversations: “What is the relationship of Kip McKean to ICOC today?”

Thomas ‘Kip’ McKean founder and trendsetter of the Boston movement a.k.a. the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is down but not out after having been rebuffed by concerned ICOC pressure groups for “calling out of the remnant disciples” from dying, former ICOC Churches’ in order to start an exciting Episode 2!”

Today the ICOC arena offers varying doctrinal conclusions. McKean a colossus of Episode 1 is no longer the sole arbiter of orthodoxy in the ICOC. This is to his disadvantage. His cracking reforms in the Portland International Church of Christ have estranged relations with the brotherhood. Nevertheless can they do without McKean?

Kip’s ‘unfortunate article, “The Portland Story”’ has persuaded the 2005 International Leadership Conference Committee ‘to take Kip McKean and his class, “Revival: Son of Man, Can These Bones Live?” off of this year’s International Leadership Conference teaching program.” Their reason: ‘The Portland Story that in our observation, while calling disciples to appropriate commitment to Jesus and His missions, also disparages and disrespects churches and leaderships around the kingdom in a way unbefitting the purposes of this conference.’ The International Leadership Conference was held September 8-10th 2005 in the Seattle Church of Christ based with the theme “By Faith”.

The crux of the Conference was decisions made by leadership ‘for the sake of our churches’ Maturity & Missions’.

What transpired before the Seattle Conference was the release of two proposals with similar ideals yet set apart in the manner they were written. Kip McKean issued a strongly worded statement during the Portland church World Missions Jubilee, August 21st 2005. A commentary from one of the reactionary ICOC churches summed it up perfectly. ‘Kip McKean is ‘calling people out’ of existing [ICOC] churches to what he considers a higher standard of commitment to counter the lukewarm faith and fruitlessness he perceived in the [ICOC] churches during the last couple of years [2003-2005].

McKean stressed that members of the ICOC churches must become “sold-out” disciples. Hot on his heals, the LA Unity Proposal released on 25th August 2005, apparently without their prior knowledge about Kip’s Portland Story emphasise that ‘every member in every church is expected to be a true disciple’. The LA leadership does not claim ‘that this proposal is, by itself, infallibly inspired by the Holy Spirit.’ ‘We have assembled a basic list of core convictions and principles upon which most, if not all, of us have lived our Christian lives since the beginning of our walk with God.’ [Some since 1967 and others since June 1st 1979 to the present] The Leadership Group of the LA ICOC are aware that ‘there will be some who may not be ready to join us in this action.’ Kip McKean ‘gladly joined the LA Church because we fully agree with the accompanying “Statement of Unified Brotherhood”. Portland’s elders in training are in accord with Kip. ‘We too commend the L.A. Church and their decision to introduce a vehicle to assist in helping churches to return to the standard of the Bible.’

Nevertheless, Kip’s strongly worded statement has upset many ICOC churches “calling out of the remnant disciples” from dying, former ICOC Churches’. They reacted against Portland’s plan for recruitment. ‘In the fall the Portland leadership will begin to seek out church leaderships in congregations that are struggling to ask if we can help them build a foundation of sold-out disciples.’

The elders of the Boston Church of Christ reacted with dismay and shock. They stated they ‘have grave concerns about our brother Kip McKean’s actions. While we love the man and are thankful for good he has done, we cannot be silent in the face of recent events.’ The Seattle Church of Christ could not allow Kip McKean to teach during the Conference due to some conference goers planning to boycott the proceedings if he was a guest speaker.

The moderate ICOC churches strongly opposed Kip McKean’s idea of ‘discipling other congregations’ with the help of ‘Overseeing Evangelists’ through means of Portland’s rescue effort in ‘replanting other places’ where congregations have ‘lukewarmness, no discipling and no evangelism’. Although the South Florida [Miami] Church of Christ oppose most of McKean’s plans they do acknowledge that they ‘must learn about [themselves] in these situations. Some of the criticisms raised in Kip’s article [Portland Story] are valid and apply to the South Florida Church. Lukewarmness in our relationship with God, lack of commitment to our love to each other, and the absence of evangelism are issues we must face in light of the Scriptures at a congregational level.’

Many moderate ICOC churches see the Portland Church as ‘divisive and dangerous’. In a resent sermon Kip stated: ‘there are three main charges against us. Number one is unwholesome talk. Number two is recruitment. And number three is division.’ Nonetheless, Kip reminds his followers that: ‘Our enemies are not these churches that wrote us up. Our enemy is Satan. And the sad thing is, I will guarantee that those letters are going to cause the falling away of people in this church [Portland] and other churches. I will guarantee it. I will guarantee it.’

In the aftermath of the Seattle Conference it is apparent that not every one is in favour of LA’s Unity Proposal or Portland’s Church rescue attempts. Orlando, St. Louis and San Diego ICOC churches objected to both calls. Atlanta, Vancouver, Orlando, St. Louis and San Diego oppose the LA Unity call. LA, Boston, Seattle, Phoenix, Orlando, St. Louis and San Diego oppose Kip’s call. Nevertheless, a repetitive pattern simulating the period of Episode 1’s disciple practices is emerging within the family of former ICOC. Many former ICOC churches start to embrace mentoring relationships as some referred to it as a commitment to our love to each other while others simply calls it discipling.

As stated before, Kip McKean despite being the frontrunner have now accepted that the ‘path may get a lot darker and a lot more lonely in the next few months or couple of years. Our issue is not, “Are we on their side or our side? Or anything. The issue is “Are we on the Lord’s side? What does God want us to do?” Many former ICOC churches are content to cut-off metaphorically speaking the head of the snake (Kip) while keeping the body (McKeanism). This strategy is clearly visible in Scott’s Green Seattle Church response letter to The Portland Story. ‘We would welcome them [Portland Leadership Group] “to be on the team,” with the Northwest family of churches and leadership fellowships. If not, then we wish them well, pray for them, but are both sad yet content to part company for the present time and move in a very different direction for our own church’s missions and maturity.’ Boston elders declared. ‘Kip’s actions are divisive and arrogant and must be stopped.’

Kip McKean was publicly reprimanded while attending the conference in Seattle. The Seattle Letter, according to Kip, ‘was read even the Wednesday night before the whole Conference there to all the people. And in particular it said, “Take special note of Kip”. I felt real encouraged by that.” Furthermore, the 33 worldwide conference-planning members barred Kip from attending any decisive decision making group like the Co-operation Proposal Group whose sole aim ‘is to review all proposals, prayerfully synthesize the best ideas from them, and by February 1, 2006 to submit a recommended proposal for brotherhood consideration to our family of churches. Kip admits he ‘also was not allowed to take part in the leadership shaping of the Movement. I was left out of that meeting.’ Over the period in Episode 1 members of the ICOC were informed to ‘take special note of Kip’. For example: “We thank God for raising up Kip and Elena McKean to lead us. Their vision, their commitment to God and their continual challenge to take Jesus to all the nations has spurred us on. God works through men and movements. But in the end it is all God. He takes us From Here To Eternity.”

Kip’s ‘leadership sins’ have become a stumbling block for many ICOC leaders.

McKean has saddled up another horse willing enough to obey his every command to ‘go anywhere, do anything and give up everything’. In 2004, celebrating his 50th birthday in Portland Kip stated: ‘I am just as vigorous to battle the spiritual forces of evil to evangelise the world as in the early days of Boston!’ The McKean’s resoluteness to ride out into “new frontiers” has contributed to the rise of the Portland movement. The futile attempts to reason with Kip by leadership from former moderate ICOC churches simulate a period in time when mature evangelists from the Church of Christ tried to reason with their young evangelists not to use vices like unwholesome talk, recruitment and division in order to bring about ‘a church within a church’ scenario.

Kip McKean has spurred his horse on at the August 2006 World Missions Jubilee held at the Portland ICOC. He is not interested to build the ICOC Church but Jesus Church! “I started the sermon by preaching that we are not building the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Mormon Church, a community church or even the ICOC Church. We have been called by God to build Jesus’ Church.” (Source: Report: Follow the Fire)

It is my opinion that Kip is done with the ICOC sentimentality. He is bend on conquest despite the criticism. McKean’s own experience will tell him not to waste any time in unifying the ICOC as he tried in the 80’s with the Church of Christ.

History is repeating itself. The reins are firmly in his hands.

“We are so grateful the McKeans still are pressing on and we want to press on with them to win the prize. We are not ashamed of Jesus and we are not afraid to associate with a couple that is preaching the Word and putting their lives on the line to see the world evangelised for Christ!”

This praise comes from Anita and Buzz Banadyga, Lead Evangelist of the Savannah Church of Christ. How striking is their words when compared to a bygone era known as Episode 1.

“Out of this darkness, [referring to: the 1970’s worldwide unrest among the youth.] God called a young man to start another movement for this generation.

GOD’S MODERN-DAY MOVEMENT
(The Boston Movement)

Twenty years ago, on June 1, 1979, Kip McKean led a devotional in Bob and Pat Gempel’s living room for 30 would-be disciples of the Lexington Church of Christ. Here is where the Spirit of God initiated what men would call “the Boston Movement”.

THE RIGHT MAN: God raised up Kip McKean and gave him a radical message that would start a revolution in the lives of people all over the world in our era. …

God’s awesome plan is staggering in its wisdom. As the World Sector Leaders have imitated Kip and Elena’s faith and remained unified in the message, God used them to build the largest churches of any kind in many areas of the world. They are planting churches in remote countries while they are building pillar churches to be great models for their World Sectors.
No other Christian movement since the first century has spread this far, this fast. None has grown this quickly during the lifetime of its founder. … God has raised up a couple to lead his people to reach the world again in one generation.” - by Roger Lamb “God’s Man, Message and Movement” commemorating Episode 1 in the LA Story magazine of 1999

Surely the horse that is saddled up for Episode 2 is unlikely to run out of steam in the near future. Perhaps the words of King Richard III “My kingdom for a horse” may ring true for McKean’s great escape.